Is it real or illusion? Only Mysterio knows, although Spider-man is about to find out.

Spider-man: Mysterio’s Menace, a Game Boy Advance release, features arcade-style action, an adequate storyline and sterling graphical elements. The game is a release from Activision, Marvel and Vicarious Visions.

The story is as follows: Crime is running rampant in the city as Mysterio has some of Spidey’s biggest foes running unchecked through the city of New York. Spider-man will have to tackle the likes of Scorpion, Hammerhead, Rhino and Electro, plus a horde of minions that include ninjas, skeletons, chem workers, mobster, thugs and clowns.

Of course, there are various power-ups that aid the web-head in his quest. He can find and collect armor, web fluid, first aid kits, invincibility and extra lives. Armor includes a thermal suit, armor suit, electric suit, and black symbiote suit. There are different web elements that can also be collected to help Spidey.

There are three main locations in the game – downtown, Pier 54 and the Empire Metals Foundry – all presenting unique challenges for your friendly, neighborhood web-crawler. There are some bonus locations as well to explore.

Controls are simple. The D-pad controls motion, the A button is for jumping and webswinging, B button is for a physical attack, the L button shoots an impact web, and the R button fires the capture web.

The graphical elements include cutscenes that look like pages straight out of a Marvel comic book. The action flows smoothly and the environments are multilevel, bright and colorful. This is a two-dimensional game. The sound is kept rather simple, but that is in line with most GBA games to date.

The game does feature several difficulty levels (including a Super Hero level), and you can save the program (password protected) once a level is completed.

Spider-man: Mysterio’s Menace fits nicely into the Game Boy format. It is a pleasant diversion, full of challenge with excellent graphics. Fans of the web-slinger are sure to delight in this title, while GBA players, in general, will find this an entertaining title.

Gameplay: 8
This is solid arcade-style action on a two-dimensional format. There are plenty of ledges and rooftops for old Spidey to access, and the mapboards are well designed.

Graphics: 8
The animation is very good, whether Spidey is crawling across a ceiling or up the side of a building. Using the action buttons in chorus enables Spider-man to execute devastating blows. The game is rich in detail, with environmental elements rendered in a bright, colorful way.

Sound: 6
The sound elements are typical of a GBA game – music and fight sound effects. The former is good, the latter isn’t very realistic.

Difficulty: 7.5
Whether it is rescuing hostages or taking out the bad guys, this program has a host of challenges to overcome. The three difficulty levels offer a test to players of any skill level.

Concept: 7
Spidey has been floating around on the console market for a while. This is a well-designed program and the comic book segues are wonderful.

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall. 7.8
Spidey looks great in this format, the animations are excellent and the game play is solid.