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"  Also available on: PS3, PCDeveloper: Crystal DynamicsPublisher: Square EnixGenre: Action/Adventure You&amp;#039;ve got to hand it to Crystal Dynamics. After taking the bold decision to refresh the Tomb Raider licence, the studio opted for a debut download-only game in the series featuring co-operative play for the first time, while also ditching the long-running Tomb Raider branding in the process. What resulted was Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light, an arcade-inspired action-adventure game being offered on Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and PC download platforms. The game lacks some of the sense of challenge seen in previous Tomb Raider titles and is more orientated to co-op than single player. However, Guardian of Light is largely a well-presented and well-designed download game that offers genuinely good value. The all-new story starts 2,000 years ago in South America as a battle between the Light forces led by the warrior Totec and Dark forces led by the rather camp villain Xololt wage a fierce war. When the Light forces gain victory, Totec uses the powerful Mirror Of Smoke to lock Xololt and the Dark horde deep in the Temple of Light to remain forever shackled. Fast-forward to the present day and Lara Croft - played again by Ashes To Ashes star Keeley Hawes - raids the temple to retrieve the Mirror. However, she is followed by the group of bad guys who rather unwisely grab the Mirror, enabling the cackling Xololt and his Dark army to escape with the artefact and rain down terror on the earth. Despite being understandably miffed by the undoing of all his hard work, Totec realises that he must work with Lara to locate the Mirror and send the Dark horde back to where they came from. The first thing that strikes you about Guardian Of Light compared to previous Tomb Raider games is that it is much more of an arcade experience. Shifting the view to an isometric perspective as opposed to the more traditional third-person view is part of it, but it&amp;#039;s also the arcade-style gameplay, which makes the game feel like a mix between God Of War and Ikari Warriors. Any gamers used to the third-person action in previous Tomb Raider titles will see instant similarities in Guardian Of Light, but it&amp;#039;s also clear that the game is a very different beast. The new direction may well bring some new fans to the series and refresh the interest of veterans, but it could equally turn some people off from what they may view as Tomb Raider-lite. The main campaign can be played alone, or co-operatively over local or online, with one player becoming Lara and the other being Totec. The addition of co-op to the series is a real triumph and it&amp;#039;s a blast to play through the game with a friend. Any bonus items which are gained co-operatively go to both players, but treasures taken alone reward just one player, which should encourage a bit of healthy competition. Anyone playing the game alone becomes just Lara, with Totec relegated to a story character so that the player is not burdened with an irritating computer-controlled buddy. However, the game&amp;#039;s focus on co-op can sometimes make it oddly feel like it&amp;#039;s been retrofitted for single player. Some of the puzzles feel more suited to tackling with two players, with the solutions in single player being a bit clumsily applied. It&amp;#039;s not a show-stopper, but definitely worth bearing in mind. The controls instantly feel very arcade - the left stick is used for movement and the right stick draws weapons and aims, with the right trigger firing (the player can move while shooting but much slower than usual). Aiming the weapons can feel a tad imprecise and fiddly at first, but the player soon gets used to the fast-firing combat, which is actually pretty satisfying. The gameplay harks back to classic isometric arcade games, such as Double Dragon, where buttons are feverishly mashed against hordes of enemies. Lara has double pistols with unlimited ammo, but she also gets access to a wide range of weapons, including double Uzis, grenade launchers, a mini-gun and a flame thrower. However, these weapons need to be restocked with ammo from blue power ups (green power ups restore health). Lara also has a grappling hook launched by pressing the right shoulder button, with the device used for the platform sequences and the puzzles. Playing as Totec means using unlimited throwing spears and a shield, along with some guns. Each character&amp;#039;s equipment is also used regularly in the puzzles. For example, Totec&amp;#039;s spears can be plugged into a wall to give Lara a way to get across big drops (in single player, Lara is given the spears for combat and puzzle-solving). Lara&amp;#039;s grapple hook can also be connected to Totec or other designated points for a variety of uses, such as creating a grapple line for Totec to tightrope walk across chasms too large to jump. Lara and Totec also have unlimited bombs, which can be placed and detonated with a button-press. The bombs are good for clearing out enemies, but they are also used in the puzzles, such as remotely triggering switches or moving seemingly immovable objects. The puzzles start off simply but get trickier later in the game, although most players will find that there are few genuinely head-scratching moments after they have worked out the nuances of the game design. The levels are all well put together and there are loads of bonus items and puzzles available to increase the options for the player, such as additional reward challenges for anyone willing to beat an extra task. For example, one gameplay section involved a critical path that just had to be unlocked by depressing two pressure switches. However, there was also a bonus path available by running over a grid of spike-thrusting squares in the right combination. Beating such challenges brings collectables and in-game bonuses, such as more health or ammo. The game mixes things up admirably to always keep the player interested, including a good balance between the puzzles, combat, boss fights and action set-pieces. Over the course of the campaign, the player will travel through a wide variety of environments and fight a range of enemies, such as shield-bearing ogres, fire-throwing demons and reanimating skeletons. The game also mixes up its challenges, such as a volcanic zone and a toxic world to ensure that the core game design never becomes repetitive. In co-op mode, the players operate on the same screen which pans out as they move apart to a set limit before being blocked. Dying results in the player respawning next to the other player, but if both players die then they are sent back to the last checkpoint. Indeed, the whole checkpoint system in single player and co-op is pitched just right so as never to become frustrating. Largely, the game is as fast and instantly accessible as you would expect from an arcade title. Despite being a download product, the sense of polish and presentation in Guardian Of Light is admirable. The game uses the same engine as Tomb Raider: Underworld, which delivers realistic physics effects, real-time shadows and some destructible environments. The sense of scale is impressive, with the detailed and well-rendered environments and character models being comparable to some full boxed games (albeit ones that err to the last console generation). The sound effects and score are well produced and the entire sense of presentation is impressive. However, the script and voice acting are pretty woeful, chiefly the contribution of Hawes, who sounds like she&amp;#039;s appearing on Blue Peter. Most players will be able to bash through the main campaign in a few sessions, constituting around seven or eight hours of gameplay (although the difficulty ramps up significantly on the last level). However, it&amp;#039;s a worthwhile experience to play through the campaign in both single player and co-op, and there are numerous collectables, achievements and side challenges to keep people coming back for more. Considering that the game is priced at 1200 Microsoft Points (\u00A310.20) that&amp;#039;s pretty good value when you add everything up. Crystal Dynamics is also working on a new boxed game featuring Lara Croft, currently under the working title Tomb Raider 9. Whether Guardian of Light&amp;#039;s bold new approach gives an indication of what to expect from that game remains to be seen, but it&amp;#039;s certainly a pretty good distraction while waiting for Ms Croft&amp;#039;s next big adventure.  &amp;amp;gt; What do you think of the game? Share your views "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/review/a261954/lara-croft-and-the-guardian-of-light-xbox-360/>