STORY:

A long time ago, in Ancient China, an Emperor had claimed the vast lands of China. Warriors of Tibet fought him endlessly, his strength coming from within him, aquired from the Dagger of Xian. But eventually, his army was defeated, and the spirit of the dragon returned to the dagger. The Dagger of Xian was returned to its resting place withing the Great China Wall, where it lay for thousands of years. Lara Croft has joined the search for the Dagger of Xian, yet she is not the only one looking for it. Marco Bartoli, a strange Italian Cult leader seems to want the dagger too, and will do anything to get it. With two seperate parties of thieves, mercenaries and goons sent out to find the dagger, Lara has a little more trouble to worry about.

 THE GAME:

Tomb Raider 2 was waited for and waited for, and finally it came in the December of 1997. A year and a half in the making, it gave a new edge to the trilogy - bigger guns, bigger levels and bigger...well, you know. "Bigger guns, bigger levels, bigger...well, you know" Lara's travels are now oriented tightly around the main plot - she started right in the action, having been dropped by a bright red helicopter into a tiger-infested cavern. The main change to the sequel was that it had 4 more weapons to choose from, and each one had its own famed use against the huge new array of baddies - goons and flamethrowers in particular... It was an instant hit, and the Tomb Raider Trilogy had got off to a great start. There was room for improvement, yet the game was a favourite for every Tomb Raider fan.  WEAPONS: Pistols Shotgun Automatic Pistols Harpoon Gun Uzis Grenade Launcher M-16 Lara now has a lovely collection of bigger guns in her backpack - where did all that space come from? She still has her prized pistols, yet now she also has some more powerful arsenal to use against the toughest baddies. To me, this seems like the whole point to Tomb Raider 2.  VEHICLES: As well as all these new additions to the second Tomb Raider, new puzzles means new ways of getting round them, and quicker ways of getting Lara from 'a' to 'b' - vehicles. With the aid of a speedboat and snowmobile, Lara can sail the canals of Venice and skim through the snow of Tibet.  LEVELS: The Great Wall Venice Bartoli's Hideout Opera House Offshore Rig Diving Area 40 Fathoms Wreck of the Maria Doria Living Quarters The Deck Tibetan Foothills Barkhang Monastery Catacombs of The Talion Ice Palace Temple of Xian Floating Islands The Dragon's Lair Home Sweet Home The Dagger of Xian is hidden within the walls the Great Wall, where something big and green is lurking. She starts the game in The Great Wall itself, where she is surprised by a stranger and lead to Venice, where the real puzzle-solving starts. Once again, approximately every four levels is marked by a short cutscene that updates Lara's travels and hints as to where she is off to next. From China to the bottom of the Mediterranean Ocean, Lara really does deserve a break at the end of it all. But wait, is that a van I hear pulling into the drive?