One of the most successful series of games has to be ‘Tomb Raider’. With the superbly designed Lara Croft and, of course, now a film and a second to follow, this incarnation has been eagerly awaited.

Now on the PS2 and PC, it's been over three years in the making with its release date continually slipping, ‘Tomb Raider’ fans have had to wait a long time. I think people were expecting a huge leap with this next gen version but I think ‘Tomb Raider’ has done what it has always done and slowly evolved. One area where ‘Tomb Raider’ has always been strong is storyline and this one shines.

It's the first of three parts. The second part should appear around the end of this year with the third and final part appearing in the new year. Core have said they have written a ‘Tomb Raider’ book which this game is based on the first few chapters. So you're asking what's the actual game like? Well, it's still the ‘Tomb Raider’ and Lara we've come to know and love.

It is not without its faults though, which I'll come to later. The last game left Lara for dead in Egypt with Werner VonCroy failing to rescue her from her plight. Lara is now understandably angry when VonCroy asks her for her help. She finally decides to meet up with him to discuss his request. They argue and the next thing Lara knows is VonCroy is dead and she is not sure how it happened. She becomes the prime suspect in his murder and is also a suspect in a series of other mysterious murders carried out by the serial killer know as the Monstrum.

The game starts off in France in the Parisian backstreets when after a cutscene she temporally loses the police who are chasing her. You are gently eased into the controls and general game play as Lara gives you instructions and pointers as to what to do. This is where the first major problem arises, the controls. Basically similar to previous games but still annoying. The direction is dictated by the camera position which can be rather disorientating to say the least. Often swinging the camera to directly behind Lara makes things easier.

Veterans will soon pick up the controls but new players may find it frustrating. Hopefully, Core will improve this situation in the next two games. The camera itself is OK. Well, generally the best you can get in this type of third person gameplay but when it becomes fixed for set pieces and the controls rear their ugly head again and you can fall or jump to your death. As a side point, you can still do those spectacular deaths - yes, the swandive is still there along with handstands (you don't have to kill yourself you can swandive into water if you like).

The graphics are better, more detailed but compared to some of the other games out there they could be said to be a bit average. What is impressive is character animation. There is some lovely motion capture - just watch Lara climbing for example. Overall, the levels are good and well designed. Core has always shined at this and they've done it again. If you have played ‘Tomb Raider’ before you'll feel at home in ‘The Serpent Rouge’ as you climb up levels in the club and then up the lighting rig.

This is made quite impressive by the lighting and dance music. One thing you always get in TR is huge rooms that you either have to climb up or down and solve puzzles. This is demonstrated to perfection in the Tomb of the Ancients. This will bring back memories, it did with me - a sort of De jar vous. One of the major differences is now there are multiple routes through an area and this is also highlighted by conversations with other characters most of which are interactive.

You can choose to be nice, nonchalant or abusive, it's up to you. Depending on where you go and who you talk to, especially in the Parisian streets, changes your path through that area of the game. There is also a stealth mode. It’s sort of similar to Metal Gear solid. You can creep up to enemies and do stealth kills, hug walls and crawl on your belly SAS style. The Louvre is full of lasers to get past and security guards in a way similar to ‘Area 51’. The other major tweak is for want of a better word, power-ups. You can improve Lara's abilities by performing various tasks.

Pushing a crate may increase your legs or upper body strength. This can alter where you can go in the game adding more interest to the proceedings. There is a wonderful sense of atmosphere created by the environments in the game. From the rain-soaked streets of France at night to the moody lighting and sound affects of the Sanatorium. This section definitely has echoes of ‘Resident Evil’.

At this point in the game you switch to playing another character Kurtis. He has a different style- less flamboyant than Lara but still effective. The music is impressive, mostly full orchestral score performed by the London Symphony Orchestra which along with the cut-scenes and interesting camera angles gives the whole game a more movie-like feel. So for all its foibles, why do I love this game? I think ‘Tomb Raider’ has always had something that a lot of other games just don't have - an X-factor.

I'm not sure if it's the driving story, to see what mad puzzle or route they've dreamed up next or the characters, you just want to keep playing. There are problems which I beg Core Designs to sort out especially the controls. It is not the major leap everyone was expecting. It's a sort of hybrid. There are sections through out this game that we've seen before but they are slightly changed, mostly improved.

Almost old familiar with added bells and whistles. If you've never played TR then if you own a PS2, it might be an idea to rent it first. If you're someone who has played one or all of the games before and enjoyed them then you will enjoy this.

Phil Jones