Lara Croft is back with a bang – or more appropriately, a burn, as Tomb Raider Underworld begins its story with the famous Croft Manor going down in flames. Rewind just a few days though and you get to embark on a new adventure to discover just why someone decided to play with matches.

The success of past titles Legend and Anniversary are not lost on developer Crystal Dynamics, which is taking what worked back then with a few new tweaks and tons of new puzzles to overcome. Not to mention ... more >>

Lara Croft is back with a bang – or more appropriately, a burn, as Tomb Raider Underworld begins its story with the famous Croft Manor going down in flames. Rewind just a few days though and you get to embark on a new adventure to discover just why someone decided to play with matches.

The success of past titles Legend and Anniversary are not lost on developer Crystal Dynamics, which is taking what worked back then with a few new tweaks and tons of new puzzles to overcome. Not to mention all sorts of wildlife and natural hazards that will hinder your raiding. Tigers don't seem to take to Lara very much.

There's a good mix of action and grey matter-bending puzzles, but the focus in Underworld is to truly make it your adventure game. If it hurts when you think, and therefore you don't like the puzzle element, there's a handy hints system that provide tips to overcome your current situation.

When it comes to combat and exploration, there's been a few improvements there, too – most notably the introduction of the “Adrenaline Moments”, which replace the quick timed events that pit Lara in a life or death scenario. The camera angle pans to a more dynamic view and you have free control to escape the situation before you die. Similar slow motion moments can be found in attacking enemies, where your shots will become more powerful and can even land one-hit-kill headshots.

With loads of swanky locations to boot, including Thailand, Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea, there's not really much to hate in Tomb Raider Underworld, particularly if you're a fan of the recently rebooted series. << less