Bitz.

Byline: Ewan Ross

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 (Capcom, XBox Live, pounds 14.99) THERE are two schools of thought on the sequel. The first is that it can improve upon the original; break all the bugs and finally deliver something that goes to pleasing most of the fans. Of course, there is also the second school, which follows the principle that if it isn''t broken, don''t fix it.

A game which follows a good predecessor has to choose wisely at this juncture - should the warts '' n'' all graphics etc be left in to keep its faithfulness to the original? Or, should it be improved to fit in with modern games? Marvel Vs Capcom 2 has had this dilemma since designers first thought about a sequel. The original was an absolute smash and, to mess with it on such a basic level, would have certainly annoyed the fans. With modern age graphics though, to not improve it would almost certainly annoy others.

In fairness, Capcom deserve credit here - for actually finding an answer to this: do both.

The original Marvel Vs Capcom has built a huge reputation in the arcades. The point is: it will never have to go through the transition into 3D because this game has no need to change. MvC has been a stalwart 2D fighter and will continue to be so because this is one of the leaders in the field.

However, on the other side of the argument, there are also new technological innovations that just cannot be ignored here.

The first major improvement to the game is the graphical filter options. Fans of the game can now play with improved sprites - which move more smoothly during battle. The effect is convincing and also adds a little more to the eye candy of the game. The diehards though are also catered for here - as all these filtered options can be switched off so the game looks as true to the original as possible.

The game also caters for widescreen, which provides a much bigger viewing plane and makes the battles a lot more hectic. Although this isn''t flawless - there are a few bugs - it''s great to finally be able to get some distance from your opponent when the battles heat up.

The biggest addition to this game though is the online mode, which allows up to six players to battle it out over the net. This is a fantastic new feature, which would have caused outcry had it not been included. The plus point is that the online bouts suffered almost no slowdown, which is quite a thing for some games to achieve these days.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 is not for beginners - well it is, but you need to watch yourself online. There are people who are masters at this game, and, although Street Fighter is a fave of mine, tearing Juggernaut''s head off with Adamantium Claws will always pip SF to the post in my books. There are people though who have played this a lot longer than yours truly, and most of my bouts ended with a tear or two as my indestructable Wolverine was thrown about like a rag doll.

This game is certainly worth every penny - but you''ll definitely need to get some practice in. 8/10 - X-plosive The Secret Of Monkey Island (Lucas Arts, XBoxLive, pounds 14.99) SINCE the days of the Amiga I have always had respect for the programmers from Lucas Arts - more so, the ones who put Loom together. You see, later, they would release one of the greatest adventure games of all times: The Secret of Monkey Island.

Monkey Island was a classic and instantly put point and click adventure on the map as being something very accessible to all ages.

Featuring the daft and clumsy Guybrush Threepwood in his quest to become a pirate, he quests on the mystical Monkey Island for treasure - but not without a few laughs on the way.

This outing for XBox Live is more of a homage to the original all those years ago, and despite my disdain for reruns - this is one that really needed to be redone, as it''s hilarious.

This is what gaming should all be about.

9/10 - Monkey Magic

CAPTION(S):

SUPER HEROES: You can't improve on perfection