Pros: slick animations, cool puzzles, varied environments
Cons: still feels somewhat limited, gunplay is very weak, too short
The bottom line: Barely makes 4 stars. Love the character, not always a fan of the series, but entertaining to play, and that's what counts in the end, though way too short.
Tomb Raider: Legend for the Xbox 360 is a nice game for fans of adventure fare with puzzle solving. I enjoyed these games early in the series, but fell out of interest with them over the years as the games became quirkier and the storylines less interesting. This is a good example of Lara Croft coming back to life though.

Graphics: Lara has some quality animations now, and the levels look fantastic for the most part. The details in the environment are pleasing and only add to the sense of mystery with some of the locales. And let's face it - a big part of the Tomb Raider series is how the protagonist looks, and I am happy to say that Lara looks as good as ever - in the game world at least. They really did a great job of stringing together animations to make the character more fluid. However, the game did stutter from time to time, which seems odd given the power of the gaming console.

Sounds and music: The music seldom stands out, but there were a few instances where it felt very appropriate. Thankfully it never really gets in the way of the game either. Sound effects are varied enough that they do not get terribly repetitive and I thought that the voice acting was very good in this game. That is key because in games with voiceovers - quality acting can kill or help immerse the player in the storyline, and in this game it is only a positive.

Game play: This is a mixed bag. Lara has plenty of cool tricks and is fun to move around, but the camera angles absolutely stink at times. It can sometimes be very hard to see your enemies or what you are supposed to do on a particular jump or descent. The actual aiming of weapons was not terribly good either.

Intangibles: There are quite a few unlockables, so that helps. The game was really quite short however, and never felt terribly difficult (except once in awhile when the camera angle conspired to kill poor Lara). I was able to beat it in a fairly short of time, decreasing the overall value of the game.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars, but only just barely for me. It hurts that I am not a huge fan of the series, but I have to admit that this game is far and away better than most of its predecessors. The game can probably be found fairly cheaply used, which makes it a better bargain, but it felt like a game that was better suited to be a rental than a purchase - which is fortunate since that is exactly how I had come upon it. If you like Lara Croft and her adventures, this is a solid way to go, and it gives hope that future Tomb Raider games will continue to improve as well.