This I found to be better than the second Tomb Raider game, but not better than the original.
The story is basically about how Lara is trying to go around the world to collect four artefacts - each one is found in a different area purely so she can collect them, as we know what Lara's like. Somewhat I thought the plot was okay. It's more of the same - Lara hunting down treasure.
The gameplay is the same thing as the previous two games - jump when you have to, shoot enemies and collect items. There have been new weapons put into this game, such as the grenade launcher, the rocket launcher and my personal favourite, the desert eagle.
The thing in this game that I found to be better than the second is that you get to choose where you want to go after you've completed the jungle. You can choose to go to either London, the Australian Coasts or the desert, and you can do that in any order. That actually surprised me, and it was just nice to have. I wished that could have been in all Tomb Raider games.
The levels are really big compared to the other two. It took me ages to figure out where to go. It took me a long time to complete the first stage because of how awkwardly placed some of the levers or keys were. But then again, it's a very good challenge and it's not as frustrating as the second one. So mainly I have to say this is very good.
The graphics have, once again, improved. The detail and environments look even better, including Lara's character model and enemies. It's not as fuzzy as the second one was so that feels a lot better. The music is once again great but I liked it in the second game more. I did like the jungle music though - it fit the environment well. The sound effects are the same - when Lara shoots her guns, it sounds better and more realistic.
Croft Manor is probably the best - way better than in the second because you can do more things, like look at artefacts in the secret room. The fitness course in Tomb Raider II was from beginning to end climbing, but in this one, you do the same thing BUT at the end you can shoot targets, therefore you can carry your guns around Lara's mansion. Also, you can access a key which lets you drive around a race circuit, making this version of Lara's mansion the best in the series.
OVERALL: This is a really good challenge and not as frustrating as the second game, but doesn't live up to the original. Great game.