Spider-Man

Spider-Man follows The Hulk as the second instalment in the Questprobe link-up between Marvel Comics and Scott Adams marketed in the UK by Adventure International. In keeping with the theme, the background to the adventure and the loading instructions are contained within a comic which features a long comic strip episode entitled 'Mysterio times two!', which is a fun read.

Spider-Man's assailant in this episode is the former Hollywood special effects designer Quentin Beck, otherwise known as Mysterio. He wields his power of hypnosis and illusion from behind a fishbowl helmet supplied with oxygen to isolate him from the thick gas emitted from his canisters which obscure Spider-Man's vision and spider senses.

When the game begins, we find that our hero has been captured, his mind stripped of everything he knows (a convenient excuse for us controlling him). Despite an okay plot, the game quickly degenerates into a tedious game of running errands for various characters ("Spider-Man the Errand Boy" would be an appropriate subtitle).

Although the solution to the encounters with these characters can be gleaned from the information in the manual's glossary, there are still several illogical puzzles that can only be solved by pure trial-and-error. The game is also logically inconsistent in parts: there are one or two locations which lead to an abrupt 'something stops me' message, but I never figured out what; and, despite superhuman senses, our hero falls and breaks his neck at one point.

Overall, Scott Adams' Spider-Man is a disappointing game that reduces the famous hero to pitiful pizza delivery boy. Stay away at all costs, unless you like boring puzzles, below-average writing, and stupid puzzles.

Review By HOTUD