DL RATING 9/10
PRICE: $59.90
GENRE: Action
PLATFORM: PC

Ever since I set my eyes on this feisty (and busty) tomb spelunker way back in 1996, I was sold.

Having a female as a lead in an adventure game does seem like a no-brainer, because the majority of gamers are hot-blooded males.

My enthusiasm for the pony-tailed one took a beating after a dismal series of sequels and a couple of bad movies. But it was given a strong boost last year when the jaded franchise was overhauled with Tomb Raider: Legends.

Now Lara looks interesting and more delicious than ever, with a remake of the very first Lara adventure, Tomb Raider: Anniversary(TR:A).

The game retains the original's basic premise - raid ancient tombs, grab precious artifacts and hopefully stop a megalomaniac from acquiring treasures that will, ahem, help her conquer the world.

Lara, 10 years forward, looks absolutely gorgeous. Her model is detailed, her movements fluid and all her womanly assets still there, albeit a little toned down from her heyday in the mid-90s.

In the course of her archaeological quest, Lara will find herself deep inside South American ruins, underground Greek caverns and neon-lit urban landscapes.

I am delighted to say that all these locales have been given a fresh coat of paint. Everything just seems so updated that it no longer feels like you are playing a 10-year-old title.

TR:A retains the classic's original charm with mind-twisting puzzles that can get quite tough. But as hard as these environment puzzles can be, they elicit a high level of satisfaction whenever you successfully beat one.

Sadly, these toughies are few and far between. The game tends to fall back on the tried and true formula of the series, with fetch-and-unlock tasks that will send you scaling pillars, caving walls and other surfaces to open a huge door.

The game also sometimes lags when the action gets overwhelming, with a noticeable dip in the frame rate.

Like the others in the Tomb Raider franchise, the game extends its playability in a number of ways. There's the Croft Manor where players can romp about in Lara's mansion in search of hidden equipment and passageways. There are also extras like costume and art galleries that you can unlock only when all of the in-game artifacts are rounded up, which is great for achievement addicts out there.

- By Jason Woo, a freelance writer

Cheatsheet

The Adrenaline Dodge

THIS IS ARGUABLY one of the most difficult moves to master in the game, but it is extremely useful.

The Adrenaline Dodge is triggered when an enemy you are shooting at is enraged. A small red circle will appear at the enemy's head when it starts to charge at you.

Keep holding onto the right click button of your mouse. When the enemy gets closer, four blue arrows will flash at the bottom of the screen. Still holding onto the right mouse button, press Shift and jump in any of the four directions (left and right would be the most intuitive).

If you get it right, two grey circles will move in onto the enemy's head. When the two circles converge and become red, blast away for some real hurt!