Lara's long-awaited return

SO much is riding on the success of this game, I could almost feel the burden of expectation weighing heavily on my shoulders as the disc slid gracefully into the PS2 innards.

When the PS2 appeared, it was inevitable that a Tomb Raider adventure would follow on the platform. What's surprising is the fact that it has taken so long.

Granted, the last couple of Croft adventures haven't been well received by the games Press, so perhaps developer Core could be forgiven for taking its time. But the first screens from Angel of Darkness appeared nigh on two years ago. Lara's PS2 adventure was supposed to appear in time for Christmas 2002. With just weeks to go before the "on sale" date, Eidos bosses announced that the title had slipped into 2003.

So much is tied up in the success of Angel of Darkness that the announcement actually impacted on Eidos' share price.

Better to delay Lara's arrival until 2003, replied Eidos bosses, than to rush into releasing a game that doesn't measure up. And so we waited. And waited.

Now it's finally here, the expectation is that this adventure will be the best yet.

In some ways it is. Angel of Darkness is a major games release from Britain's biggest video gaming company and it looks terrific. The in-game movies are excellent, driving the story along and leading the player from location to location in a believable manner.

The music comprises a full orchestra score that has more in common with a big-budget Hollywood movie than a game on a disc, and the locations are just as ambitious, taking Lara across the globe. There's even a second character to play parts of the game.

In so many ways, Angel of Darkness reminds one of a James Bond film - exotic locales, death-defying stunts, breathtaking action set-pieces, and beautiful women (except in this case it's the woman who's saving the world and not the man). It also suffers the same problems.

As with James Bond, Tomb Raider as a series appears to have run out of fresh ideas.

In a bid to perk this up a bit on PS2, the Angel of Darkness team have thrown in some role-playing elements. Lara can now interact with other non-essential characters. Some of these conversations can lead to new discoveries but most of them felt to me like they were just getting in the way of the action.

There's also a stealth element to this new adventure but it's implemented in a very simplistic way. A single button press will more often than not make the decision for you as to whether or not Lara sneaks on past a bad guy or snaps his neck.

Lara's ability to learn new skills as she progresses has also been overhauled. Now she acquires extra abilities and increased powers as a reward for taking time to fully explore the large levels.

If all this sounds to you like damning with faint praise, then you'd probably be right. Angel of Darkness is a good game but it doesn't look like one that's been in development for years.

The very first Tomb Raider was such a big step forward in the evolution of video games that every sequel since has struggled to live up to it. For that reason, it's probably unfair to have expected more and, to be honest, Angel of Darkness is a perfectly good adventure in its own right. Maybe the delay in getting the game into shops had built our expectations to unreasonable levels.

That said, fans of the series will still lap it up and casual gamers probably won't have the faintest idea what I'm on about. Just like 007, it seems that Lara Croft is such a worldwide phenomenon that her adventures are pretty much beyond criticism.

THE HULK. Publisher: Vivendi Interactive. Formats: PS2, Xbox, GameCube and PC. Price: varies.

ANOTHER massive franchise returns to the world of interactive entertainment this month, timed to coincide with the movie of the same name.

As you'd expect of a title based on a 15ft tall man mountain of limited intellect, Hulk isn't a turn-based strategy game. It's a cross between a Lara-style 3-D adventure and a beat 'em up. As the Hulk, you have to battle your way through a seemingly endless supply of bad guys and splendidly smashable environments. It all looks very impressive and is an excellent way to let off steam after a hard day at the office.

To spice up the gameplay a bit, you also get to assume the role of "puny" Bruce Banner. Here the game's central device is turned neatly on its head. Banner can't get into a scrap because he isn't tough enough, so you have to sneak around hiding from your enemies.

It's quite similar to the last Hulk game that appeared in the early days of the first PlayStation, albeit done with a lot more polish.

Kids will enjoy the simple-minded destruction but adults may find themselves wanting something a little bit more challenging.

Published: 18/07/2003