Lara Croft returns to the scene as Crystal Dynamics attempts to reboot the series. Was their effort successful?

+ Lara's character is great; + Visuals are amazing; + Mechanics are near perfection; + Pacing is stellar

The rest of the cast; Most collectibles are worthless

Crystal Dynamics has crafted an origin story of gaming's most awesome video game heroine for a new generation by giving her genuine empowerment rather than over sexualizing her, and it works on most fronts.

I want to start off by saying that I never really played many of the old Tomb Raider games. The whole action/adventure genre was never really my style before the last few years. After finally getting around to the Assassin's Creed franchise I discovered a new niche that I could explore.

A whole new Lara Croft, a beautiful new world to explore and so much more excitement to be had.

Progressive difficulty makes it easy to keep up; beautiful environments; awesome musical accompaniment; nonstop action sequences; excellent checkpoint system; manageable puzzles; an actual in game reason to collect the collectibles; great story that just doesn't stop; awesomely gory death scenes...

Glitches that caused unnecessary deaths; somewhat inconsistent AI; skills that are almost useless unless taken early in the game; some fights more frustrating than they should be; Tomb Raider themed dreams every night I've played it

Crystal Dynamics has now been making Tomb Raider games longer than the original developer, Core Design, and their three previous offerings in the series, whilst nicely refined and well executed did little to shake up the formula that was first introduced all the way back in 1996.

The Short Version: Boasting a dynamic platforming playground that reveals itself slowly but surely, the entire Tomb Raider experience is built around the (re)birthing of an icon in terms of action-adventuring.

Superb production values - the level of detail in visual and sound design is exceptional; Excellent; rollicking action-adventure story; Combat is the some of the best we've seen from the genre; let alone the series; Yamatai is fantastically realised; exploration encouraged to a huge degree; Tombs

Less action; more adventuring please next time; Multiplayer feels tacked on and superfluous in spite of its solidity

A brief lapse through the thunder opens, the silence shattered by a single gunshot, then another and another in rapid succession. A young woman's scream is barely heard above the howling, shearing wind.

Brutal combat; stunning audio; lighting; particle effects; excellent reboot

Hand holding icon hints a pain; multiplayer is instantly forgettable

Violent, scary, ambitious, inventive: a lack of tombs and unconvincing characters can't mar a blockbuster return to form for Tomb Raider.

The island is the star of the show; Lara's world feels brutal; dangerous and frightening; Smooth combat married to DIY gadgets; Inventive tombs that recall the original game..

..; it's just a shame there's not enough of them, The occasional unwelcome QTE, Clichéd characters, flat dialogue

Lara Croft has always been seen as a tough female icon for the games industry. People everywhere loved her, so much so that she spawned two mediocre Hollywood films and even starred in a Lucozade advert in the mid '90s.

Tomb Raider kicks off with a bang. A violent storm has torn apart the ship Lara was aboard, The Endurance. After being washed ashore, Lara is attacked and wakes up hung upside down in a cave. These early scenes are important, as they show just how fragile Lara is at this stage.