As the DC version received a visual boost over its PS One release, the same can be seen on the PC. Still, it is a shame that, much like the release of Soul Reaver on PC, Spider-Man doesn’t see a big boost in the frame-rate department despite the hardware being there to do it. The current frame-rate is easily playable and seems to hover around 20-30 FPS. It is sort of disappointing that the models and levels look so nice while the way the game moves a bit choppy.

Spider-Man takes place during the era of Carnage and Venom, before the nightmare of a story that was ‘Maximum Clonage’. While the story is set in this particular past ‘era’ of Spider-Man’s life, the story is completely original. Spider-Man has been framed! It is up to him and some well known heroes like the Human Torch and Daredevil to discover the truth behind all of this. What’s worse is that this crisis isn’t stopping other super villains from striking. The story is presented with various bits of video and high-quality in-game voice work the works along with well-written dialog to really capture the personality of each character.

The player takes control of Spider-Man and instantly they are thrown into the action-packed lifestyle of a super-hero. Sporting many very special skills (proportional strength of a spider, web tricks, climbing) at the very start of the game, how the pain is dished out to the criminals of New York is really up to you. Pounce on an unsuspecting thug from above or wrap them up in webbing and throw them against a wall, while the possibilities are not endless they are quite numerous.

What puts all of Spider-Man’s abilities to good use are the creative and well thought out levels this game is comprised of. Granted, each level is chock full of butt kicking, but it is broken up with areas that demand some real ‘Spidey’ skills. Escaping rocket launching helicopters, chasing down super-villains, racing against the clock, and clearing obstacles with expert web-slinging are just a fraction of the many things that confront the player through the course of this challenging game. While the common thugs pose a minor threat to our hero, confrontations with the ‘bosses’ require a little bit of strategy beyond simply pounding them into the ground. Using web-skills as well as the environment are key in defeating these powerhouses of EVIL. For those who require practice, the game offers a fairly functional training room/roof-top that offers up combat with various thugs/cannon-fodder. Add to that the many costumes to unlock and you have a nice variety of things to do.

Chances are the practice in the training room will be welcome. The personal computer has never had a game-pad that was willingly accepted by all, so there was no way the control could have really been tweaked to compensate, but this is the speed-bump on the way to this title’s ability to really perform. Some levels in Spiderman require some very precise jumping/web-slinging. Those without adequate pads will possibly find themselves unable to complete the task without luck. If you don't currently have a pad that provides at least a little precision control, you should start looking for a new one.

There are so few ‘Console to PC’ ports these days, (for reasons I can only guess at) so it is uplifting to see a game like Spider-Man end up in such good shape. There is no doubt in my mind that Spider-Man is the best of the many games based on this ever-popular wall-crawler. So if you are a fan of Spider-Man or super-heroes in general, don’t hesitate to grab a decent PC game-pad and swing into action.

*Note to PC Gamers: Microsoft recently re-released an updated version of its Classic Sidewinder design. This was possibly one of the best pads ever released, be sure to look into it.

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