GamersInfo.net

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is Lara Croft's second PSP outing — and vastly different from the Sony handheld's first game, Legend. Whereas that title basically ignored the heritage and past success of the Tomb Raider games, Anniversary does the opposite: It's a next-generation remake of the original Tomb Raider game — yes, from the dark days of 1996 — that takes plenty of inspiration from the seminal adventure and adds a coat of much-needed modern sheen.

Spread across four distinct areas, the plot revolves around Lara's quest for the Scion, a mystical artifact stolen by a powerful businesswoman, the manipulative Jacqueline Natla. Driven by her desire to follow in her explorer father's footsteps, the world-famous explorer tackles Peruvian jungles, Grecian ruins, Egyptian pyramids and the mystical Lost Island, so revered from the 11-year-old original.

The first thing to strike me about the revised Tomb Raider is the graphics. Even for a handheld console, they're very, very good — and wouldn't look too far out of place on a PlayStation 2. The bland, blocky and flat textures of Anniversary's inspiration — it is a decade old, after all — have been given a proper spring-cleaning.

The worlds have been brought to life, with the PSP impressively handling most of the environments — there's a small measure of slowdown in the very large areas, but it's nothing that'll stop you playing — and ploughing through the huge amount of data that must be required to bring the worlds to life on the (seriously) small screen.

The enhancements don't just stop at the various platforms that the lovely Lara traverses, either. She's been totally revamped, too, with the increased number of polygons going to good use in making the nimble globetrotter even more flexible. A couple of new moves are included: Lara can now jump onto thin poles, balancing on top before leaping toward another platform, and run across walls using a grappling hook, swinging outside and keeping her balance. Every other animation also has been improved from those used in preceding game Tomb Raider: Legend, giving Lara that extra bit of fluidity that puts this new version of the original title to shame.

It's not all a bed of roses in Anniversary, though. In making changes to the original game — and they're mostly good changes, don't get me wrong — a few sections have been removed. Whilst this does cut back on the time you spend gallivanting around locations, it also increases the linear nature of the game. It's a good thing that the puzzling, exploration and combat is so finely tuned and well-balanced so that the one-track-mindedness of your progress in searching for the Scion doesn't ever become tedious, even through the 15 hours of gameplay that have been crammed into the small disc.

The puzzles are, mostly, a fantastic part of the game — as they were in 1996. They're huge and expansive but never overly confusing, so you always have some sort of idea what to do. Finishing one of these challenges also is hugely satisfying. Combat, though, is a slight letdown. The lock-on system is automatic and hugely generous, meaning that you often only have to hold down the button and blindly shoot until your attacker is killed. There's a new headshot system that slows action — yes, Max Payne fans, it's bullet time — whenever a foe charges you and two reticules gather around his head. Shoot when they meet, and it's a single-bullet kill — making combat even easier still.

These are minor quibbles at best, though, and Anniversary is such a solid and enjoyable game that you won't notice small faults like these. It's hugely well-paced and graphically endearing, as well as tremendous fun to play. It's solid platforming action with none of the modern gimmickry that so often afflicts a genre so concerned with seeming up-to-date and modern. It's simply one of the best examples the genre has to offer brought right up-to-date — and in your pocket.