This is activision?s third attempt to present Spider-man to avid spidy fans. Though Spider-man 2 turned out to be a bit disappointing, this one looks promising. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Marvel?s Ultimate series of comic-books, they?re basically a ?re-imagining? of Marvel?s pre-eminent superhero franchises. All the elements of the classic franchise are intact, but updated and re-envisioned for the 21st century.

Ultimate Spider-Man (USM) has Peter Parker, a 15-year-old high school kid, juggling algebra tutorials, the Internet, awkward dates and fighting tough criminals. He lives with a sense of guilt because of his best friend, Eddie Brock. Eddie, Peter believes, has turned into the hideous Venom because of an experiment performed by his deceased father.

In terms of art design and animation, Ultimate Spider-Man (USM) is amazing. The game offers a cartoon-version of New York City so that you can swing around happily. Though not super-detailed, gamers feel like they have stepped into a comic-book panel. USM?s cutscenes are animated like a comic-book page infused with life. Beautifully drawn characters leap in and out of black, outlined panels and the sound effects punctuated by a visual ?Bang!? or ?Wham!? are exciting.

Spider-Man?s trademark quips are also intact, with favourites including ?Most people would look fat in that suit, but you make it work!? in course of an encounter with the Rhino, and ?Wow! You got the whole super-villain deluxe upgrade package!? in the middle of a fight with the Beetle.

USM, launched five years ago, has excelled in a short time. Peter Parker is back in high school, rediscovering himself. If you want authenticity, look no further. Treyarch was able to hire the creators of the comics. They came on board to help with the script, story and character designs.

You can play either as Spider-man or his nemesis, Venom. If Venom doesn?t really suit you, take your pick from Rhino, Green Goblin, Electro, Shocker, Beetle or Carnage. If you are in a mood to tackle a villain, USM will suit you fine. The allies that appear throughout the story include a grumpy X-man, a creepy member from the Fantastic Four and a top gunner from S.H.I.E.L.D. The fact that it is easier to play makes it more accessible to casual gamers who prefer short time-frames. Close encounters with the boss are great, but the usual chase scenes one has to go through to get to them are unwarranted. The 3D-inking is impressive but the sleek looks of Spider-man 2 are missing. However, for gamers interested in playing this game, a good graphic accelerator is imperative.

Minimum system requirements: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, or Windows XP Home operating system, Intel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) CPU running at 1.4GHz or higher, 32MB DirectX 9.0c compatible video card (Geforce2 MX or higher) using a supported chipset; 256 MB RAM, DirectX compatible sound card, 3 GB of HD space, 8X CD-ROM.