DC Universe Online reviewed on PlayStation 3 by Allan Walsh. Game supplied for review by Sony Online Entertainment

Well hello again. Here I am, back in the real world after a few tumultuous weeks in the crazy MMO world of DCUO. Brainiac (a nasty Supervillain who has destroyed millions of planets and wants Earth next) has caused chaos all over the game world; The Watchtower, Gotham City and Metropolis City. The DC superheroes are having a hard time of it, battling thugs and magical creatures on every street corner and underground sewer and to top it all off, every major DC comics desperado has decided to chip in with a daring crime spree or two - who said hero work was all cookies and milk?

After using the fun, but slightly limited Superhero (or villain) creator, I chose Superman as my mentor and took to the skies, trying to figure out what to do next. Or at least I would have, if I could find a sky. As stated in the first instalment of this review, I had problems trying to figure out where to go next and even trying to get there. The labyrinthine nature of The Watchtower may become easier to navigate as you familiarize yourself with it through many hours of exploration but for a newcomer to DCUO it was quite frustrating. It wasn't helped by the awful map hidden away in the clunky menu system (which thankfully has improved somewhat after an update) that seems set up more to confuse than help. A separate button for the map would have been much better than having to click through menus on the many occasions you need to figure out where you are.

Once out in the big bad world the missions (both side missions and main plot lines) come thick and fast, allowing you a plethora of choices with which to wet your whistle regarding areas and content. The usual comic style over the top stories abound and fit perfectly into the game setting, blending the action and storytelling well. If you have ever read a comic (and not many people can say they haven't) you will know the sort of corny goings on to expect.

Missions will often be out in the open game world, allowing interaction and teamwork between other players and you will regularly see heroes in trouble receive a much needed helping hand in times of strife (or help them yourself). It doesn't earn you any points but it certainly makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, unless you have had a hard day at work and decide to ignore fallen friends. The choice is yours.

Other missions will see you enter a building where an instance is created for you and you alone, making a more cautious approach a necessity. After a while it became apparent that these were very formulaic. Kill some minions, fight a boss, kill some more minions and fight an end boss. Usually with a champion DC character or characters who've been silly enough to get captured and brainwashed into fighting you thrown in for good measure.

In additional to plenty of missions, all areas of the game have many hidden collectibles lying around just waiting to be found, as well as the previously mentioned races (each tailored to the type of hero you have created) to throw yourself in to. Levelling up entails completion of missions to score big experience points and use a power and skill point system to upgrade your chosen weapons, abilities or even add some super powers to your repertoire, enabling a personalization of your character. Costumes can also be modified as you find or win more articles of clothing as you progress.

If PvP or Co-op levels tickle your fancy then have no fear. There are plenty on offer in your On Duty section of the menu. There are a good variety of levels and I found them immense fun. On the downside, once you click on the one you want you have to join a queue which could have you waiting two seconds or two hours, depending on how popular that particular area is at that moment. You can still carry on with your normal missions while you wait so it doesn't deter from your overall fun.

The level cap is quite low at thirty and from the mid twenties upwards it seemed like I was being forced into more PvP roles (more of which are locked until level thirty) while the side missions dried up. Given the size of most MMOs that could be an issue with where you are in the game rather than a real lack of new missions at that point. It's hard to say for sure so I'll give DCUO the benefit of the doubt because as silly as the game can be, it has a warm charm, probably derived from the fact that you have created what you always wanted to be as a child; be it villain or hero.

Graphically the cityscapes look very pretty, where towers as big as mankind's ego stand as testament to his ability to reach for the stars and stretch into the distance with little or no loss of visual fidelity. That is unless you are scything along at supersonic speeds, in which case the smaller objects and most of the textures struggle to keep up with you until you slow down again. It doesn't detract too much from your adventuring but can cause you to miss those tricky collectibles.

The game inevitably has some bugs, as do most games, especially ones as large and complicated as MMOs. Some missions (On Duty levels in particular) can start bugged, making them impossible to complete unless you leave them and wait in a queue again, hoping that they work properly the next time. Considering the amount of time you may have waited to get to the level in the first place it can be very aggravating, as can what has to be my major gripe; the sound. Not only can the sound start and stop during every battle - it can stop altogether, leaving you fighting in silence, or with just the music playing in the background.

The quicker these flaws get rectified the better because what is there is a fun, colourful MMO that's more camp than a row of tents and at times more fun than a bath full of chocolate (a personal preference you understand). As for longevity, it all depends on how long you can fly around two large cities looking for the new missions Sony will undoubtedly keep shovelling in from time to time. At the moment, we have a good game in our clutches, but not a great one.

DC Universe Online for PlayStation 3 is out now and is available from Amazon.