UK Charts: Spider senses a-tingling

Activision UK will be celebrating following the publication of this week's ELSPA/ChartTrack ups and downs. In the face of a drop in overall sales this week, the company's multi-format Spider-man 2 is straight in at the top of the All Formats chart, and all of the home console charts except for PS2, where Driv3r still reigns. With this show of strength, its puzzling to see the title only make it to number 13 in the GBA chart. As though being number one weren't enough, Spidey has the honour of knocking Atari's great summer hope, Driv3r, from number one after only three weeks. With the Driver title falling so quickly from the top spot, a question mark hangs over the company, which has seen its share prices fall dramatically over the last 12 months. Last month Atari told the world - to something of a fanfare - that it had shipped 2.5 million units of Driv3r. Looking at its lack of sales stamina and the raft of poor reviews from critics and fans of the series, one has to wonder if Atari is going to shift all 2.5m units. Factor in the number of returns from disaffected fans, and it's looking highly doubtful.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Shrek 2 steps back a place to number three to make way for the web-slinger. The PS2-exclusive Athens 2004 makes impressive headway, moving up from eight to four. Not bad for a title supporting an event still a month away from starting. Even with the European Championship almost forgotten by us poor put-upon England fans, EA's UEFA Euro 2004 remains strong at number five. Further down the top 10, it's a steady slide. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow goes from five to six, the latest Potter tie-in, Prisoner of Azkaban, drops from four to seven. McAfee Internet Security drops to eight and THQ's Full Spectrum Warrior from six to nine. Sliding onto the apron of the top 10 is EA's Need For Speed: Underground, fuelled by a budget re-release on PS2, Xbox and Gamecube.

Just failing to make the top 10 is Capcom's PS2 exclusive Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, landing this week at number 11. At the other end of the scale, and this week's only other new entry, is Codemaster's PC-only Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2, which finds itself at 39.

This week's big movers show continued progress from Sega's Sonic Advance 3, leaping from 23 to 14. EA's The Sims: Bustin' Out returns to the top 40 at number 28 after a two-week holiday and a minor price adjustment. On the other side of the coin, Activision's True Crime: Streets of LA dives from 20 to 34.

A surprise no-show this week comes in the form of Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, which only manages a number 16 position in the PS2 chart.

Expect very little excitement next week - if the charts could ever be described as exciting - as the release landscape becomes even more sparsely populated. Risk comes to PS2, along with PS2 and Xbox re-releases of True Crime: Streets of LA and Tony Hawk's Underground.