If you loved the first game then this is for you
After Angel of Darkness it looked like TR was coming to an end, but now with Crystal Dynamics at the helm things are looking up again as they have proved with TR Legend, and now with TR Anniversary Lara is far from dead.
The game only has one let down and thats the camera and its random sudden movement to the left or right which then causes Lara to turn so you have to counter this with the controller or end up running off a ledge, once you get used to this its not as much of a problem.
Unlike TR1 where you had to find a save crystal this game uses checkpoints, and there are plenty of them, although this is a good thing as it saves you having to redo sections you've already done because you ran off a stupidly high ledge because the camera took a random swing to the left, they also give you a full heath bar regardless of how little heath you had when you hit the checkpoint, the bad side to this is that you no longer need to worry about how many heath packs you have therefore making it a little less of a challenge.
The levels have been beautifully reworked to incorporate Lara's new abilities like the grapple and being able to wall swing, the sooner you can master this ability the better as it can be a bit tricky since the position of the camera makes a big difference to the controller input.
Another new ability you have is pole jumping, this allows you to jump from pole to pole like stepping stones.
Although fighting is few and far between (not a bad thing ) there is a new combat system that allows you to perform adrenaline moves, if done right the game goes into slow motion and allows you to perform head shots to finish off you're foe's, this can be tricky to master but once you have they make fighting a little more fun than just running and shooting, and is also essential for the boss fights.
Graphically the levels are stunning, and not being limited to squares and triangles (its how the first one was made) means more realistic looking areas, adding to that the great sound effects makes it as enjoyable if not more than the original.
All in all Crystal Dynamics have done a great job, and rather that just re-releasing a slightly polished version of the original ( something Disney like to do with there films ) they have made a whole new game, so even if you have played TR1 till you're thumbs are sore and you're eye's are bleeding, this game is still worth every penny,and a whole new challenge.