Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation — Dreamcast ★★★★☆ 4/5

Eidos and Core Design have done it again. After a shaky third outing, Lara Croft returns to form in what is arguably the best entry in the series yet — and on Dreamcast, it's never looked better.

The Egyptian setting is a breath of fresh air, trading the icy tombs and jungle ruins of past games for sprawling desert temples and underground catacombs dripping with atmosphere. The level design is clever and dense, rewarding patient explorers with secrets tucked behind every crumbling wall.

Visually, the Dreamcast version shines above its PlayStation counterpart. Textures are sharper, draw distances are noticeably improved, and the lighting effects inside the torch-lit corridors give the whole game a genuinely cinematic feel. Load times are also dramatically reduced thanks to the GD-ROM format — a small but welcome upgrade.

Lara controls as you'd expect, which is to say: functional but occasionally maddening. The tank controls will frustrate newcomers, and a few precision jump sequences in the later tombs nearly had this reviewer putting a fist through the monitor.

The story, which sees a younger Lara and the origins of her rivalry with the villainous Von Croy, adds surprising emotional weight to the series for the first time.

A must-own for any Dreamcast library.