It seems that the season of summer block-busters starts earlier every year. Already this year's seasonal biggies - vampire yarn Van Helsing, end-of-the-world saga The Day After Tomorrow and, of course, the next instalment of the Harry Potter saga - are showing at a big screen near you. And, if you want to make sure that you get the best seats in the house, then you'd better log onto the internet.

There are many ways in which the web can come in handy for film buffs. There are flashy official websites for just about every release, along with sites devoted to gossip, news, trailers and some very professional-looking fansites.

For this feature, we've paid a visit to all the major cinema chains' websites to see how well they work. We're looking specifically at sites that offer online booking facilities, but we have also considered ease of use, interesting content and added value.

Read on to find out how well the big screen on your high street translates to the small screen on your desktop.

Ster Century
www.stercentury.co.uk
Ster Century is one of the newer cinema chains in the UK. There are only a handful of multiplexes so far, including ones in Edinburgh, Basingstoke, Romford and Norwich. Despite being relative newcomers, the Ster Century site was among one of the best we tested, largely because of its user-friendliness.

For starters, it's the only one that actually allows users to reserve specific seats; we tried reserving a pair for School Of Rock at the Basingstoke complex and were immediately presented with a map of the auditorium, complete with already-booked seats and a recommendation of the best positions still available.

From here, the booking process itself is fairly straightforward and secure. First-time users are asked to register and are given a Pin with which to make future bookings even easier.

Elsewhere, the site offers listings for all of its cinemas (including those for the following week once they are available), potted reviews of recent, new and future releases, details of the chain's Kids' Club screenings, links to all the major film companies, plus a chance to sign up for the Ster Century weekly email newsletter, which promises free screenings, previews and other special offers.

It's all very easy to use, thanks to a drop-down menu at the top of each page, and the simple, uncluttered blue and yellow design adds to the overall effect.

Vue
www.myvue.com
The Warner Village cinema chain was recently rebranded as Vue following last year's takeover by SBC. The left-hand navigation bar, in the shape of a clapperboard, leads into sections that allow you to search for the film and cinema location of your choice.

There's also an impressive list of forthcoming film releases, which offers brief plot descriptions, links to official sites and even details on which films will be in limited release.

The service allows users to register for a monthly newsletter, special offers, weekly cinema listings sent to your inbox, and a personalised homepage that relates to what's on at your local.

As for the online booking system, it couldn't be easier to use once you have chosen which film and performance you want to go to. We tried to book tickets were presented with a simple, secure booking form that requires only your name, ticket quantity and credit card details. There's no need to register first and, unlike other sites, Vue offers advanced booking on some future films.

UCI/The Filmworks
www.uci.co.uk or www.thefilmworks.co.uk
This site combines the UCI and Filmworks cinemas, both of which are part of the same chain, and you can move between the two sites as much as you want.

Like many of its peers, it's a pretty simple website, offering the usual cinema and film information as well as comprehensive information on individual cinemas. A separate link to Multimap shows the exact location of each cinema.

The booking form is in two parts, one that allows you to choose the number of tickets you want via some useful colour co-ordinated graphics, and the more standard, secure credit card booking form. Advance booking on some forthcoming attractions is also possible.

As with other sites, users have the option to register for regular email newsletters and special offers, and it's possible to customise the site so that your local cinema listings are the first thing you see whenever you log on.

Added bonuses include details of the Kids' Club, and Directors' Chair (featuring one-off screenings of art house and limited release movies), as well as a whole separate section for students at www.ucilovestudents.com.

Showcase Cinemas
www.showcasecinemas.co.uk
At first glance, the Showcase Cinemas website doesn't look as though it has much to offer, but look a little deeper and you'll discover that, content-wise, this is one of the most impressive cinema websites around.

For one thing, the reviews of forthcoming and current films are far more detailed, with many given their own separate section on the site, and punters can rate the movies they have watched on a scale of one to four.

As well as the obvious show times and cinema details, there's also an extensive selection of film star bios, featuring filmographies that link to more detailed reviews of each movie, up-to-date box office grosses, and a separate section giving brief synopses of films that are now showing.

Best of all is the trailer section, something sorely lacking in other cinema chain websites, which boasts a huge list of clips from movies past, present and future.

The secure online booking section, meanwhile, opens up in a new window and is fairly basic: simply choose a film, performance time and number of tickets. A credit card number is all that's needed after that although, oddly, the site doesn't seem to ask for your name; simply an email address to confirm your purchase.

Odeon
www.odeon.co.uk
As the biggest cinema chain in the UK, it's only natural to expect Odeon to have a decent website but, while there's plenty of content here, the quality tends to be a bit hit and miss.

The cinemas themselves are divided into different regions, making it much easier to search for the one you want to go to, while each film has its own separate section complete with synopsis, details of which cinemas are showing it, and links to trailers and the Empire magazine review.

The booking system is a tad fiddly and spread over several pages, as we discovered when we tried to book tickets. You have to choose the performance time and number of seats on one page, then confirm it on another, then enter registration details for the site before you get anywhere near the credit card bit, all of which slows up the process somewhat.

On the other hand, everything is explained simply and clearly, the site is secure and you're warned about the 50p booking fee early on.

The site also scores points for its simple, classy design. The black and blue backdrop (shot through with what look like projection lights) is far easier on the eye than some of the garish blues and yellows employed by competitors' sites.

As a bonus it boasts some unique fun features, notably a Toys section that includes screensavers, postcards and the 'usherette' game, an addictive little Shockwave number in which you have to show customers to their seats within a set time.

UGC Cinemas
www.ugccinemas.co.uk
The French-owned UGC chain tends to show more specialist and art house films than some of its competitors, and this is reflected in the website.

All the usual features are present. You can, for instance, register to receive email newsletters, find out about show times and cinema locations, as well as find out more about UGC itself.

Once again, cinemas are searchable by region, and each cinema has its own section complete with full details of what's available (illustrated by a range of baffling icons to explain the range of services on offer).

The booking system is fully secure and fairly easy to use, with seat numbers and performance times confirmed on one page and personal and financial details on the next. It's also possible to book up to two weeks in advance.

The site feels a little more geared towards the serious cinema goer than some of its rivals, but some of the sections seemed disappointingly empty. When we visited the Coming Soon area, for example, it contained a comprehensive list of forthcoming films but we found it impossible to access any more information beyond titles, stars and release dates.

The others
Cineworld is one of the newer arrivals on the UK cinema scene, and offers the usual array of new and forthcoming film information on its website, together with cinema locations, show times and hundreds of trailers for films past and present.

There are also synopses and links to official sites for many of the featured movies. However, as yet online booking is not available, making it impossible for us to test the site to its full abilities. With its breadth of content and promise of forthcoming online booking, it remains one to watch.

The Screen Cinemas website, which promotes the independent cinema chain, is once again aimed at the more discerning film goer, complete with detailed reviews of each of its films, information on each cinema, links to all the major UK film distributors, competitions to win tickets and more besides.

Similarly the Picture House chain offers longer film reviews as well as a really comprehensive guide to each of its cinemas, and you can book your tickets online.

Finally, AMC is an American chain that has opened two multiplexes in the UK (in Birmingham and Manchester). Its website offers show times and cinema details but no online booking as yet.

House lights up
On the whole, it's fairly simple to book cinema tickets online, and the process is certainly quicker and easier than it once was. But as far as content is concerned, the overall impression is that there's room for improvement.

Many of the sites we tested seem to be functional rather than fun. Film synopses and show times are, of course, an essential part of the whole movie going experience, but many of the sites would benefit from enhanced features, and trailers are a must.

Odeon's games and Showcase's huge trailer archive are two examples of what can be achieved on cinema sites with a little more thought and effort.

Of those sites we tested, Ster Century's stood out for being the only chain that actually allows you to choose specific seats, while Warner/Vue and UCI deserve credit for their booking systems. As a good all-round website, Showcase is hard to beat.

Internet Movie Database
As every discerning film fan knows, the ultimate in movie websites is the Internet Movie Database. Based on a Usenet newsgroup called rec.arts.movies in the early 90s, it gained huge momentum thanks to the online boom of the last decade.

Today, it is owned by Amazon, which bought it in 1998 for an undisclosed sum. Despite the corporate takeover, however, the IMDB, where anyone can post a review of any film and add additional information about films, still retains its community spirit.

The site works so well simply because it's the most comprehensive film resource around. Pretty much every movie you could ever wish to know about - no matter how obscure - is listed here, together with listings for everyone who has ever set foot in front of or behind a camera.

The range of information on each film (everything from trivia to external reviews, official websites and continuity errors) is extensive enough, but there's far more to the IMDB than just a catalogue of every movie ever made.

The sheer range of information here is what makes this site so great. If you want to know who won a Golden Globe 50 years ago, the IMDB will be able to tell you. If you want to know what films were released in the UK in January 1972, the IMDB will have that information. And if you want to know about the smallest of film festivals, or find out which film star shares your birthday, or just what other people think of your favourite movies, it's all here and all cross-referenced.

No other movie-themed website offers so much detail and does so in such a simple, user-friendly format. And that's what makes the IMDB so invaluable.