Wednesday 3 January 2007
Hey Tomb Raider fans, we need you to think back to 1996 for a second. Remember what it was like to make your way through ancient, moss-covered ruins, with only a few vicious-yet-boxy animals for company? When the only things standing between you and treasure were the elements and an endless series of horrible death-traps? Developer Crystal Dynamics wants to bring all those feelings rushing back with Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a slick remake of the ruin-delving original.

Due out in spring for PS2, PSP and PC (but not Xbox 360 or PS3, strangely), Anniversary isn't just Tomb Raider with a coat of current-gen gloss. The entire game is being redesigned, with bigger, more interactive levels and more forgiving gameplay that borrows heavily from this year's Tomb Raider: Legend.

Even Lara herself - who sports a younger, pre-breast-reduction look along with her iconic blue-and-khaki outfit - has a few new tricks, not the least of which is the grappling hook from Legend. She also moves about four times faster than her first incarnation, and the levels have been restructured accordingly - to see some of what we're talking about, hit the movies tab above and check out the game's first trailer.