Literature abounds with tales of those who have sold their souls to the devil, only to have the deal soured by the devil’s underhanded machinations, and so the war rages between the one manipulated and the forces of hell.

Ghost Rider offered something a little new when the Marvel comic book debuted back in 1973. It made the star, aptly named Johnny Blaze (the character’s trademark was a flaming skeletal skull), a motorcycle stuntman, battling the forces of hell, while laying down a little retribution on the wicked of Earth.

The game, which by no consequence, releases on the heels of the theatrical film, and while it tries to create its own space in the gaming world, when all is said and done, 2K’s PS2 title feels like a rehash of other games.

Albeit, the graphics are decent - but not outstanding, with some various depictions of demonic creatures, but the game has a definite feel of “been there, done that.” Johnny uses a chain-weapon attack as his standard melee attack, a la God of War. But if you kill enough monsters and collect enough souls, you can power up and trigger more devastating area-of-effect attacks. And soul collecting acts a bit like ringing up experience points, which in turn can be spent to upgrade powers.

The combat, which seems to be the primary focus of the game with the story just a foil to drive the action, is rather tired at this point, and even those who are unfamiliar with the title, but have played other games will have no problem launching into this game. As for the story, well, there is enough there to propel the story along but without the tension and touch of horror that the comic books had. It seems that Mephisto wants Johnny to battle some rogue demons, or Johnny’s girlfriend will receive a very nasty vacation into hell.

The game begins with a tutorial of the blazing-skulled Johnny wandering down a very linear path en route to escaping the clutches of hell. Johnny uses a couple of different attacks – light and heavy – to deplete the life force of his enemies, and then – if they are stunned – you can grapple them for a WWE-style finishing move. Stand next to a fire to replenish health, struggle with the camera a bit and move along the path to the next junction where a brief cutscene awaits, along with more demonic creatures.

Some of the enemies have a shield that has to be whittled down before you can do damage to them – which just means that the combat is prolonged a bit longer. You block, tumble/dodge, attack – a rinse-and-repeat scenario. The motorcycle elements, which were a key part of the comic book, feel a little like the early Xbox title, Arctic Thunder. You ride, avoid obstacles and fend off attacks with chains cast left and right.

One of the interesting elements the game does throw in is the ability to unlock elements other than improved attacks. There are comic book pages, concept art and designer movies that can be unlocked and viewed. But the problem here is that you might want to wait for these goodies. The primary focus is to level up skills to work through the game. As odd as it may sound, though, if you skill up too fast, you will find the game a bit of a cakewalk.

The game mechanics are familiar, the sound is serviceable but more of a minor supporting role to the visuals. Graphically the game is average. The edge that should be attached to this game is gone. Spawn was derived from the Ghost Rider comics, and the game was a bit edgier than this treatment of the classic Marvel series. Ghost Rider diehards may want to steer clear of this title, while those who are fans of ethereal- or demonic-influenced action games will find it done better elsewhere.

This game was familiar and disappointing.

Gameplay: 6.0
The camera can be problematic, and the whole game feels like déjà vu all over again.

Graphics: 6.0
The graphics are serviceable and Johnny Blaze is well rendered, but the action is a rehash of what has been seen before.

Sound: 5.0
Average, and a minor supporting cast member to the graphics.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
It’s a button-masher with three levels of difficulty.

Concept: 4.5
Johnny Blaze is a good character, but this game feels like a ‘been there, done that’ mishmash of other titles, only given a somewhat gentler touch.

Overall: 5.4
Ghost Rider is not a bad game, it’s just not one that can be recommended because it has been done before, in other titles, and – at times – better. Ghost Rider tries to be many things, and ends up missing the boat on what it was that made the comic book so good in the first place.