Lara's theme: how do you improve one of the most popular game characters ever developed? Very carefully, says one of her creators. (Back drop: a behind-the-scenes interview with a digital content professional).(Adrian Smith of Core Design)(Interview)

Adrian Smith is co-founder of Core Design, developer of the Tomb Raider series of computer games, including the newest iteration, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, scheduled for release in February 2003. (See "Virtual Makeover," pg. 14.)

Q How do you explain the popularity of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft?

A When the original Tomb Raider was released, it introduced the gamer to a whole new world. For pretty much the first time, the player had huge environments to explore, and the 3D worlds and their accessibility encapsulated the gamer in a way that no other game had achieved. Lara was obviously an important factor in the success of the series. She was the first female lead character that brought out empathy from the gamer. Most of the lead characters before her were muscle-bound action men that were sent on impossible missions. With Lara, people seem to approach the game differently. They nurture her, they care about her well being, and, with the puzzle solving, the garner found something new.

Q How important was maintaining the consistency of Lara's character between the game and film versions of Tomb Raider?

A A big problem would have come about if the filmmakers had wanted to fundamentally alter Lara's character. For example, even though she uses weapons in the games, we would never consider her to be a ruthless murderer. She has a documented history, and to achieve continuity we wanted to ensure that it remained intact. On the other hand, we never wanted to copy each other entirely, so consistency between the games and the film wasn't a high priority when it came to the actual story.

Q How do you hope to give Lara more personality and greater depth of character in future games?

A It will be very hard for us to add anything to her character. She's been around for some time, and her background is well documented. We know her education, her family, her likes and dislikes. Everyone has seen where she lived and the places she's been to. Fans of the series would put part of her success down to the story behind her and the fact that she shows her personality in all the games, whether in game situation or a cut scene.