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Tomb Raider: Chronicles

Tomb Raider: Chronicles lives up to the standard set by its predecessors, even if it doesn’t offer anything revolutionary. The original premise that made the Tomb Raider games fun is still there. Yes, you control an attractive digital character, but all jokes aside; players are able to perform incredible moves against some stunning backdrops with fun combat blended in for good measure. Chronicles also goes beyond the standard shoot-em-up game to provide some intricate puzzles that need to be solved (online walkthrough sites can guide you through the trickier parts, even though it’s more fun to solve them yourself.) The game never solves the problem for you, but might drop a hint as to what action to take. It’s up to the players to figure the rest out for themselves.

If you're a Tomb Raider fan who was somewhat let down by the movie, Tomb Raider: Chronicles will restore your faith in the franchise. If you're new to Lara Croft's adventures, this is not the place to start...it's the place to finish. Pick up the Tomb Raider Trilogy when it's released, and if you're into it, give The Last Revelation a go to see just what left Lara buried under Egyptian sand in the first place. Only then can you truly appreciate the moment when Werner Von Croy finds...

In my Tomb Raider Trilogy review, I lauded Eidos' ability to recognize and stick to a winning formula. Unfortunately, with Chronicles being the fifth release in the series, some fans may be tired of the gameplay. The lack of an active plot with a living and breath (well, virtually speaking) character tends to break the flow of Chronicles. Although the memory-centered backdrop to this title is clever, it lacks the excitement of discovering a new artifact, not going back and reliving the retrieval of an old one.