The history of Lara Croft dates back to 1996 when Tomb Raider debuted on Sega Saturn. But due to Sony’s PlayStation marketing blitz and insufficient installed userbase of Sega’s ill-fated and expensive console, it floundered. However, the PlayStation and PC releases of Tomb Raider later that year were a huge success, and the phenomenon was born. Seven years later, and in development for more than three years, Angel of Darkness, the sixth instalment of the popular series, is ready.

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The history of Lara Croft dates back to 1996 when Tomb Raider debuted on Sega Saturn. But due to Sony’s PlayStation marketing blitz and insufficient installed userbase of Sega’s ill-fated and expensive console, it floundered. However, the PlayStation and PC releases of Tomb Raider later that year were a huge success, and the phenomenon was born. Seven years later, and in development for more than three years, Angel of Darkness, the sixth instalment of the popular series, is ready.

Lara has changed since her experiences in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. She has become darker, harder, less tolerant and her tomb raiding days are a distant memory. But then a desperate phone call from her former mentor Von Croy leads her to Paris. Von Croy has been asked by a sinister client, Eckhardt, to track down one of five 14th century artworks - the Obscura Paintings. But she arrives in Paris to find a city in fear. Von Croy has been the victim of a horrific murder and, framed for the crime, Lara has no option but to go on the run.

Core’s ideas for the first next-generation instalment of Lara were a departure from those in previous games. Here, Lara will have more to do than simply raid tombs, solve puzzles and escape traps; she’ll have to interact with various non-playable characters (NPCs) and ask questions in order to get clues as to where to go next. The idea was to incorporate a role-playing element to the game and Core has done just that. But the old Tomb Raider play mechanic is as dominant as it ever was, and has players traversing numerous - almost geometric - environments in search of keys and lost treasures. However, some of the game’s locales are much more interactive than in previous versions. Players will have to climb through windows and search cupboards and drawers for useful items.

The play mechanic of Angel of Darkness is largely the same too, but features one distinct difference that sets it apart from the other games. For the first time you will be able to move Lara in any direction by simply steering the analogue stick. Previous games employed a Resident Evil-style system where players had to change direction and press forward continually to get anywhere. This is a significant improvement, although players of the previous games will find it confusing to begin with.

From a visual standpoint, Angel of Darkness on PS2 doesn’t make a bold statement and it's not graphically astounding. Nevertheless, the game looks solid and does feature some very nice effects. One section features an abandoned nightclub complete with lasers and sweeping lights which looks very nice indeed. Camera angles, like in many other games, can be a little tricky. There's also the addition of locked camera positions, which occassionally make it difficult to gain a sense of perspective or to judge the distance when contemplating a potentially fatal jump. However, it does add a nice cinematic feel to the game and is something players will quickly become used to.

Although the sexy brunette is seven years old in a virtual sense, she still looks great and she’s always welcome on our TV screen. << less