You could almost hear grown men weep at the end of Lara Croft’s last outing, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, as the ultimate non-supermodel, non-supercar male fantasy figure seemed to shuffle off this mortal coil. Upsetting as that may have been for some, it was pretty much guaranteed that Lara’s death did not mean the end of the Tomb Raider series. So much success with the franchise in the past few years demanded sequel after sequel, and with the arrival of Tomb Raider Chronicles, you may ... more >>

You could almost hear grown men weep at the end of Lara Croft’s last outing, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, as the ultimate non-supermodel, non-supercar male fantasy figure seemed to shuffle off this mortal coil. Upsetting as that may have been for some, it was pretty much guaranteed that Lara’s death did not mean the end of the Tomb Raider series. So much success with the franchise in the past few years demanded sequel after sequel, and with the arrival of Tomb Raider Chronicles, you may just find out what really happened to the lovely Lara.

Ms Croft’s friends and colleagues obviously fear the worst, and are gathered together to reminisce about her past adventures. This would usually be the cue for a compilation or a ‘best of’ Tomb Raider, but this is not the premise. It’s more a case of previously unseen footage, to coin a phrase, of Lara’s experiences in Rome, as a youngster in Ireland. There are two other stages where Lara finds herself on a submarine and in a high-tech tower block. All these stages involve multiple levels, so if you’re new to this Tomb Raider lark (are there such people?) you’ll discover a deep well of game-play. Veteran players will, on the whole, have a sense of deja-vu. There’s no great departure from the previous four titles in Chronicles, save a few new moves and accessories, and of course it looks a bit better than the PSX version.

So, after all these years, if you haven’t already had enough of young ladies in khaki shorts and big boots, let Lara back into your life with Tomb Raider Chronicles. This could be the last time, you never know...
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