Tomb Raider: Underworld (PS3)

The arrival of Lara Croft comprehensively kick-started the new generation gaming boom when she swung onto the original Playstation in 1996.

We were presented with a character that interacted with her environment in a truly unique way; where previous games had suffered a lateral slump, here was a tomb raider that could climb, swim and somersault her way around her 3D world and she was also a pneumatically hot chick to boot.

With each new game Lara evolved as her environments became more realistic. The original Playstation had 3 sequels grace its now archaic engine (Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: Chronicles), yet with the migration to the Playstation 2 in 2003's Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness Lara was found wanting with a clumsy control system and never-ending loading screens. An exodus from Eidos to Crystal Dynamics found a renaissance in the brand with Tomb Raider: Legend and a greatest hits type package with Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary brings us to the next chapter with the Playstation 3 and Underworld.

There are a few new twists to Lara's arsenal - a new sonar map which creates a 3D image of the environment and a grappling hook to get to those hard to reach places - but the new combat aspect of "Pacify or Kill" does little to serve the bloodlust that permeated many of the twisting loyalties of some of the more recent outings. However, what does work is a sense of the dizzying isolation that made the earlier games so much fun and hence the dramatic twists are sometimes truly shocking. We also finally get a swimsuit scene for the perennially young Ms Croft, so there is plenty to recommend and the graphics on the PS3 are at times nothing short of incredible.



Released on 18th November 2008 by Crystal Dynamics.

Written by Simon Cole.