Tomb Raider: Legend (Xbox 360) > Reviews > Welcome back Lara

Author's product rating:   

Playability & Enjoyment	OK -
Addictiveness	Not exactly addictive but certainly playable
Graphics	Good
Difficulty & Complexity	Quite a simple game not too complicated
Value for money	Satisfactory - it’s a reasonable game

Advantages:	Great looks, great settings, classic style, good gameplay
Disadvantages:	Fast completion time

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Lara Croft makes her most recent outing in Tomb Raider: Legend, nearly a decade after the original made such an impact on the gaming market. But how does this latest episode, her first adventure on the X-box and the 360, measure up to the ground breaking original and the somewhat disappointing subsequent turn outs?

One thing is for sure, the years have been kind to Miss Croft, who has been newly animated for Legend and hardcore fans may notice a different, although by no means unpleasant, change to her appearance. The game itself is also beautifully crafted and will take you on a trip around the world with levels ranging from desert to jungle and city to rustic village, and of course England.

The adventure this time revolves about the unravelling of mysteries surrounding the death of Lara s mother several years earlier. En-route however Lara encounters the Arthurian legend and sets about collecting parts of his legendary sword Excalibur. To help solve the usual puzzles, and take care of the generic baddies Lara relies on of her trusty twin pistols as well as being able to utilize some new features such as the magnetic grappling hook.

The old issues of irritating camera angles and awkward controls seem to have been fixed and together with great levels, animation and action Tomb Raider: Legend would be a good addition to any collection. It doesn't define any new eras in gaming or occupy a game of the year position and many might find they complete it a bit too quickly. However, with a time trial mode and harder difficulty settings as well as unlock able bonuses such as videos and outfit s the determined gamer might squeeze a bit more time out of it. Maybe a good title to rent for a weekend if your not sure about buying. A good return for Lara Croft and a good game for Tomb Raider fans as well as new comers to the series