Still has the chops after a decade.

There are video game icons, and then there are video game icons. You've got Mario, Nintendo's number one contender-- a squat, Italian plumber whose idea of a good time is saving the princess and doing shrooms. There's Sonic, a blue hedgehog who has an obsession with coins and is obviously addicted to speed. Every platform has its mascot, and for the Playstation, there's no one better than the sharp Ms. Lara Croft, a woman who reinvented video games characters forever more. She gives Indiana Jones a run for his money, could snap Duke Nukem like a twig, and uses Mario as a footrest.

Despite the fact that she was created more as a sexual fantasy by horny video game designers, she gave girl-geeks a voice. They're here, They're sexy, and they're push you into a fiery pit of hot lava if you cross them.. And, as any self-respecting homosexual would, as far as video game characters go, I regard her as a true diva in every sense of the word. She's got the moves, the strength, and the attitude to keep everybody coming back for more.

PLOT:

Before I give a quick summary (for those who hate spoilers), I would like to say that it is a generally appealing storyline with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. From the characters to the locations, everything just seems to make sense, even if the heroine is trying to hunt down a fictional artifact from a bunch of undead crypt dwellers.

**Spoilers begin here.**

Tomb Raider begins with a proposition from successful business woman Jacqueline Natla, a blond executive running a tech-company. Hired to located a mysterious artifact known as the Scion (which has been divided and placed at random ends of the world), Lara dives, runs, and bikes through Peru, Greece, Egypt, at Atlantis. When I mention Atlantis, I should mention that this section of the game does not take place underwater; instead, the plot is carried out inside a volcano in the middle of nowhere. After locating parts of the artifact, Lara is betrayed by her employer, stripped of her weaponry, and nearly murdered. But being the woman she is, she doesn't take that kind of crap lying down. Presumed dead, Natla goes on with her life as planned until fellow Scion-enthusiasts Qualopec and Tihocan discover Natla's intention to use the object for personal gain and further advance her mutant army of Atlantians. She is, in turn, placed in a frozen chamber for "eternal unrest." Not that this stops her. Natla makes continual appearances throughout the story, whether that be as herself or as her doppelgänger, this time with wings. After defeating both Natla and her giant mutant creation, the game ends, Lara satisfied, Scion destroyed. [As a side note, the Scion makes a cameo in Tomb Raider III, where it is on display in her prize room, despite the fact that it was destroyed immediately following a confrontation with Natla.]

The locations in Tomb Raider are interesting, and there's something there for everybody. The graphics, though amazing for their time, fall very short by today's standard. Unfortunately for the Playstation, nothing about their early years truly screams "classic." Whereas the nostalgic feeling of Pac-Mac and Super Mario Bros. will always be classic, any 3D game made in the 1990s never looks good or has any retro cred. Possibly this is because of the fact that 3D games are still en vogue, so it's hard to go back to the beginning, whereas with 2D, there's nothing to compete with. In other words, Tomb Raider's graphics are still too primitive for most to enjoy.

Luckily, the poor graphics add to the atmosphere of the whole game. This game is terrifying and has made me jump out of my chair more than once. Wolves and Atlanteans pop up out of nowhere, making some of the worst sounds ever uttered from a video game. Due to the lack of music throughout 99% of the whole game, this adds to the shock value when an enemy does appear. This game doesn't have the same effect as, say, Super Mario 64, where you can see off into the distance. In Tomb Raider, if you're not in front of a wall, you can't see anything but darkness, giving it a horror-film-let's-go-walking-down-the-hallway appeal. You are literally moving through the darkness until you come to the end of a room. This is really noticeable in The Colosseum, where you can not see from end to end. Instead, you make your way through what feels like a portal with nothing but black at the end. Of course, pixels are added to the top of the screen and sides as you move along.

The graphics may bother me, but I just think it adds to the whole effect. Wolves without eyes and Atlantean that move as if they are constantly glitching. What does annoy me about the graphics are the glitches and camera. If you are hanging onto a ledge, for example, the camera will swing around and you will see behind the wall you are on (which is black nothing, as there isn't meant to be anything there.) In other words, the set you are running around and killing looks like its been assembled with a deck of cards: paper thin and rushed. This can be attributed to the fact that Core and Eidos, the game's creators, rushed to get the game out for the holiday season. It is one of the most glitch-ridden games in the series, but only with the environment, and it really doesn't intrude on gameplay. It just attributes to lost atmosphere.

Lara interacts will most of her surrounding very well and doesn't seem out of place. However, her reaction times are a little on the slow side, especially when climbing onto ledges or rocks. If you get into a cramped space with an enemy, just forget about it. Lara doesn't like to bend her arms too much when firing, so if a bat is all up in your face, Lara will, in term, shoot in the straight line, ultimately hitting the wall and wasting your ammo (if using any weapon but the pistols). Overall, though, there are not many issues I have with interaction.

Lara can do sideflips, backflips, dives, somersaults, handstands, jump yards high, and hold her breath for minutes at a time. For such an early Playstation game, this is incredibly satisfying. Her versatility will come in handy, and just about every feature has a purpose (minus the dive; that's just way to do.) In addition, you can make her walk, run, do running jumps, and look around her surroundings. Despite the crazy things this girl can do, the controls don't bog the game down. This is more a puzzle game than an action game, so multitasking doesn't really arise here. There is, however, a learning curve, which is exactly why the makers included a tutorial level taking place at her house in London (a level that expanded over the course of the series, ultimately disappearing for a bit and making a return in later years). The controls will not annoy you, but this isn't an iMac-- you can't use it out of the box. The controls will take some getting used to.

This game has got much replay value. I've replayed certain levels over and over again while avoiding others. Enjoy the challenge of being Lara unarmed. Endure the hell that is most of Atlantis. It's a bit of an up and down roller coaster ride.

Unfortunately, the game makers ran this series into the ground fast. With each game, the series declined. Tomb Raider II was an amazing game, but there didn't seem to be a grand connected theme, and more than one level really, really annoyed me. Tomb Raider III was also fun, but it did away with most of the tombs and concentrated more on modern environments. Every game thereafter suffered from control-overload, plotholes, and stale gameplay.

Recently, in honor of this series, Eidos released a remake of the one that started it all. Tomb Raider Anniversary is a re-telling of this first game with added bonus features, altered stages, and a bunch of new challenges. I, personally, didn't like the final product because it lost all of its atmosphere; however I can not deny that, for a remake, they did the game justice and greatly pulled the game of its slump.

I don't think any of Tomb Raider game comes close to this one. I could play for it hours. If you really like this game and can't get enough, there's Tomb Raider Gold, a version of the original game with four bonus levels that, for add-ons, are just as amazing (if not more amazing) as the original game. This is only available for the PC, as an expansion or mini-sequel in the Tomb Raider series has never been released on Playstation.

If you start playing this game, you'll never stop until you're done. Just a warning.

Best levels in BOLD.
Level 1: Caves
Level 2: City of Vilcabamba
Level 3: The Lost Valley
Level 4: Tomb of Qualopec
Level 5: St. Francis' Folly
Level 6: Colosseum
Level 7: Palace Midas
Level 8: Cistern
Level 9: Tomb of Tihocan
Level 10: City of Khamoon
Level 11: Obelisk of Khamoon
Level 12: Sanctuary of the Scion
Level 13: Natla's Mines
Level 14: Atlantis
Level 15: The Great Pyramid