Tomb Raider TLA puts you again in the role of the beautiful Lara Croft in her search for the Hand Of Rathmore.
The gameplay still very solid, without those massive flaws, such as the need to press the jump button first then you press the direction you want (found in any Tomb Raider game for the PlayStation) -- exclusivity to the PC versions of the Tomb Raider games. The controls are pretty much the same as the first, second and third game in the franchise, without any improvement. Although, this doesn't ruin anyhting, because even being the same, the controls are highly responsive and comfortable.
The graphical design of the game is stunning, with some nice texture design (although, some of them are pixelated to the limit -- you can see every little pixel and count them) and Lara's model looks as sharp as it ever been. The level design is varied and amazingly detailed, counting with some wide-open environments (such as the Highland Flind level) and great AI design. Enemies will not stand still and shoot you, they'll eventually seek cover from your mighty pistols or even call backup (such as a dog or another henchmen). Although they're not that strong, it will take you several rounds to drop them off, and if you just stand still and keep firing, you'll be turned into dead meat. There's where Lara's unique abilities come in -- you can jump backwards, sidewards, everywhere you want, while keeping a high fire rate at your oponent. You can run and roll to dodge some shots, you can jump forward and wile in mid-air you can roll so you'll land behind the bad guy and facing him, there are a lot of options and it's up to you to create your own strategy to kill your enemies. They vary from common henchmen to dogs, sharks, workers, tigers and even a pterodactile!
The set of guns that are available to Lara is not extremely extensive, but at least each gun has its own use. Starting from her trademark Dual Pistols (with infinite ammo -- yay!), the game will present you a pair of Uzis, a Desert Eagle, a HK5 Submachine Gun, a Grenade Launcher, a undersea-only harpoon gun and even a Rocket Launcher! Although Lara's arsenal is varied, almost the whole game can be easily finished only using her useful pistols.
The sound is one great atractive here. The game's noises, such as gunfire, the dog's barking or the Loch Ness seamonster's growlings are really well done and the sound is very clear. With some fine pieces, the game's music is great too, a true masterpiece, togheter with the entire game.
The only downside that people may complain is that the game is too short. I agree that it is indeed short in only one aspect: The game only counts with 6 levels. But, here's the trick: each level is very extensive and requires a few hours for you to finish them. So you'll have about 10-15 hours finishing the game for the first time, looking for all 3 secrets in each level. The varied level design will never make you feel like "Hey, I've seen this on the last level" and each of them offer a great amount of challenge, so you'll wont be bored either.
Don't be fooled by the game's 6 levels -- Tomb Raider The Lost Artifact is a must have for any PC owners and Lara fans... and guys, Lara is hot...