Spider-Man is coming to an X-Box near you...

San Diego - Microsoft and Marvel Comics announced an exclusive deal on Thursday that will see Marvel's line-up of legendary comic characters battling it out on the tech giant's upcoming X-Box 360 video game console.

The deal gives Microsoft exclusive rights to online gains featuring Marvel characters, including such comic book legends as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. The agreement was announced at Comic-Con International, the world's largest comic book convention.

The X-Box, Microsoft's current game console, is already seen as an industry leader in online gaming in which players in different locations play against each other over broadband Internet connections. The X-Box 360 is expected to be available this holiday season in North America, Europe and Japan.

"Marvel has created some of the most iconic and exciting characters and stories in the past century. We're thrilled to bring this universe to interactive entertainment," said X-Box executive Peter Moore.

"With this next generation of gaming, Marvel fans will finally have the ability to create choices with their favourite super heroes, villains and creatures in unbelievable detail." - Sapa-dpa