Activision's last X-Men Legends game was the best selling X-Men videogame of all time. Members of the X-Men are a lot of people's favourite superheroes (not ours, we like Spidey best) and now they return to videogames in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. The game charts a most interesting time in mutant history. The devilish Apocalypse has gotten hold of a secret prophecy which looks to be the key to world domination. The only choice for the mighty X-Men'and all of planet earth'is to do the unthinkable, and join forces with their mortal enemies, the Brotherhood. Yes, the Brotherhood! Villains as detestable as Magneto, Toad and Nightcrawler must fight shoulder to shoulder with Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue and Jean Grey. There are sixteen characters to choose from in this most unlikely of alliances.But you're going to need all the help you can get, up against Apocalypse with his incredibly mighty, if often a little obscure team of evil helpers, including Omega Red, Mr. Sinister, Archangel and Sauron.The name of the game is customisation, too. Each superhero (or villain) has 10 standard super-powers. To this, you can add more customised special powers and groovy equipment that you'll find strewn about the game's huge levels. If your outfit looks a bit 'last season', you have a choice of others to change into so you can make sure you're always looking super-fresh.The battle takes you round the threatened globe, with locations as diverse as the South Pole and Egypt, and there's a massive 70 free roaming environments to explore. The storyline is flexible and open-ended, and it truly is up to you to solve the game's many puzzles to ensure that Apocalypse and over 100 accompanying different types of enemy are defeated. An incredibly flexible multiplayer mode means that your friends can jump in and battle with you at any time. There's also an online mode that offers many different variations of play. Chock full of characters, with huge environments, a variable storyline and tons of options, there's a lot of work been put into this title. If you're an X-Men fan, it's an absolute must-have.