So where's the X-factor?

Big movie releases these days are normally partnered with the usual blitz of lovely merchandise - action figures, tomato pasta shapes, novelty toilet seats etc. So it is no surprise for the timing of this X-men release, which finds the mutants in familiar beat-em up territory.

You can choose to compete as one of ten characters including Wolverine, Storm and even bad guy Magneto and there are three playing modes available to choose from - the usual arcade and versus (1 and 2 player) modes are present, as well as a useful academy training mode where Professor X takes you through your paces to teach you all the moves available during the fights.

The game itself is err...ok. Graphically, it is pleasant enough with the character's costumes being accurate to the comic books and many attractive-looking special moves catch the eye too. However, the look of the game is a little let down with its under-use of 3D, which is mainly reserved for the special moves and the odd throw. This leaves the rest of the game being played as a straightforward 2D beat-em-up, with just left to right movement. The sound isn't anything stunning really either, though you come to expect it being limited in fighting games.

As you progress through the game, you are rewarded with various X-men bonuses such as comic covers, footage from the film and design sketches which will appeal to fans.

When it comes down to it though, Mutant Academy is basically a pretty standard beat 'em up with a smattering of X-Men stirred in. It will no doubt appeal to die-hard X-Men fans out there, but with many alternative fighting games available most people will be better off looking else where.

Graphics 4/5

Sound 2/5

Gameplay 3/5

Gamespan 2/5

Overall 3/5

RICHARD GOWLAND

Spider-Man, published by Activision for PlayStation

This is Neversoft's attempt to make one of the world's (and my personal) favourite comic book heroes come to life, and boy have they done a great job.

From the off, Spider-Man uses his wall-crawling abilities to foil the megalomaniac schemes of petty criminals and supervillains alike. Spidey can shoot his web in hard balls to knock out his foes, swing from rooftop to rooftop and even make a shield of webbing. You'll master his moves in no time, as all the actions are quite easy to control and perform. The game uses the same engine as Tony Hawk's Skateboarding, which has given a great cinematic action feel and allows Spidey to be seen from lots of different camera angles.

Spider-Man looks and sounds superb. In fact, you want to watch the cut-scenes again and again as they are just like watching a cartoon. You even get the authentic Spiderman cartoon voice (Rino Ramano) and some great scene introductions by Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man and head of Marvel Comics).

The humour Spider-Man shows in his comics and cartoons are by no means lost in this game. He has some fantastic one liners such as "look out for that wall" as the Rhino charges straight past our leaping hero and head butts the wall behind. Look out for some witty banter between Spider and Venom too. Lots of Spidey's old enemies can be found and fought, such as Venom, Mysterio, Carnage, and Dr Octopus. Lots of his Marvel friends can be seen too, like the Human Torch, Daredevil and Captain America, but they only make cameo appearances, I only have two criticisms of this game. Firstly the viewing angle has a tendency to change when you are in the middle of a move - reversing the control options. This, however, doesn't spoil the game much as it is pretty easy to complete. In fact, it's too easy, that's the other problem. Fortunately, the addition of a training mode where you can train your speed, combat prowess, targeting or just practice survival should increase the game's life-span.

But Spider-Man still packs a mean punch - I suggest you swing along to the shops and pick up a copy before your Spider Senses start tingling - because this game is dangerously good. By the way, look out for Spider-Man's mean impression of Abe Simpson (Homer's Dad) when he falls from a building in the first few levels, it's uncanny!

Graphics 5/5

Sound 5/5

Gameplay 4/5

Gamespan 3/5

Overall 4/5

SEAN HARTE

Pro Pool, published by Codemasters for GameBoy Colour

Pro Pool is a simple but fun game where the aim is to unlock all the levels and become a very rich hustler.

The graphics are the usual very basic types of Gameboy graphics and sometimes the balls are indistinct from the table surface.

The sound on this game, as with most games, is basic and boring so turn that volume control down.

The modes in Pro Pool are very easy to follow. First of all, you have single match, where the aim is to beat your opponent to win. A nice touch, though, is that you can link up with a friend. Secondly, you have hustle mode, where you travel around a variety of clubs, betting on the outcome of matches. Hopefully, you will win a fortune but if you don't, you can always arrange a loan.

Although not a very original game, it is simple and good clean fun, perfect for picking up and playing when you need a quick break from all that homework.

Graphics 2/5

Sound 2/5

Gameplay 4/5

Life span 4/5

Overall 3/5

TOM DAKER