Tomb Raider 2

Developer - Eidos
Publisher - Core
Players - 1
Extras - Memory card

The bit on the box

"Lara Croft returns in Tomb Raider II to discover the secret of the dagger of Xian. The ancient Chinese believed that whoever recovered this mythical dagger would gain powers beyond belief...provided they had the courage to plunge the dagger deep into their heart. Lara's travels start at The Great Wall of China but it's not long before she's glode-trotting in hot pursuit of clues that will lead her to the ultimate goal. However, she's not alone in her new adventure: this time there are others who have a seemingly fanatical interest in the dagger. Featuring an enhanced Lara Croft, complete with costume changes, Tomb Raider II combines the classic gameplay of the original with an array of enhanced exterior settings, new moves, new weapons and a plot that'll have Lara twisting and turning around every corner."

Graphics

The graphics haven't been changed that much from the original Tomb Raider, the only major changes being with the main character, Lara Croft. Lara now sports a full length flowing pony tail, which appears to move according to her momentum, and her body is much more rounded now (no pointy breasts anymore...ooer). The environments Lara resides in have changed from varying tombs to sunken ships and opera houses, but overall it uses pretty much the same graphics engine as the first game. This is no bad thing for Tomb Raider fans however, as the game feels more like an extension of the original than an entirely new game.

Sound

As with the graphics nothing has really been changed as far as sound effects or music (those monks are still ahhing away). Eidos appear to have gone with a "if it isn't broken don't fix it" mentality when designing this game, unlike Capcom with their second Resident Evil game, who pulled out all stops to improve any design faults. All weapons sound effects mirror those in the original and so does Lara's voice acting and the sounds of various animals making a return appearance (I'll let you find out for yourself). I would have thought some more ambient background effects would have been nice (like creaking sounds in the sunken ship level from the water pressure) but we can't have everything can we?

Gameplay

This review is rather difficult to write, as with the graphics and sound there is virtually no change in the control system. Lara can now light flares for darker areas and there is a couple of new weapons, but nothing outstanding in the way of enhancements. This does not detract from gameplay though as Eidos's system for controlling Lara works so well, there is little room for improvement in this area anyway. I did find the levels and traps more inventive however, and the game is alot harder than the first (as if Eidos designed it for people who had already played the first). This is where the new save feature comes in, you can now save anywhere at any point, not just when you find a purple diamond. Whether this is a good or bad thing is a point of personal opinion, but I like the new system because it allows for harder puzzles and therefore more of a challenge. You also get a couple of vehicles to pilot at certain points which adds a certain extra skill element to play.

I feel a verdict coming on

If you are a fan of the first Tomb Raider then you will have fun with this sequel. It offers nothing really new but if you are a real fan you won't care. The puzzles and traps are harder and the enemies, while mostly human, can provide more difficulty especially if they have guns (they hardly ever miss either). The vehicles are ok but nothing special, though the snow mobile adds alot of fun and frustration to the Tibetan foothills level. To those who have never played the prequel I would recommend buying that one first, as it is just as good and has a better learning curve (and it's fun too!). To all others, buy this game and hope we see another in the series soon, maybe with some vast improvements next time.

Review by D.R.T.Barrett