Video Game Review of Tomb Raider: Legend- it Rocks!

For all of you ladies out there who have been tortured watching your boyfriend or husband playing endless hours of "Halo II", "God of War", or "SOCOM III", I have good news: It's time for revenge!

Yes, even though I'm way too darn close to 30 for my own comfort; I, too, have been subjected to Halo parties where several males of varying ages descend like ravenous fiends on one living room with their X-boxes and TVs in tow to wrap themselves in the world of blasting aliens to smithereens, eating endless bags of Doritos, and clogging up a living room with their zombie-like obsession until daybreak sends them retreating back to the darkened basements they crawled out of. I have listened at the lunch table as presumed adult, professional men have discussed at length the intricacies of "World of Warcraft", for weeks on end! I have argued with my husband over whether or not three hours is enough playing time and that he can turn off "Outlaw Golf 2" long enough for me to watch some TV. But now…now it's time for us to turn the tables! And I have just the game to do it with: "Tomb Raider: Legend!"

No, no, I'm not crazy, girls. Hear me out! Tomb Raider is not just for prepubescent males (physically or mentally) who are obsessed with T&A. This game totally rocks! Now, I never used to understand how those boys could spend so much time with their hands glued to controllers and eyes glued to a glowing screen, but I'm beginning to comprehend. Let me explain why this game rocks and why it is so perfect for women, even those who aren't necessarily gamers.

1) Lara Croft. She's not just some buxom vixen; she's the strong, sexy female so many of us secretly want to be. She's rich, a genius, can scale jagged cliffs without climbing gear, can solve any complicated puzzle, has an answer for any dangerous situation, doesn't take no for an answer, and can kick some bad-guy butt and look wicked hot doing it! Who doesn't want to be that girl?

2) The controls don't require a PhD in Videogameology to play. This is key. I've seen a ton of games that the boys play that look like fun, but then when you have to learn 30 different 7-stroke button combinations just to beat level one, I'm done. I don't have 20 hours a day to play a video game. I want to be able to pick it up, play for a little bit, make some progress and come back tomorrow. If it's going to take me 30 hours just to master the basics, I'm out. Are you with me, ladies? That's the beauty of Tomb Raider! The controls are simple and the games are designed to progressively teach you the different moves you need to play the game. 1 button = 1 move. At the maximum 2 buttons = 1 move. I like that in a video game.

3) The gameplay. This is the true genius of the Tomb Raider series. Yes, Lara Croft has twin pistols that she uses to take out her enemies, but it's not really a fighting game. It's an engaging puzzle game that just happens to have some fighting in it to keep things interesting. The truth is that we women love a cerebral challenge. Mindless blasting will bore us pretty quickly, but give us some puzzles to solve and we're engrossed for hours on end. Setting these puzzles in exotic locations and mysterious tombs just makes it even more fun to play along.

Tomb Raider Legend is the 7th game in the Tomb Raider series that was first launched in 1996. This game series has been around for 10 years and for good reason! So, gals, if you've never picked up a game controller you might want to give it a shot! You just might find it a fun and engaging way to burn some free time (and relieve a little aggression!)

For those of you who have been fans of Tomb Raider in the past, you definitely need to get this new game STAT! I know, I know, some of you were very disappointed with the last installment, "Angel of Darkness", but trust me: you will LOVE "Legend." She is back in the tombs, not running from the police in Paris wrongly suspected of murder. And, the designers have added some wicked new tricks into Lara's bag! I'm not going to give away too many details, except for this one: she has a very cool Matrix-style move that allows her to back flip off an enemy's head, temporarily slowing down time, and allowing her to unload her weapons on his sorry butt! The best part is that this move is fairly easy to do. Let's be honest, if I can do it, anyone can!

So ladies, now is the time to take back our living rooms! Gaming systems are not meant for men and boys alone. Go get yourself a copy of "Tomb Raider: Legend" and show your man to how much fun it is to watch someone else play for a change!