Following a protracted absence from our screens, the original all action heroine makes a long overdue PS2 debut

The world's most celebrated gaming character finally arrives on PS2 for what promises to be her most epic adventure to date. With an altogether darker tone compared previous games in the TR series, a second playable character and all new gameplay elements, Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness sees the well loved series truly coming of age. While the classic Tomb Raider trappings - huge, expansive environments, tricky timed jumps and fiendish puzzles - are all present and correct, they're supplemented with interaction with non-player characters, RPG-style character development and all new stealth moves. The game's storyline is laced with intrigue and mystery, and sees Lara on the wrong side of law as she trawls across Paris and Prague in search of five 14th Century artworks known as the Obscura Paintings. In the struggle to clear her name and prevent the paintings falling into the wrong hands, Lara uncovers a trail of underworld dealings and grotesque murders, and a history of blood, betrayal and vengeance that spans hundreds of years...

Lara's latest epic adventure begins in Paris, where she meets her former mentor Werner Von Croy, who has been tasked by a mysterious client named Eckhardt to track down five 14th century Obscura paintings. Following a furious argument between the two, Lara discovers her mentor murdered and, as the prime suspect, flees the scene. On the run from the police, Lara follows Eckhardt's trail from the back streets of Paris to Prague, where a dastardly plan to resurrect the mysterious Nephilim race is underway. Lara must track down the paintings and prevent Eckhardt and a cultish group of individuals known as the Cabal from unleashing ancient alchemic powers on the world. On her travels, Lara encounters a fellow adventurer, Kurtis Trent, who's also hot on Eckhardt's trail.

This latest adventure for gaming's first lady is stunningly realised, with hugely detailed envirnoments and spectacular lighting and weather effects. Lara is easier on the eye than ever; she's now comprised of 5,000 polygons (compared to just 500 in previous TS games), and has over 250 animations at her disposal, which is just as well, really, given her astonishing range of abilities. As well as her existing range of moves (climbing, monkey-swinging and somersaulting, to name but a few), Lara can now engage enemies in hand-to-hand combat, perform stealth maneuvers and more besides.

For many hardened PlayStation adventurers, the words 'Tomb Raider' are reason enough to check out this latest offering from Core Design. For those less familiar with Lara's running, shooting and jumping antics, Angel of Darkness is the perfect opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.

• All new gameplay elements; build up Lara's upper body strength and jumping abilities by solving puzzles and exploring
• New moves and abilities include hand-to-hand combat and stealth maneuvers
• Play as Kurtis Trent, a new character with his own distinctive moves and gameplay mechanics, including the terrifying Chirugai blade
• Cutting edge graphics that utilise the power of PS2, including stunning real-time lighting and weather effects