Price: £29.99 Players: 1-online System requirements (rec.): Windows 98/2000/XP/Me Pentium 3/AMD Athlon 500Mhz (1.5Ghz) 128Mb RAM Hard disk space: 300Mb 16Mb 3D graphics card (64Mb) The sixth Tomb Raider game is easily one of the most long-awaited games in some years. The original on the PS2 was such a fresh diversion from the norm that I completed it fully on both the PC and PSX, marvelling at the fluidity of Lara Croft's movements (her running around, that is, climbing up onto platforms and performing backflips or forward-rolls that turn you around 180o so she can drop off a platform, catch it with her hands and swing forwards to a lower level. Sounds complex but I managed it once on a level). Sequel after sequel followed but after Tomb Raider II nothing else managed to capture the originality or excitement of the first one. A new approach was required. The basic premise behind Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness is that Lara's accused of the murder of her mentor, Werner Von Croy, and is now on the run. Along the way you'll also be able to play as new boy Kurtis Trent, you can talk to other characters which will affect your path throughout the game, a strong narrative with spectacular graphical effects (yes, but all games promise this), massively improved enemy A.I. and a brand new control system which allegedly makes things more "intuitive". Are they sure?

Sure the game looks very good on a fast PC and sounds okay, but it plays like an absolute dog. The first thing I realised was that the gameplay is nowhere near as fluid or intuitive as any previous outing. It feels like I've lost control of Lara. For example, try to run then turn. Whereas in the previous games you could manage this with ease and head fast into a turn, here it's simply not possible. Lara wants to stop dead before turning. This is just bloody annoying. In fact, even "infuriating" isn't the word and if you're not throwing abuse at the screen within 20 minutes then you must be a masochist. The standard Lara Croft game engine has gone and the constant camera changes make it seem like later Resident Evil outings, such as the Dreamcast's Resident Evil Code: Veronica. What's painfully obvious is that Lara is too big for the screen - not in terms of breast size, so no need for "f'nar, f'nar" jokes, but it gives the impression of a kids' educational game where large sprites are placed on view to distract you from the lack of content. You need Lara to be smaller so as to get a better feeling of the surrounding environment.

Other things to complain about? When you first play the game Lara continuously gives you how-to instructions which soon becomes tedious. Lara please do shut up! For seasoned gameplayers this gets in the way and I couldn't find a way to turn it off. When Lara picks up items off the floor the sound stutters; When you climb ledges and shimmy across you can't hang on forever - there's now a timer counting down; If I step off a platform with an attempt to catch it, she'll miss it and fall to her death; Massively-improved enemy A.I.? No more so than in any other recent stalker or first-person-shooter. The developers have spent too much time trying to make it look flashy without paying any attention to the gameplay and making pointless additions like a "stealth" mode - a nod to the Metal Gear Solid series - and is something which the walk mode could've been used for, surely? Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness joins and increasing number of high-profile disappointments for 2003, including The Hulk and Enter The Matrix.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2003.