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I think it's fair to say I've been a fan of Lara Croft for a good many years, even though I've never played a single Tomb Raider game in my life. I do own both Tomb Raider movies, but my main incentive for buying them was Angelina Jolie. I've never really cared for side-scrollers or run-jump-climb games, you see, and the siren song of polygonal pulchritude has never quite been strong enough to overcome that basic dislike of the genre.

Still, I reasoned, the franchise is a very popular and successful one; why not give it a chance? Besides, it seemed unlikely that the game would get very many reviews from the perspective of a complete newcomer.

My first impression, quite literally, was "Well, at least Lara has the good sense to wear a dependable sports bra." It wasn't my imagination, either - I watched Lara stretch a few more times just to be sure. If the rest of the game showed that level of attention to detail, this could be rather interesting.

Then the opening cinematic rolls, showing a nuclear device being tested, complete with the familiar images of houses and other buildings being swept away by the blast. Bah! The caption says "Los Alamos", but the APPLE tests were conducted at the Nevada Test Site north of Las Vegas. So much for attention to detail …

So, here's Lara, high in the frozen Andes, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Mentally, I added more points to my Suspension of Disbelief skill and pressed on. The in-game tutorial did a great job of introducing the various arcane gestures used to send little Lara running, jumping, swinging, and shooting through the game. Using the controls is fairly easy and intuitive; the only move I really had a problem with was launching the grapple.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the number and frequency of save checkpoints. More than once a checkpoint would pop up right after I had finished executing a stylish and acrobatic series of moves that I could not possibly hope to duplicate intentionally.

As I progressed through the first level, I kept an eye out for anything that might count as an "artifact" or "relic", since there was a counter for these items on the save screen. However, nothing matching either description showed up. Even going back and scouring areas I had previously cleared failed to turn anything up. I finally broke down and bought the hint book.

As poor Lara plunged to her sixth or seventh death while following the Prima guide's directions, I began to wonder if it really was ancient Incans who hid these artifacts & relics. It only took another handful of deaths for me to finally locate and collect the item I sought, but as I looked around the item's hiding place, I became convinced that it must have been placed there by the Wicked Witch of the West. She has the streak of evil needed to pull this off and if there's anyplace she can't reach using her broom, she can always send in her flying monkeys.

As I continued to push Lara forward, I resolved to put more effort into finding these items without assistance. I would begin by searching the areas which were most obviously illogical and unrealistic hiding places. Using this system, I found two more items fairly quickly, but the majority would have remained hidden if not for the hint book.

What's so important about finding all there hidden items? Primarily, the rewards consist of unlocking different outfits for Lara to wear. You can also unlock game music and other fan goodies by collecting specific items and finishing chapters or levels of the story. You can also show off the items you find inside "Croft Manor". You can explore the venerable family mansion in an interesting little side game that revolves around the problems wealthy treasure hunters have finding a reliable plumber.

Combat seems a little weak, in that the advice given to the player is to keep moving in a circle around the target while blasting away with whatever firearm is handy. The problem with doing this is that most of the time, doing so will cause Lara to step in a trap, run into a wall, or fall off of a very high ledge, usually resulting in a very messy death. Maintaining distance is important, because many enemies do more damage at close range and are harder to hit. My solution to this dilemma was to shoot early, shoot often, and shoot some more just to be sure. Lara has infinite pistol ammo, so there's no downside to embracing a spray and pray lifestyle.

The graphics are quite enjoyable, not even counting Lara. Players can freely move the camera view around using the Wii-mote, which can be very helpful when trying to locate something for Lara to grab on to. Be careful while looking around, though, because it's easy to brush the 'A' button and send Lara jumping to her doom.

My biggest criticism would be the near-impossibility of finding some of the hidden items without using the hint book. I like puzzles which can be solved by doing some exploring and correctly interpreting the clues you are presented. For many of these items, finding them without the hint book is a matter of plain blind luck. When you have to jump backwards and sideways in order to grab a ledge that can't be seen from your initial position - and then tend to fall to your death if you miss - I don't consider whatever is hidden there to be something which can be discovered through normal exploration.

On the whole, though, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a great deal of fun for the whole family. Although our daughter isn't quite up to playing TR:A herself, she gets no end of amusement from watching Daddy get Lara killed over and over again. I may not be able to swing and jump and prance effortlessly through challenge after challenge, but the satisfaction that comes with filling a seven year-old's heart with schadenfreude makes it all worthwhile.