Superheroes may get the glory, but there is certainly no shortage of heartache and headaches to go with it.

This point is no better illustrated in the action packed adventure, Spider-Man 2 which hits the UK cinemas this week.

And like the first movie, the long awaited sequel is full of excitement, courage, love, turmoil and not forgetting the customary battles with the bad guys.

Set two years after the first movie, Peter Parker (Tobey McGuire ) is finding life tough juggling his life living up to his responsibilities, as Spiderman along with his normal day life as a student, pizza delivery boy and as a freelance photographer.

On top of all that, his best friend Harry (James Franco) is still angry because Peter will not tell him what he knows about the night Spider-Man killed his father.

And . because of his powers, he is torn apart inside having to keep his distance from the love of his live Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunsten) who makes progress up the acting ladder on Broadway and gives up on him because he can't tell her who he really is or how he really feels.

Then when Peter finds that he can’t fire the webs the way he used to or climb the walls, he thinks that maybe it is a sign to finally hang up his web suit for good and revert to something of a normal life, even though he still cant get the girl.

With more time to devote to his studies Peter is introduced by Harry to the brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who’s devotion to his work and his wife are an inspiration to the young would be scientist.

Harry is financing the doctor's experiments with fusion energy, so complex and dangerous that they must be conducted with tentacle-like mechanical arms that are controlled by artificial intelligence.

But in fine comic book tradition, the experiment goes terribly, tragically wrong and the doctor's wife is killed.

The four artificial arms are fused to Octavius' spine like serpents and take over his mind.

Devastated by his loss, he becomes a new a villain known as Doc Ock, stealing what he needs to resume his experiments.

So it is not surprising that he finally meets up with the web wonder, who on this occasion cannot finish off the villains with his usual finesse and as he starts to lose his powers he finally decides to hang up his web suit for good.

But Harry, still obsessed with killing Spiderman, refuses to believe that he has vanished into thin air and strikes a deal with the infamous Doc to find him in exchange for the vital component to continue his experiments.

The key to finding Spiderman is the young Mr Parker, who he finds, tying to patch things up with MJ and promptly takes hostage as insurance.

And with his desire to rescue the woman he loves and eventually save the city, Parker’s Spider senses returns and sets the scenes for mind blowing action that surpasses that of Spidey One.

One of the key elements of this film is the superb portrayal of Doc Ock by English actor Alfred Molina, who started off as a genius who loved his wife and lived for his work and who becomes possessed by his new tentacles, hell bent on destruction.

With out giving to much about the outcome, William Defoe, who was the defunct Green Goblin in the first film, re appears in his son’s mind and try’s to brainwashing him in to taking over where he left off.

And when the son finds the old Green Goblin kit and hover glider in a hidden room, it leaves massive clues as to what the next adventure is going to be.

But there is no point in looking too far ahead, Spider – Man 2 is just as good, if not better than the first outing with superb special effects and action that it is certain to take your breath away.

There are elements in the story structure that is familiar with Superman 2 – but that is just nit picking. This film more than loves up to the hype and is certain to top the box office stats for quite a while.

Spider – Man 2 goes on official UK release from July 15th

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