Parents' Guide to The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 feels like a hurriedly cobbled together cash grab of a game. Swinging and crawling around a free-to-roam New York ought to be exciting and liberating, but awkward controls keep players from ever getting comfortable moving about. Combat is more palatable, if only because it's less frustrating. But the brawling action -- tap one button to attack and another to dodge when you see Spider-Man's spidey sense tingling -- is derivative of other superhero action games (most notably Warner Bros.' recent Batman games) and dissatisfying in its simplicity.

The best parts of the game are those that don't involve any fighting or web-slinging. Stan Lee's turn as a sage comic book store proprietor offering Peter advice in place of his uncle is terrific, as are the full-length, classic Spider-Man comics that players can read in his shop. But such treats don't make up for the thoroughly lackluster action. You know there's a problem when you'd rather spend your time with a comic book superhero game reading its unlockable graphic novels than stepping into the spandex of its titular character.