It is obvious that one of the main attractions is the heroine herself. Lara Croft is a very pretty thing to look at and girls feel supported when they play with a female character and not a heavy dude. Boys find it romantic to travel around the world with her. Also, they have the chance to make a woman obey them, something that isn't very likely to happen in real life. Lara Croft isn't just a decoration, but she has a strong character and attitude and she's fearless. She's not just a bunch of pixels like some people tend to say. She's something much more than that. She's an icon with character.

 The gameplay is very nice too. Adventure is cleverly combined with action. The balance between action and puzzle solving is just right. You need to use both your brains to solve some puzzles and your skills to defeat the enemies and escape from the hazards. You'll get a very nice feeling, after you've completed it all on your own. It actually makes you feel smart and gives you another reason to like yourself.

 Lara Croft has many abilities to share with you. You can do things that would be impossible in real life.

  The environments are very realistic and well designed and the whole scenery makes you feel as if you were there. Really, how much would you want to be there! You visit such wonderful and exotic places! The detailed surroundings and the huge, interesting areas, turn exploring into a great pleasure. There is a mystical atmosphere and much suspense; too-you can't imagine what will happen next. Sometimes your heart beats harder when creepy creatures chase you. The story and the plot are quite creative, yet simple enough for the average player.

 The variety of items, weapons, tools, enemies, hazards and moves, the breath-taking music, the 360 degrees control ,the secrets idea, the FMV's and the cutscenes are just some of the things that'll get you hooked if you try out the game.

 It is difficult to say whether tomb raider would be as popular if the main hero was male (a soldier for example)To clear things up, people who play tomb raider only to see Lara's breasts are morons. I cannot deny though, that Lara Croft is the thing that first attracted many people who bought the first Tomb Raider game -they saw that pretty woman on the cover and decided to purchase the game. Tomb Raider would still be a good game without Lara, but it wouldn't have that "something" that makes a game extremely successful. That "something" that Tomb Raider has, is that it contains all the things stated in the paragraphs above combined in the best way.

  However, I suggest you don't spent all your free time playing Tomb Raider. Real life has problems and playing TR, is a way to avoid them temporarily, but it is better to face them. Real life is also full of other nice things-football for example-so it doesn't make much sense to stay in your room, playing Tomb Raider or playstation or whatever all the time. If you feel lonely, however, playing Tomb Raider will make you feel better. If you are in bad mood, you can take it out on Lara-make her swan dive off a cliff. It is effective, believe Me.

 Tomb Raider can help you remember things more easily. Research has shown that pupils who play Tomb Raider (and other similar videogames) during their holidays can remember the things they've learnt at school better, because their brain is kept busy. That's a good excuse if your parents catch you in the middle of the night trying to pass a difficult Tomb Raider level.

  In conclusion, there are plenty of reasons that have made Tomb Raider a best-selling game. Maybe you could get your parents to read this article. After that, they might stop complaining about the "violent nature" of the game. Keep on gaming!

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, a picture with words is worth even more. This nice poem lays it all out clearly - why does Lara Croft appeal to men?