The sequel to 1996�s biggest hit is finally on the shelves, promising
to keep even the mighty Quake 2 off the number one position on the
bestseller charts - and that�s just because, admittedly, you could
sell millions of copies of Pong just by having Lara Croft on the
Quality-wise, though, what are its chances? One thing I�ll get out
of the way immediately, as good as this game is, it simply can�t
touch its fabled predecessor. Tomb Raider was easily one of the
best titles the PC saw last year, showing that an action game didn�t
need to be a Doom clone to be successful. Having sold more than 3 million copies, Core Design decided to play safe,
giving gamers more of the same. To be honest, you�d have a hard
time telling this one apart from the original TR.Cosmetically, it looks as good as you remember, except for Lara�s
new hairstyle, a lovely ponytail that moves realistically as she
battles her way through the channels of Venice and a sunken shipwreck.
And what�s all the swashbuckling about? According to the beautiful
intro, everyone�s favorite gaming covergirl is now interested in
some ancient dagger capable of turning the one it stabs trough the
heart into a dragon. The FMV�s are all drop-dead gorgeous, but don�t really serve a purpose,
as they never shed any light on the convoluted story, a pity, since
even after you complete this game, you�ll keep wondering what the
hell was going on.omb Raider 2�s unforgivable sin, however, is its claustrophobic
level design. While the original game relied mostly on open areas,
this time Lara will spend most of her time in confined rooms and
narrow corridors, making it hard for the player to aim or jump.
This new approach turns the relatively rare clipping problems of
the original game into a major nuisance, parts of the characters
keep disappearing when they are too close to a wall, or when they
fall to the floor. There�s also an awful lot of detail, with tables
and beds cluttering the rooms, an eye-candy that can easily translate
into hours and hours of searching for a required item. The ting TR2 could have done without are the tacky last few levels, which are supposedly set in an alternate dimension,they look positively
silly, and there�s absolutely no explanation as to how Lara ends
up there. On the plus side, Lara has a much wider arsenal now, including
the awesome grenade launcher, and will change into different outfits
for the different level themes. The best addition, however, has to be the vehicles Lara can drive, a motorboat for the Venetian levels, and a snowmobile that allows
Lara to jump over the icy canyons of Tibet. It is so much fun that,
in fact, when you first find the snowmobile, you�ll probably forget
about the task at hand for a couple of hours, preferring to play
around with your new toy. The designers seem to have realized that killing bats was nowhere
as much fun as trading bullets with the bad guys, hence the dramatic
raise in the number of human opponents. Lara will also face monks,
tigers and the annoying spiders. If you�re a TR veteran, make sure you stop by Lara�s state and have
a go at the assault course, not only is it a great way to shape
up for the adventure, it�s also a chance to learn the new ability
of wall climbing. And, while you�re at it, try to find the secret
room where Lara stores many of the artifacts she found during the
first game. The bottom line? Tomb Raider 2 might not brake any new ground, but
will surely provide hours of exploration and gun-fighting for fans
of the original game. Definitely worth a look from gamers looking
for a quality action game.