The first Tomb Raider game was a huge success and nothing short of a brilliant game. It quickly became one of a small number of classics for the PlayStation. With Tomb Raider II, the developers have leaned more towards action/shooting, and less on exploring and puzzle-solving. The game plays pretty much the same, and while it doesn't offer much over the original, it's still a good game.

You, as Lara Croft, are searching for the Dagger of Xian. Supposedly, whoever drives the dagger into their heart will acquire the power of the dragon. Three parties are after this dagger, and only one of them will achieve their goal. Lara's search takes her to the Great Wall of China, Venice, Tibet, and other exotic locations.

First off, this game focuses much more on combat than the original. Tomb Raider had mostly animal enemies, and not very many of them. The second still has animal adversaries, but also pits Lara against more human foes. These humans, along with other factors, make the game much more challenging. Fortunately, you can save whenever you feel necessary, not just when you find a blue crystal - a major improvement over the first. The dead-on level design of the first game is present here too, although, this time out, there are more outdoor areas as opposed to the caves in the first. The levels themselves are bigger, too.

For those of you who've never played the first one, you're in for a treat. You explore through huge levels, solving puzzles, figuring out where to go, and what to do. As you make you way through the game, you meet many people. A few of them help you, but most are out to stop you from reaching your goal. There are many items to find and use along in your journey, including weapons, health packs, and keys. Your main weapon, the pistol, has unlimited ammo, but the others do not. A few weapons are much more effective than the pistol, and the best strategy is to know when to use what weapon. One of the new weapons, the harpoon gun, can be fired under water, something that could not be done in the first game.

The graphics haven't been improved over the first. Flickering is still disgustingly obvious, and the textures are always morphing, for lack of a better term. When standing still the game looks like a PlayStation game should, but as soon as Lara starts moving, it doesn't look pleasant. Sometimes, because of the way the levels are designed, the camera doesn't show you where you're looking. To give the camera room to go behind you, you must first walk forward, which could be dangerous. Still, the other strengths of the game more than makes up for minor problems like these.

Lara's relatively huge arsenal of moves is intact, as well as some new ones. She can still jump, swim, sidestep, and shoot, but now she can also climb ladders, light flares, and move along a rope that's suspended between two objects while hanging from it. You will need to master all of these skills if you plan to conquer this game. If you need to practice your skills, you can always go to Lara's house and practice. Her house has changed from the first visit in the original game. She has built an assault course, a hedge maze, and a couple of other interesting things. Moving her around is still controlled as it was in the first game. Some of her moves are a little complicated, so newcomers may have difficulty with the control at first. However, after a little playing you'll be able to move around without thinking about it. Anybody who played the first game will feel the familiarity coming back, even if it's been over a year since you played it. One major change in the way Lara gets around is her use of vehicles. You get to drive vehicles as varied as a speedboat, a motorcycle and a snowmobile. These add a little bit of variety to the levels and are a welcome addition to this game.

The sound fx are wonderful. The guns and enemies sound great, and who doesn't love Lara's soft British voice? The music is scarce, but when you hear it, you know something's about to happen. The score does a good job of both setting the mood and providing a bit of suspense.

Fans of the first will love this game. If you haven't played either game before, and are a bit hesitant about doing so, I definitely recommend checking them out. Chances are, if you like action and adventure games, you'll like the Tomb Raider series.