Tomb Raider Underworld: Lara Croft is looking and moving better than ever.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

Lusting after videogame characters is possibly the most undignified pastime known to humankind, but that hasn't stopped millions making an exception for Lara Croft. The delectable kick-ass heroine is poised to return to our consoles in her latest starring vehicle, Tomb Raider: Underworld, set to arrive in the UK on November 21 (November 18 in the US).

When it launches, it will undoubtedly be the most important release in publisher Eidos's entire existence. The company (a subsidiary of SCi) is in such dire straits , early this year it binned no fewer than 14 games it had in development.

So does Lara still have her magic touch in the 21st century, and can she single-handedly extricate Eidos from the mire ? Time to find out with some hands-on experience of a …