A & E

It breaks my heart to watch a troubled franchise pull itself out of the gutter of subpar sequels, only to lose its footing again.

"Tomb Raider: Legend" (2006) proved a triumphant return to glory for archaeologist adventure-babe Lara Croft, showcasing tight, simplified controls, gorgeous visuals, graceful animation and a camera that didn't hinder your navigation of immense environmental puzzles.

The follow-up, "Tomb Raider: Underworld," continues the wow factor with impressive level design and builds upon Lara's fluid animation with more realistic nuances. Where it fails, however, is where it hurts the most: mechanics and camera perspective.

After correcting previous installments' infamously annoying camera problems in "Legend," "Underworld" regresses to old frustrations. You're able to take control of your camera view, but you have to fight constantly with the perspective the game wants to shift to, even if it has you staring at the back of Lara's head while precariously balancing above an abyss. Try to readjust, and the screen often spasms in protest.

Another frequent issue occurs with environmental objects. Lara routinely passes through ledges, walls, obstacles and, sometimes, enemies. In one instance, I had to pull a gear with a grapple hook, but because Lara kept passing through the wall, causing her to lose her footing, it took me repeated tries. Plus, the glitch caused the camera to shake.

The controls for Lara's exploration of vertical terrain were, for the most part, responsive, save for the annoying hiccup in button-to-action response time that contributed to unintended and untimely jumps.

The button-prompt bullet-time sequences have been replaced with the adrenaline system. Time slows, but you choose your actions. And, in the few instances of tedious gun combat you'll encounter, each bullet or kick that hits its mark increases an adrenaline gauge that, when activated, slows down time and boosts attack power. Lara also can bounce off enemies for satisfying head-shot feats.

The story line picks up where "Legend" left off -- Lara's quest to find Avalon. In "Underworld," she's after Thor's hammer, and the devil's in the Norse details. The story isn't a throw-away in this title, complementing the action nicely. There are the requisite underwater, snow, jungle and deep cave levels, and you have the option to choose Lara's outfits for each expedition.

For raiders who often find themselves stuck, Lara's PDA comes equipped with a 3-D sonar map and field assistance that gives you clues as to what to do next. And for those who buy the Xbox 360 version, publisher Eidos promises downloadable extra levels and a new character in the near future.

Although it's an unfortunate step back in some instances, "Underworld" still offers the depth of puzzles that is the franchise's forte. Here, they're even more free-form, letting you come up with your own strategy of attack.

The beautiful scenery, balletic animation and puzzles save "Underworld" from being a total disappointment, but it just doesn't live up to its own "Legend."

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