Handheld video game:Nintendo Game Boy Advance Spider-Man 3

Peter Parker and his infamous alias Spider-Man first appeared in 1962 in the Marvel comic book "Amazing Fantasy #15." Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he has since become one of the world's most popular characters and is one of the most recognizable superheroes of all time. Through the years, he has appeared in many media versions, including several animated series, a daily and Sunday comic strip, and two very successful motion pictures series. Parker Brothers released the first video game featuring Spider-Man in 1982 for the Atari 2600 game console. Entitled simply "Spider-Man," this action game contained both a single and a two-player mode. The game did not receive much notice when it first came out. However, over time it became one of the Atari system's classic games, as players remain drawn to the opportunity to control Spider-Man's web-slinging abilities, and many more games featuring the hero appeared on the gaming market.

In 2002, Activision released "Spider-Man" to coincide with the release of the 2002 movie of the same name. This brawler follows the plot of the film and features many of the same actors. Unlike previous Spider-Man video games, "Spider-Man" used live action animation instead of animated graphics that resembled the comic book version of the hero. Gamers play as Spider-Man and must defeat the Green Goblin, as well as other villains not included in the movie.

"Spider-Man" received positive reviews from critics. Douglass C. Perry of IGN wrote, "Spider-Man' is an excellent action game that's easy to pick up and play again and again." Players enjoyed the game as well, and it became the seventh top-grossing video game of 2002. Because of its success, Activision released "Spider-Man 2" in 2004 to promote the second Spider-Man movie, and "Spider-Man 3" in 2007 to promote the third.

Activision released "Spider-Man 3" for the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2 and 3, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows. All versions of the game feature the villains from the film of the same name-Venom, Green Goblin, and Sandman-however, the different versions include various other characters from the comic books as well. Gamers play all versions as single-players and must defeat Spider-Man's enemies.

Like the two previous games, actors from the movie franchise provided their voices and likenesses for the video game. They included Tobey Maguire, James Franco, J.K. Simmons, and Elizabeth Banks.

"Spider-Man 3" received mixed reviews from critics. Many found that it did not make appropriate improvements over the first two games, and that it did not feature a substantial plot. Alex Navarro of GameSpot wrote, "Spider-Man 3' isn't without merit but unless you're one of those diehard Spider-Man fans...there's probably not enough to Spider-Man 3' to make it worth your time."

Spider-Man remains a very popular character. He expanded the dramatic potential of the fantasy and superhero subgenres by having a strong focus on a younger, more troubled character and his personal struggles. Since his creation, his popularity has led to many of the superheroes who predated him being reworked with more complex personas. In 2012, Marvel rebooted the film series with "The Amazing Spider-Man" starring Andrew Garfield, and Marvel continues to develop video games featuring the web-slinging hero.