MOVIE fans can expect to catch up with lots of old friends at their local multiplex this year. Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and James Bond - not to mention the kids from the Narnia film - are heading our way.

In the year just ended we met up again with Harry P, plus Shrek, Jason Bourne, Spider-Man and those Caribbean pirates.

Hollywood has long had a taste for sequels - and, increasingly, threequels.

With films becoming more and more expensive to make, studios often prefer to rely on franchise films.

Not only do sequels carry fewer risks than new projects - they also allow audiences to enjoy favourite characters all over again.

A Nielsen Entertainment poll says box-office receipts in Britain were at a record high last year, led by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the third Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Everybody wins with sequels, then, apart from those fans and critics who say they're proof that Hollywood is running out of ideas.

And some sequels fail to succeed, such as Big Momma's House 2 ("a trainwreck ... a mess from start to finish," said the Evening Times' Andy Dougan).

On the up-side, some sequels have been held to be better than the original, including The Godfather Pt II, which starred Al Pacino, Robert de Niro and Robert Duvall.

And every sequel - yes, even Big Momma's House 2 - will have its fans.

To name just a few: Batman Returns, Mad Max 2, Shrek 2, The Bourne Supremacy, Ocean's 12, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Spider-Man 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, X Men 2, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Die Harder, Rush Hour 2, Evan Almighty, Hostel part 2.

What sequel, we wanted to know, was better than the original? We find out what movie sequels made you forget the original NICOLA COMPTON, 19, student, Cumbernauld: I usually prefer original movies to sequels but I think that the Godfather might be the only exception as all three of them were good. Andrew Barr, 19, West End: I don't like watching sequels as they are never better than the original movie. Helen Keir, 54, therapist, Bridge of Weir: I am not a big fan of movies but I would say that the original is usually much better than any sequel Ben Soep, 18, student, City Centre: There are a couple of good sequels, like Spider-Man 2 and Batman Returns, but I think in most sequels the movie seems to lose track of the plot a bit. Claire McGinley, 18, student, Glasgow: Some sequels are good but I think that the original movie is always better. Ross Murphy, 19, student, City Centre: I think that there have been some sequels that have been good, like Die Harder, but mostly it is the first movie that is better. Gail Moran, 43, barmaid, Bridge of Weir: It all depends on the film but some movies, like 28 Weeks Later and Spider-Man 2, are better that the originals. Marie Louise Campbell, 18, student, City Centre: The first movie is always the best - I don't think that there are many sequels that are that good.