A rip-roaring actioneer that captures the same sense of adventure as the Lara Croft originals, Underworld acknowledges and builds on all the elements that made the first Tomb Raider so seductive, yet fails to deliver on all its boisterous promises.
As a playground for swashbuckling the games luscious settings are sublime, hurling players into a variety of beautifully realised, dauntingly large environments where the natural landscape and spinning platforms of ancient traps give Lara plenty of opportunity to show off her acrobatic skills. Rampaging tigers, panthers and more fanciful fauna also help punctuate the gymnastics with bursts of danger, and the games beautiful presentation and epic story make this as satisfying as any cinema blockbuster.
On the downside, while the developers promised unprecedented freedom to explore the jungles, temples and tombs, not * everything * is possible in the sprawling locations, and your feats of daring are often halted by arbitrary gaming laws and invisible walls. Poor gunplay and stupid enemies also undermine what couldve been one of 2008s hottest releases, but Underworld is still a thrill ride for wannabe Indiana Joneses and long-time fans of the series stacked starlet.