Tomb Raider 5 - The Icing On The Cake!

As a dedicated fan of the Tomb Raider series right from the start, I consider myself well qualified to give you my opinion of the latest ( and the last? ) in the Tomb Raider epic.
Before we look at the new game, lets take a quick look back...

Tomb Raider I - A fantastic game that revolutionized the adventure genre.
Tomb Raider II - Just as good as the first but with better graphics.
Tomb Raider III - Equally brilliant but getting a little hard.
Tomb Raider IV - Outstanding scenery but sadly a little too hard which damaged it's playability score.

Now the fith.... Tomb Raider Chronicles.
When you load the game and get started you will notice that it follows pretty much the same startup and menu format as the previous games. This is good as it allows you to concentrate on playing the game and not on trying to work out how to.
The first level gives you some instruction on the different moves that Lara can do, just in case you had forgotten! What it doesn't do though is give you any indication of the new moves that Lara can now perform. This comes later in the game. I won't ruin it too much for you but the ability to participate in hand to hand combat is a great new twist.
In general there are a good number of new features to the game which does keep it interesting and enjoyable.
The graphics in the game are the best yet. More video sequences feature in the game which normally means that it suffers through lack of space on the disk but suprisingly this is not the case here.
The playability of Tomb Raider Chronicles is excellent with it being slightly easier than the last. Obviously some tricky bits but none that really make you lose interest.
What is different about this game is the fact that it is not one complete story, it is in fact a sort of re-enactment of a number of Lara's adventures. This, I feel, is a shame because it kind of spoils the flow of the game but please don't let this put you off because each story is superbly written and won't disappoint you.

To summarise then, I highly recommend you get a copy of Tomb Raider Chronicles, if you are a fan like myself then it is a must.
Totally playable, enjoyable and addictive.
The game takes longer to complete than you think but when you have, there is a neat level editor to play with so you can create you own game!

Please buy it....it won't let you down.