For the first Spidey movie tie-in since 2007's dismal Spider-Man 3, publisher Activision has returned to a freely explorable Manhattan (though the virtual borough is a far cry geographically from its real-world counterpart). The thrill so notably absent from Beenox's last two Spidey outings, the thrill of flinging yourself between skyscrapers, tossing out a web when you're inches from the ground and gliding back into the air makes a welcome return in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Though The Amazing Spider-Man's swinging has been dumbed down since Web of Shadows (see sidebar) it's at least been beautifully animated. Spider-Man pirouettes and flips through the air with a genuinely exhilarating sense of abandon. Motion blur sells those trademark moments where the Webslinger's gliding close enough to the sidewalk to come away with chewing gum on his tights.

There are so many trademark little touches that heighten the Spider-Man-osity of getting around town. As he sprints up the side of a building, Spidey shoots tiny lines of webbing ahead of himself to help maintain his momentum and balance. When falling at terminal velocity, a last minute web is automatically spun to the sky that prevents him from becoming spider tartare.

The Amazing Spider-Man's attention to detail carries over to the lucha libre-inspired combat, which captures the fluidity and grace you'd expect from a hero who can always sense the next move his enemy is going to make. Much like web-swinging, fighting looks fantastic, but it also has the gameplay substance to back it up. This is no button mash - choosing the right moments to dodge, immobilize enemies with webbing or use a melee attack to take out a lone gunner is key.