TOMB Raider: Underworld (TRU) is the eighth game in the Tomb Raider franchise and the third to be developed by game studio Crystal Dynamics after the series moved from its original developer, Core Design.

This sequel weaves together Lara Croft's archaeological adventures with the story of her search for her mother, who is trapped in the mythical world of Avalon.

In the platformer, Lara has to unlock the mysteries surrounding Thor's Hammer - the weapon wielded by the God of Thunder in Norse mythology - in order to free her mother.

Unlike previous iterations of Tomb Raider, TRU will feature an interactive game world - one that can react to the main character - where real-world physics applies.

For example, if it rains, the roads will be slippery and Lara will find it harder to ride on her motorbike.

When damage is sustained by the in-game environment, it will not automatically disappear like in most games.

Bodies of enemies killed will also remain at the spot where they were killed, acting as navigational aids, and tyre tracks or footprints left in the ground will stay there until it is washed off by rain or obscured by, say, vehicles and other characters.

Other than changes in the game world, Lara also gets new moves that will let gamers control her more freely for a realistic experience.

The adventurer will be able to pick up stray items around the ruins, like poles, and use them in combat.

She will also be able to scale buildings or other elevated surfaces in all directions, instead of just set routes.

The jazzed up gameplay even allows Lara to fight two enemies at one time.

To keep the action interesting, there are multiple ways for players to solve a puzzle or problem.

Although TRU will be launched for seven platforms - Xbox, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC and mobile phone - Xbox players will get two exclusive episodes that they can download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Both episodes - Beneath The Ashes and Lara's Shadow - feature some six hours of gameplay in new locales.

By Tham Yuen-C

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 22 October 2008.