Lara Croft to return in Tomb Raider: Legends on 11 April

Westlake Village (CA) - Lara Croft, considered to be the first virtual celebrity, will be resurfacing in Tomb Raider : Legends next week. Once again, Croft returns will be wielding her signature dual pistols and grappling hook. This seventh game in the famous series increases the polygon count on Miss Croft and also brings more physics, water and fire effects.

Publishes Eidos plays it safe with the sequel and brings a storyline that seamlessly fits into previous Tomb Raider games. Croft finds herself in a mission to uncover a precious artifact while battling a dangerous figure from her past. Legends takes the protagonist from Bolivia to Peru, Kazakhstan and Japan. Fashion conscious players will get to see Croft don several new outfits from cold weather parkas to a black cocktail dress.

The developer dropped Tomb Raider’s Core game engine in favor of Crystal Dynamics. The new engine includes 24 MB of textures and 20,000 polygons just on Lara Croft herself. In addition, Eidos promises the game will run realistic physics, water and fire effects. British actress Keeley Hawes, known for her role as Zoe Reynolds on the BBC’s "Spooks," provided her voice for the new Lara Croft.

The original Tomb Raider game was made in 1996 and was so successful that it spawned several sequels and two movies. The first movie grossed $131 million in US box office sales, while the second pulled in $65 million dollars. Tomb Raider games have sold more than 30 million copies.

Tomb Raider Legends will be available on the Xbox360, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable and the PC. The game will hit European stores on 7 April ; US gamers fans will have to wait until 11 April.