I've been waiting for nine months to be able to write this review. After many, many delays, the Christmas present from my dad finally showed up on my doorstep!!

I'm sorry to report to any male readers that I did not open my door to find Lara Croft in a bikini handing me the game. I love the Tomb Raider games for the action and adventure. I don't want Lara Croft; I want to be her. There's a definite difference.

That being said, The Angel of Darkness was worth every second of the extra wait. It is an excellent game with a few very cool new features for the Tomb Raider Playstation 2 debut.

The Story
Last we saw Lady Croft, she was dead (Tomb Raider Chronicles) and the idea of the game was to replay four of her past adventures. Before she died, she was in Egypt with her mentor, Werner Von Croy, where he left her buried in a tomb. (Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.) I've recently discovered that I didn't finish either of these games; so if I just said something completely wrong, don't yell at me. I'll come back to the reason why I never finished in a while.

When we meet up with Lara again, she's in Paris at Werner's request. Except Werner is now dead... he's been murdered in his apartment while Lara lay unconscious nearby. Needless to say, she's the chief suspect, regardless the fact that the murder is identical to other murders in Paris attributed to a serial killer, the Monstrum.

Lara goes on a search to discover Von Croy's murderer and clear her name. It all relates back to a project Von Croy is working on. He's looking for five Obscura Paintings, for each one contains a special plate that Lara's centuries-old evil Alchemist nemesis, Eckhardt, is searching for so that he can bring back a long-dead race of powerful and mysterious people called the Nephilim. And probably rule the world. Doesn't everyone?

The Locales
The story begins on the streets of Paris as Lara runs around talking to people that Werner has been in contact with regarding the Obscura Paintings. (Luckily, he's left a journal that helps!) Eventually, Lara breaks into the Louvre (that was so cool!) and eventually finds her typical cool tomb settings. She returns to Paris briefly before jaunting off to Prague for the second half of the game. I enjoyed the variety of locales... running around Paris and the Louvre was fun, but it felt good to be back in an archaeological dig and some tombs. In Prague, there were a few levels that were even futuristic! Truth be told, some of those Prague levels still haunt my dreams at night...

Game Play
There's nothing spectacularly new that Lara can do this time around. (How ridiculously useless was the tight-rope walking thing anyway?) They've improved upon the basics instead. To start, here's why I never finished the last two Tomb Raider games: Despite my many hours of game play, I never could get Lara to run in a straight line and always ran her into walls. All that's changed now. With the PS2, Lara is now controlled by the analog sticks. I was skeptical at first, but within half a level, I was sold. I loved it. True, you no longer have the ability to walk up to a ledge, tap backwards and then make a running jump, but that's the only loss. With the left analog stick controlling her and the right analog stick changing the point of view, controlling Lara is a smooth ride. When you want her to walk, just turn on the walk button. She'll walk until you turn it off. Need her to pick up a med pack? Look for that hand in the lower left hand corner. It notifies you when an action can take place. It's very handy, though switches are even harder to find.

But no longer harder to see. The graphics are incredible. There is little distinction between the cut-scene graphic quality and the game play graphic quality. When Lara walks down stairs, you can actually see her walking down the stairs. Her body shifts, one foot goes in front of the other, and her head looks down to see where she's going. And yes... her boobs jiggle when she jumps and her shirt is so tight you can see her bra straining through it. Happy?

There's more of an element of role-playing this time around. When you talk to people, you get a choice of what you want her to say to them. Playing the nice girl or the tough chick can get you different results, sometimes to the point where it's easier to reload the game and say something else! Also, as the game progresses, Lara gets stronger. There are tasks she can't accomplish unless her strength is adequate for it. No longer can you hang on the edge of a cliff for all eternity... that skill is now measured with a status bar. When her arms give out, she falls.

I also felt like the levels were more linear and more clearly defined. I wasn't wandering aimlessly around the same places feeling lost and confused. I liked the idea of looping back... if you break into the Louvre, you've got to get out, right? Speaking of which...

A New Friend
This, of course, was my favorite part of the game. In Paris, Lara runs into a dark, handsome, mysterious stranger. His name is Kurtis Trent and he's on a revenge mission to kill the evil Alchemist who killed his father. There's one good way to describe Kurtis Trent's unique talents: Jedi. He has "far-sight" abilities and can summon objects to him. And you get to be him for one long level and one short but tough level! I wish there had been more. Finally, someone in this game that I can lust after too.

Few Issues
The game does have its issues. Every once in a while, Lara ran in slow motion. Weird, but dealable. The puzzles were challenging but not impossible. Von Croy's journal was very helpful to remind me of details and to give clues of what I should be doing. There was only one puzzle that I have issues with. There was no logic to it. I won't give it all away, but if you're playing and get stuck finishing up the Hall of Seasons, write me and I'll help you out. "Through the Spirit of the Keeper" is a bunch of crap. The solution means nothing to the hints they give you. Nothing!

My only other big issue in the end. What the hell is the point of a cliffhanger ending to a video game? This is the second damn game I've finished lately that's left me hanging and more than a little pissed off!! (The first is Kingdom Hearts, if you're wondering.) Don't worry... Lara is just fine. My dad doesn't even think it's a cliffhanger, but I think it is. I think the creators will see the reaction to the game before deciding which direction to take the next game in. Bastards.

The Final Recommendation: It's Worth it!
Regardless, this is a great game and completely worth buying! If you're a Tomb Raider fan, you'll love it. If you were thinking of checking out Tomb Raider, this is a good time to do it. I'll be replaying it soon, I'm sure, and anxiously waiting the five years or longer for the next one...