Spider-Man 3 slinging over to DS

What exactly is the deal with Spider-Man? Sometimes his superpowers seem out of step with his arachnid namesake. Web spinning, fine, but what about those acrobatic moves, or his heightened sense of awareness? Have you ever seen an alert and speedy spider – let alone a red and blue one?

Mind you, in the forthcoming third Spider-Man film, our hero does embrace his dark side and don a black suit – much more like the real thing. And in the forthcoming DS game based on the movie, players get the chance to swing through New York as both the wise-cracking goody eight shoes red and blue Spider-Man, and his broodier turbo-charged, black-suited alter ego.

The game will be another of the increasingly popular hybrid side-scrolling games: 2D action against a detailed 3D back drop. The woeful Spider-Man: Battle For New York incorporated the same style, but we're willing to give Spider-Man 3 the benefit of doubt for now. (It's probably more afraid of us than we are of it).

Interestingly, Vicarious Visions promises both linear and open-ended story progression, with players having the freedom to explore 'massive wide open sections of New York' and lay down vigilante justice as they go. Quite how this will be achieved without a fully 3D environment is currently unclear.

What does seem clear is that this time the DS touchscreen will be put to more imaginative use than in Spider-Man's last DS outing, incorporating a series of gesture-based controls for combat and web slinging. There are also wi-fi multiplayer options planned, including self-explanatory Brawler and Target Practice, and the slightly less obvious Hot Potato and Combo Challenge (your guess is as good as ours).

Spider-Man 3 for the DS is looking good so far – the potential to gracefully flick from building to building with the stylus is promising – but given its last dodgy outing on DS we fear a sting in the tail. Click 'Track It!' to be alerted when we put on our gloves and go in for a review.