 " Competition " was well received by television critics . Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode an 8 @.@ 6 . ( " Great " ) Goldman enjoyed Sandman 's nonchalant behavior , favoring using his newfound powers for money over getting his revenge on Spider @-@ Man . He wrote that the episode " delivered some of the best fight scenes yet , " including the Spider @-@ Man punching Sandman only to discover he is made of sand , which he called his favorite fight scene in the entire episode . On Peter 's personal life being portrayed , Goldman wrote that he " had to deal with the age old superhero conflict regarding whether he could use his powers to help himself in everyday ways – not just whether it was ' right ' but whether it might give him away . " 
