17 Dec, 2007

The first images of the new Lara Croft adventure, Tomb Raider: Underworld, have been unearthed by TR fan site, Tomb Raider Chronicles. The images show the eternally nubile explorer engaging in some of her favourite pursuits: climbing, clambering, solving puzzles and sporting a fantastic physique in skin tight attire. You can see all of the shots in our image gallery.

The latest instalment to the Tomb Raider series sees Lara travel to Mexico in an attempt to uncover an ancient Mayan mystery. As the Underworld sub-title suggests, Lara's quest will take her well beyond the ruins of the ancient civilization.

In an interview with US magazine, Play, the game's designer, Eric Lindstrom, revealed that while in these otherworldly realms, Lara will be faced with a much more fantastical type of enemy: "Up on the surface, Lara will face real predatory animals that exist in the parts of the world she is exploring, but down in the Underworlds she discovers, she will find plenty of creatures you won't find in any zoo."

Developer Crystal Dynamics is using new tech that promises to improve how Lara moves and interacts with the environment. "Lara will have the ability to grab moving objects and architectural elements more than ever," Lindstrom told Play. "And with our animation blending system, she will do so in a way that is more fluid than you've ever seen."

Tomb Raider: Underworld hasn't been officially announced by publisher Eidos, although we're anticipating that it'll be making its way to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime next year.