Tomb Raider you assume the role of a beautiful archaeologist, Lara Croft. She is a thrill seeker and is willing to do almost anything that puts her life in danger – she enjoys it. Naturally, Lara jumped all over the opportunity to recover the powerful Scion, an ancient relic scattered throughout the caverns and temples of the world.
Played from a 3rd person 3D perspective, her adventure spans over 15 levels set in 4 distinct worlds and environments. As Lara you’ll have to solve ancient riddles in the Egyptian Pyramids, discover the Lost City of Atlantis and traverse through Ancient Rome all while looking for the artefact. Each level is laced with traps and hazards that require you to flip, swim and climb your way to safety and success.
Along the way, you’ll engage in battle with countless enemies including wolves, bears and the occasional “extinct” dinosaur. Fortunately, you have a slew of weapons at your disposal. Lara’s default weapon is dual pistols and as you progress further into the game, you’ll come across shotguns, magnums and an Uzi. When the ammunition is running low, you’ll have to make good use of her various manoeuvres to avoid enemy contact.
Look out Indiana Jones – Lara’ s in town.
Tomb Raider II has just been re-released on the Sold Out label to coincide with the release of the blockbuster film starring Angelina Jolie. This means that you can pick up Lara’s second adventure at a price to good to pass up.
Tomb Raider II’s textures have been given a larger library, making it more appealing to the naked eye. Also, the game’s structure has been altered in favour of combat as opposed to adventure and exploration. While this may be favourable for new players to the series, players looking for more of the same will be disappointed. New abilities and the use of vehicles have been added to Lara's repertoire. Now you can drive around on a snowmobile in arctic weather, or ride in a speedboat through the city of Venice.
Tomb Raider is the first game in the series to make use of hardware acceleration without the need for a patch. If you have a 3D card (and what self-respecting gamer doesn’t?) Tomb Raider 2 looks fantastic in high-resolution. A modified game engine allows more polygons to be displayed simultaneously, and Tomb Raider II’s other new graphical feature is dynamic lighting. The new lighting effects add suspense to the gameplay, especially when you are darkened corridor illuminated only by your torch, and you can hear someone or something creeping up on you.
If you have missed out on this gem of a game, it might be worth taking another look at this highly playable and very addictive title.