Tomb Raider II is an epic adventure, moving away from the tomb exploration of the first part and taking us to Venice, Tibet or a shipwreck. And despite the fact that the tombs are gone, it is, for me, a much better part than the first. The gameplay is multi-levelled, more interesting and even a little… more dangerous. The difficulty level also seems to jump up, making TR II one of the most difficult games in the series.

In distant times, a Chinese emperor possessed the power of a dragon using the legendary Xian dagger. Tibetan monks manage to defeat the dragon and hide the dagger. However, Lara wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t want to find the dagger, such a find is no small thing.

We start at the Wall of China and then embark on a breakneck adventure in search of the dagger, fighting the countless hordes of Marco Bartolli’s sect, a boss who is far too interested in dragons.

Lara is given new abilities, as well as fiddly outfits to keep things from getting too boring in just a top and shorts. There’s a lot of swimming, which is chilling and takes – literally – your breath away, as well as fighting a yeti or slaying a giant dragon. The levels are very expansive, with each offering new threats – and you can also be tempted to get silver, gold and jade dragon figurines – secrets.

Personally, I love 2 and remember well the days when I was playing through it painstakingly for the first time. It’s a really complex game with a lot of running, streaming and winding.

Are you ready to tackle the monster of legends and the adorable pixel graphics? You sure are!

More about the game

Equipment
Locations