Spider-Man - The Ultimate Villain Showdown - Region 2 DVD

The writing is somewhat heavy-handed in places and the animation cranky, but the four featured episodes are pacy, the villains suitably evil and a hint of darkness lends a pleasing frisson to the drama.

On the DVD: there's limited bonus material on the DVD but what's there is generally worthwhile and entertaining. In addition to an extra episode, "Return of the Green Goblin", a "Rogues Dossier" gives an interactive guide to Spider-Man's foes with statistics, trivia and video interviews with our hero's creator Stan Lee. Lee crops up again in the highlight of the bonus material, "Stan Lee's Soapbox", an engaging 20-minute insight into all things Spidey from a man who obviously loves his job. --Helen Baker