As stereotypically predictable as it is, the first thing any male fan of the series will notice from the first screenshots released of Lara's latest adventure is that the quality of graphics used to create her have certainly moved on since she made the game's debut back in 1996. Gone are the legs shaped like a couple of French Fries and her prism-shaped bosoms, and in their place come perfectly smooth and gorgeously textured re-creations. It seems that Lara has had more than just a nip and tuck under the surgeon's knife in preparation for her first next-generation outing (admittedly the game is out on current generations, too, SCI-Eidos keeping their bottom lines firmly in the foreground). Of course, given the mauling that Angel of Darkness received graphical improvement were expected, but whether this latest instalment will up the 'sagging' quality of the series overall is a different matter altogether. Let's hope Legend can stop the rot.

Promising to deliver a fresh experience are (best known for the Legend of Kain series) who have taken the reins from Core for Lara's next adventure, the seventh in the series. Producer of the game, Morgan Gray, promises that the series is returning to its roots. So instead of the trend that saw you sprawling through ever more urban environments as has been the case with more recent games, Lara will be back trekking and exploring through Aztec-style locations for a South American relic in some of the world's most beautiful countries. This is all good stuff, and perhaps this time she won't be trying to hopelessly evade a tiger biting chunks out of her as she struggles with an awkward camera angle.

Thankfully the game looks to lay to rest many of the previous titles problems (camera positioning and all), with an emphasis on actually enjoying controlling Lara and a much more user friendly combat system. Could it be that the days where Lara's turning circle was similar in circumference to the Titanic are over, with nimble joints and the flexibility of a Slinky replacing them? Video screenshots seem to exhibit just that, showing our protagonist flipping, swimming, leaping and sliding up, over and around obstacles that stand in her way with what appears to be a new zest for life.

As well as the pistols with infinite ammunition which Lara always carries with her, in this latest incarnation she has acquired a brand new gizmo that looks like adding a new dimension to the customary Tomb Raider gameplay of years past. A magnetic grappling hook will allow Lara to attract useful objects within the vicinity. The ability to draw metallic boxes towards her will help her reach previously unreachable areas, and the ability to grapple and swing across dangerous chasms is also rumoured to justify its inclusion.

Puzzles have always been an integral part of the Tomb Raider experience and Legend appears not to deviate in this respect, although this time they are to rely more heavily on combined physical and cerebral tasks rather than the more common move-block-A-onto-switch-B formula that has remained a staple in the series past and so many other examples of the genre. Restructuring the game in this way means that players will have to pay close attention to visual clues and triggers within each environment in order to progress. We're hoping for an altogether more immersively 'real' experience on this front.

Visually, as already noted, everything is looking fine and dandy so far, though lets be honest, you would expect nothing less from the technological capabilities of the 360. The game is based on the engine used to create Legacy of Kain: Defiance with not a jagged edge in sight and all the smoothness of a buffed-up snooker ball. Both background and foreground objects look pin sharp and detailed too.

A filter being implemented to remove any rough edges also gives the game a more 'organic' feel. An eerie corridor shown in one preview video is dimly lit and complimented perfectly with ethereal shadows. It looks a bit like that dark alley in town where only the brave and stupidly drunk go to relieve themselves after a night of heavy drinking, except there's crushing spikes instead of a scruffy man after your mobile phone and haunting figurines on the walls instead of damp and sticky flyers for crap local DJs.

Now that Tomb Raider is reportedly returning to its roots we might even be on the verge of a reemerging craze similar to the one which blasted the game (and Lara) into superstardom with a flurry of critical acclaim nearly a decade ago. That the game's focus is set to return to an emphasis on exploration will relieve long term fans of the series, many of whom have been eager for such a reversal in thinking, especially after the poor Angel of Darkness. Who knows, if Legend creates enough of a fizz Lara might just get her contract with Lucozade back. On the other hand a game that leaves players feeling deflated, one with as much sparkle as a 1993 bottle of Coca-Cola with the lid left off, could signify the end of a series that just couldn't turn itself around quick enough. We shall of course see.

By Andrew Macarthy