The gaming world hasn't been kind to Superman. Many must remember the awful, awful Superman 64, often used as the benchmark for how bad a licensed game can actually be. But the odd thing is that you feel the game is worse because of this simple fact: I'm playing as Superman, how cool is that?! That should be the point - you load up and then you can fly, you have super strength, you're practically invincible (discounting kryptonite of course) and you have all these other powers that would just make life a lot easier. And yet each and every game featuring Supes has stunk to high heaven. This game almost, almost changes all that.

Now it would be cruel to compare Superman Returns: The Videogame to Superman 64 as I don't think any game (outside of Monster Trucks DS) should be insulted in that way, but it's certainly not the kind of game I could recommend to anyone who wants to buy a classic game. Based loosely on the film Superman Returns, and by loosely I mean as loosely connected as cheese is to Easter, Superman must defeat Lex Luthor, who as usual is up to no good, setting wave after wave of villains upon Superman and Metropolis. This is all explained in frequent cut scenes, featuring digitized versions of the actors from the film, and it includes voice work from Brandon Routh (Superman), Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor) and Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane). To be honest, they should have used sections of the film, or filmed specifically for the game, as these aren't as spectacular as they should be and at times the non-blinking Kevin Spacey is laughable, although the acting on the voice work is great as should be expected.

As Superman, you fly around Metropolis and have a Groundhog Day type of experience - I shall explain. Director Harold Ramis once explained about the classic Bill Murray film that the whole section where Phil is rescuing cats, saving boys and helping old ladies is his attempt at being Superman, and surely if Superman was as good as we think then he would be saving and helping people all day and not just sleeping with Lois Lane. However, in this game you have no choice; rather than you having an energy bar, instead the city has one, and so the more destruction wreaked upon the city, the more it affects you. Those of you who enjoyed The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction may find the fact that you can't just hurl a car at an enemy a little disappointing, and in a way it is. This also means that if the city is near destruction and you throw an enemy at a nearby building, you could defeat the foe but lose the game due to the damage. Although this is a unique feature, this realism is simply not necessary and makes playing Superman a little boring at times.

As you play you must seek out no-good crooks and give them a kicking, then rinse and repeat until you encounter one of the various bosses dotted throughout the game. These include Mongul, Metallo and Bizarro, a bad version of Superman. At its heart, this is a beat-em-up in the classic Streets of Rage style, as you fly into certain areas and fight a number of baddies, then move onto to the next. I would like to say this is fun, but the actual combat is a little awkward and the fact that you can't just kick an opponent once with your super strength seems insane, as you must go through Mortal Kombat-like combos to finish off an opponent. This is improved by having certain moves unlocked as you play though, so there is much more of a learning curve. However, the combat is a little awkward, with no real way to lock onto an opponent, which would have helped, especially when you are up against a group of foes. Superpowers are wonderful to have, but I recommend you spend your first go just flying around and trying them out, as they can be tricky to master and so if you do need to zip away in a hurry, you don't want to fly straight into a building. You have a number of weapons at your disposal, and though some need a few seconds to charge, such as the Gust of Wind or charged Laser Beam, their effect is devastating and comes in useful when you are surrounded or if you are facing a variety of easy and hard enemies.

The graphics and sound can't be faulted, as the designers have done an excellent job in creating the city of Metropolis, based I presume upon the film itself. The buildings all look different and there isn't the usual feeling that they have created one large block and just added a bit of garnish on each to create the city, as can be seen in some games. The characters are well designed, with Superman looking as much like Routh as could possibly be achieved, and despite the fact that the Xbox 360 can do more, the PS2 still proves that it can meet the grade. Sadly, however, all the enemies Superman that faces are the generic one guy multiplied by twenty and just change the colour to show who's stronger type, which really shouldn't be the case in 2006, although the characters that they have created are at least well designed and so I can't knock the designers too much for hitting on a perfect model and then sticking to it. The sound is hampered slightly by always being in 'super hearing' mode, so everything sounds a little odd at first, and when something does happen it doesn't have the dramatic effect that it should. The music featured from the film creates the right mood for the game, but is nothing special to note.

One of the biggest problems that Superman Returns must contend with is the fact that it's far too short; six hours for the main game itself is disgraceful and makes me lean towards the 'rental' suggestion. It's true that other options are available and some extras try to increase the game time, but ultimately there are only so many times you can go through the same game, and the ability to change Superman's costume is no consolation. One thing that should have been taken advantage of is the ability to play as Bizarro, as this is cut to a 'limited time' free destruction of the city mode or (once a cheat is entered) unlimited amount of time to destroy as much of the city as you can. This should have been incorporated to make an alternative 'bad' version of the game, and I'm hoping the developers of the Spider-man 3 game are taking note, as the option to play the same game first as Spider-man and then as Venom would be very cool.

Those who watched the film and expect Superman Returns: The Videogame to be a faithful recreation will be disappointed, while those who wanted a game that will last a while will also be disappointed. However, those looking for a few hours of solid action might just find this to be the game for you. Tiburnon have at least put a lot of effort into making the game look good and fun to play, with no real problems with controls and no horribly difficult sections that make you want to scream - and sometimes that's all that matters. I'd rather play six hours of a good game than fifteen hours of a terrible one (or even one hour of a terrible one, for that matter!) As it is, they get enough right to make this a good choice for a new gamer, but for those looking for a challenge I'd look elsewhere, and with so many superhero games out there (Spider-man, Batman, X-Men and Hulk), you're already spoilt for choice.

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).