For Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Core have unearthed and rediscovered this seemingly forgotten design element, and utilised it brilliantly. TLR's level design is - bar one area - consistently above average, and on numerous occasions it borders on the magnificent. There are just enough fights to keep you on your toes but, largely, it keeps you entertained with puzzles, hunts for specific items and eye-widening locales.

There appears to be less combat in TLR than in its two immediate predecessors, but we could be wrong in saying that. It might just be that the scraps in TLR are far more enjoyable - and, as a result, do not weigh so heavily within any given recollection. It does not offer a generational leap in control mechanics. Lara is still unwieldy in a fight, only capable of running in circles or leaping from pillar to post while firing. While fighting human opposition, she is still hit by unavoidable fire - a skill-defying oversight that rarely fails to frustrate. Yep, Lara's pretty much as awful to control during rucks as she ever was.

Confused? Don't be. Core, seemingly unwilling to fiddle too extensively with Tomb Raider mechanics prior to her next-generation appearance on PS2, have instead hit upon a novel compromise. There are a number of monsters in TLR that cannot, on first encounter, appear to be killed. In essence, Core have added a puzzle-solving element to their fights. Future Gamer's favourite is the Jason & The Argonauts-style skeletal warrior. Shoot it with your pistols, and it will continue to stalk you, unabashed. Unleash a shotgun blast, however, and your assailant is sent flying, landing on its back. And then it gets up again, with infinite menace. The first time you see this, it's brilliant. You're really stumped, trying to think of a way to get rid of it.

There are a few solutions, of course. You can blow it up with a grenade blast, or - if you've found it - render it helpless with a long-distance crossbow bolt to the head, with the help of a laser sight and its accompanying sniper function. Or, best of all, you can manoeuvre it into position over a large drop, and blast it with your shotgun, sending it spiralling off into oblivion.