Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light Review:

This will be the second time Lara Croft and her tomb raiding have appeared on the Xbox Live Marketplace as a digital download only game, with the first being Tomb Raider Anniversary which saw our famed heroine relive some past moments of her long running career. However, this all new co-op inspired game sees Ms Croft in a different light as she adopts a more isometric view, but for all intents and purposes, is Lara Croft and the Temple of Light a true game of in the franchise or a cheap knock off with Lara's likeness?

Gameplay:

Well the first thing that's going to become apparent is the fact that the gameplay remains faithful to its action puzzle solving roots. On one hand you've got the series' trademark weapons to dish out punishment to all sorts of critters including over grown spiders and zombie like enemies who have explosive personalities. Then you have the more cerebral moments the series is renowned for, although forget the follies of the past as the puzzles on offer here are a little more tame...in a good way. There will be few moments where you're stuck scratching your head looking for a missing item or obscure button on the wall, as all the puzzles follow a very straight forward logical path in this miniature game. It means across the 14 levels there's never a dull moment and if you do get a little lost, the solution is never really far away. You'll also not be punished too hard if you fail, again and again, as the game offers a very generous checkpoint/save system.

In general, you'll be heading from A to B, sometimes with the aid of a map when the levels are more expansive. You'll have to shoot up enemies, collect diamonds, and if you want to customize Lara's abilities, then searching the locales for power-ups, relics and artefacts is the order of the day.

The controls are very fluid and although some of the jumping can be a little tight due to the camera angle, there's very little to fault with the simplistic gameplay on offer. For newcomers this is great, for fans, you'll endure, and anyone else will have a blast.

Graphics:

Now these are some really nice looking visuals for an XBLA game, in fact for any game, and if you didn't know you could almost be mistaken for playing a full retail title. Crystal have done a good job in creating a Balders Gate type experience for a tidy sum. There's some neat level design, good quality texture work, and some impressive lighting/shadow effects. Much like the game's predecessor (underworld) there are a few annoying glitches to be found, but nothing that really puts you off playing, or happen frequent enough to become frustrating.

Sound:

Audio is expected Tomb Raider, and you'll feel right at home with the classical score which bellows out at just the right moments. Lara is herself and grunts and groans as you'd expect, whilst remaining diligent and sassy during the cut-scenes alongside her new co-op companion who seems a little more typical.

Longevity:

14 missions which can take from 5 hours upwards, but then again the game is filled with relic, artefact hunting challenges which means replaying levels again is a must, so push that time up even more. Then there's the inclusion of leader-boards which are great for the competitive. The game's co-op is clever in that the game levels change accordingly, to suit two players. However, with the online co-op absent until the end of September you'll have to make do with local play which keeps the single screen rather than splitting it up.

Overall:

Lara Croft's return to the XBLA is very good, and as part of the Summer of Arcade series a welcome addition to the great line-up we've had thus far. If you're a Lara fan then you're probably not even reading this, however, if a little tentative towards the game, then don't be, as this is a well developed title well worth experience. It might be a bit simplified compared to it's older fledglings this generation, but this works in its favour as the game moves along at a steady non-frustrating pace. With added co-op sauce, and a distinctive look for the medium it's delivered, and you have a cracking game on your hands. Well worth playing and fully recommended.