Lara Croft and Tomb Raider are probably one of the better known videogame franchises of the Western world. Helped largely by a few solid games and a generous amount of Angelina Jolie's cleavage, Tomb Raider is about as mainstream-recognisable a videogame character can get, right up there with the likes of Mario and Sonic. Yet believe it or not, Tomb Raider Legend is Lara's first excursion onto Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms, and based on how woeful Angel of Darkness was, it's safe to say we haven't really missed out. Until now.

After the pitiful critical and popular reaction to Angel of Darkness on the PS2 and PC, Eidos buried the series' creator, Core Design, and charged Crystal Dynamics with the tough task of rebuilding the credibility of one of gaming's most recognised franchises. It's safe to say at this juncture that the Legacy of Kain creators have succeeded admirably in their task, at once reinventing the Tomb Raider franchise, while staying relatively true to its roots as an action-adventure romp with an Indiana Jones style emphasis on archaeology and of course, raiding of tombs.

In its own way, Tomb Raider Legend is an homage to the pedigree of the series, taking players both new and old back to where it all began; what happened to Lara's parents, how did she get into the tomb raiding business, and more importantly, where is it all going to take her? This Lara is a little more bitter and hard-edged than the oft-times light-hearted Lara of yore; she is quick to anger and even quicker to drawing her weapons, and she certainly isn't afraid to use them. Yet like any tough-guy (or gal in this case!) character, there's a gooey centre of pain and childhood issues just asking to be explored. And while this stickiness may add a little bit too much depth to a character most admire simply for her cup-size, it certainly makes for a more enjoyable experience.

The story centres around a powerful relic from Lara's past, one with a very real connection to the disappearance of her mother through some sort of ancient portal, where she is presumed dead. Of course Tomb Raider requires more than just a mere trinket to get things moving, and thus Lara has two new nemeses; the first is the typically American multi-named James W. Rutland Jnr. A senator's son, he is incredibly wealthy and driven, and unfortunately for Lara, he wants the same artifacts she does. The other is a little more interesting; Amanda Evert is an old college friend of Lara's, that is until she – along with almost all of the ill-fated Peruvian expedition – drowned when everything went horribly wrong. Or so Lara thought, anyway; she left Amanda to drown, and now she's back; angsty and armed with a powerful talisman of her own.

And thus begins Lara's globetrotting adventure, which will take her back to Peru, high into the Himalayas, deep into the heart of Africa and a good many stops in between. Like Angel of Darkness, Lara's latest adventure doesn't take place exclusively in tombs, caves and abandoned temples; instead there's a healthy mix of modern-day environments, including a Tokyo skyscraper and a disused Soviet research facility. More so than ever, the level design and stunning set-pieces are the true star of Tomb Raider, with locations ranging from breathtaking waterfalls to awe-inspiring underground crypts. There's a surprise around every corner in Tomb Raider Legend, and Crystal Dynamics have crafted an intuitive, forgiving control scheme to ensure you don't miss a single second of it.

Tomb Raider: Legend owes its handling success to Ubisoft and their reinvented Prince of Persia series; it is at once intuitive yet exciting, rewarding and forgiving. Like Ubisoft, Crystal Dynamics have learnt from the multitude of mistakes made by other developers over the years, whereby pinpoint precision and the taming of a camera shrew were required to execute simple platform jumps. In Tomb Raider Legend, so long as you aim in generally the right direction and press the right button at roughly the right time, Lara will do the rest, ensuring those leaps of faith have a solid foundation in fact. Even if you do misstime a jump, Lara will manage to find momentary purchase with one hand, allowing you time to quickly press the "Y” button and scrabble to safety. The net result is that with a couple of reasonably well-timed presses, Lara will jump, roll, climb, swing and shoot with poise and grace, much like you'd expect a real-life tomb raider to do.

This illusion of realism is maintained by the superb graphics of the Xbox 360 iteration of the game, which are some of the nicest on the console to date. The animation is amazingly smooth, and at 720p with anti-aliasing, it's almost as good as being there yourself. No matter which stunning locale you are gunning your way through gymnastically, the visual effects only serve to enhance the experience. Be it the sparkling cascades of epic waterfalls or the gaudy neon haze of Tokyo, Crystal Dynamics have masterfully worked every trick in their bag to draw you in to the experience.

About the only hiccup Tomb Raider Legend has is the motorbike-riding vehicle sections, and it's a little more dry-retch than simple hiccup. Where Lara's handling is elegant and responsive on foot, put the buxom babe on the back of a bike and suddenly she has about as much grace as a fat man at the buffet. Like so many games before it, Tomb Raider Legend is cursed by its desire to try and break away from its core gameplay just so it has an extra bullet-point for its Features list. The bike sequences are not universally horrible – some are slightly less nauseating than others – it's more that it doesn't feel like you're playing Tomb Raider.

You will bounce off rock walls, collide with cars and land impossible jumps without fear, because your wheel is essentially glued to the terrain beneath you, even if you're airborne. Shooting enemies is simply a matter of locking on and holding down the fire button until they die. Some of the bike sections go for ten or more minutes, and the on-the-rails level design will often repeat itself half a dozen times during that excruciating sequence. Ultimately, it just doesn't belong in the game at all, and it really detracts from the stellar experience that bookend it.

Thankfully these sequences are few and far between for the most part, and serve as a brief annoyance between some truly awesome levels. There's a healthy dose of puzzles to be had in the game, ranging from boulder-positioning and switch throwing to more athletic jumping and climbing puzzles. The other big addition in Tomb Raider Legend is Lara's new assortment of techno-toys, including a magnetic grappling hook and analytical binoculars. The RAD binoculars are almost like a built-in Help Mode, which allow you to scope out various objects, analyse them, and Lara will comment on the possible use of whatever it is you're checking out. The grapple is much more fun, allowing you to latch on to beams and statues and either swing across Indiana Jones style, or reposition objects from afar.

These gadgets prove to be far more rewarding than the arsenal of guns at Lara's disposal. Gunplay in Tomb Raider Legend isn't so much weak as it is offensively simplistic. The lock-on mode makes it impossible to miss, and the only real challenge comes when you encounter groups of three or more, which isn't often. You almost feel as though Lara could get away from firearm combat all together if the developers were adventurous enough, but sadly her signature twin-pistols are almost as recognisable as her other paired asset, and it's unlikely we'll see the game more away from the guns.

Throughout the game you'll have the opportunity to collect bronze, silver and gold artifacts, which in turn unlock in-game goodies and, of course, Xbox 360 Achievements and therefore coveted Gamerscore points. Bronze trinkets are naturally pretty easy to find and the least valuable, while the Silver ones require you to be actively looking and thinking to locate them. The Gold artifacts, on the other hand, are a real challenge to unearth in each level, and consequently yield the best rewards. These include concept art, character bios and the usual extras, as well as upgrades to Lara's guns'n'gear, and even new outfits to wear. Yes, it's all a little gimmicky, but it really enhances the treasure-hunting feel of the game, and provides another layer of activity for players so inclined.

Speaking of gimmicks, there's also a time-trial mode which encourages you to speed through the levels at superhuman speed, racing against the clock to beat the level within a specified time-frame. This also yields goodies of the unlockable and Achievement variety, but feels much more at odds with Lara and the Tomb Raider style of game. Half the fun in Tomb Raider Legend is taking in the majesty of your surroundings, carefully studying them to locate hidden areas, and enjoying the back-and-forth with your colleagues at a leisurely pace. Somehow, you feel the idea of blitzing through locations is anathema to Lara, and it certainly won't appeal to many players.

The audio department at Crystal Dynamics has worked overtime to make Tomb Raider Legend sound amazing in every department. The most obvious facet of this is Lara herself and the way she interacts with her colleagues via her headset. Their banter is amusing; particularly Lara's levity as she scales imposing cliff-faces or swan dives off waterfalls. Her scenes with Amanda are also impressive, the pair conveying more emotional depth with their back-story baggage than many other games of this ilk. The use of flashback sequences in the game (including playable ones) really helps milk the emotion out of the game, and the result is surprisingly solid for an action-adventure romp. The soundtrack is terrific as well; suitably epic and bombastic when needed, but knowing when to fade into the background and hand over the reigns to the player.

Tomb Raider Legend isn't a particularly long game; you should be able to beat it in eight hours or less if you're good (or in a hurry). There's enough extras included to prolong the experience for players inclined to hunting treasures, speed-play or Gamerscore completists, and there's a few difficulty levels included also. The main impact of this is probably in the game's various boss battles which can be positively painful on harder modes, but other than that there's little impact on the puzzles or levels. But if the main-game is getting you down, you can always take a break and explore Lara's ridiculously large mansion, which is filled with its own host of acrobatic puzzles, treasure-hunts and collectible items to add to your collection.