After reinvigorating the once decrepit Tomb Raider franchise, Crystal Dynamics is back with a remake of the original game. Initially meant to celebrate the actual anniversary of the first chapter in Lara's exploits, the release date was pushed back for quality control. Although it may have missed the planned date, Anniversary takes the dynamics of Tomb Raider: Legend and slides them neatly into the original's interesting and generally inspired puzzles. You would be hard-pressed to find a better port of a console game anywhere and, barring some minor issues, this is a faithful entry into the recently revitalized franchise.

Anniversary is great for many of the same reasons that made Legend so refreshing. The controls are incredible (aside from the camera) and that is quite an accomplishment on the PSP. Lara moves perfectly, as if you are actually controlling her, as opposed to the sort of "guiding" you did in the original. The animations from Legend such as Lara's finger tip hangs from narrow ledges, to even the simplest running feels and looks great and benefits Anniversary. It's especially triumphant in that for a PSP port, this plays just like the console version, which is actually a good thing. Gameplay takes you across Peru, Egypt, and Greece in search of the Scion of Atlantis. Sometimes simply porting does have its flaws though, and one of Legend's biggest issues that crop up in Anniversary is the uninspired fighting.

The PSP version of the game is an excellent port of the PS2 original.

Legend featured far too simplistic auto-locking system, combat never seemed particularly intense, even in the latter levels. Anniversary shares a similar fate except that these enemies are far less intelligent. Eleven years ago, when the original title was released, these enemies seemed far more violent and difficult if only because of the sheer lack of control players had over Lara. Now they are tamed far too easily. Bears, mummies, and whatever else you find along the way cannot climb stairs for instance, so going to higher elevation is all that is necessary to defeat them. There are points in the game where you can literally stand on a ledge and rain bullets down onto unsuspecting enemies who are too dumb to even move out of the way. The combat never gets particularly difficult either and, although the original title never really focused on combat, what's here feels almost tacked on. At least tomb navigation, the bulk of the gameplay, works well as the puzzle and climbing elements really shine with the injection of Legends dynamics. The camera ends up being an almost insurmountable issue though. So much so, that it becomes far more deadly than any enemy found along the way.

Technically, the shoulder buttons should pan the camera left or right and triangle should center everything. In actuality, the panning is incredibly sluggish, growing irritating with the difficulty of some puzzles. Auto-centering generally works, but occasionally, the camera will lose its focus and spin around uncontrollably as you battle both motion sickness and the world itself. This happens in the heat of battle as well and, even though the battles themselves are without difficulty, they can grow irritating as the camera spins wildly out of control.

As mentioned before, the controls work well, past the need for a second analog stick (an issue in nearly every PSP release). Lara moves realistically and you truly feel in control over her. It should also be noted that whenever an enemy charges Lara, a button will appear, which when pressed, gives Lara a bullet time-like ability. When the in-game meter reaches the right point, a red button appears on the enemy. Hit the button and Lara unleashes a devastating attack. Going back to the original statement about the stale and often uninspired attacks by enemies, this is more of a fun triviality than a major aspect of the game. Sure, fighting the T-Rex again can be great, but the epic nature of the original encounter is lost.

Included in the package are the same extras found in the PS2 version, such as Croft manor, relics, and all of the costume changes. They are merely a novelty, but they can be enjoyable. With so few games offering any extra replayability or incentives, at least this comes off as being a worthwhile excursion while it lasts.

Graphically, Anniversary shines. Although this is a strange statement to make, it might be one of the truest ports of a PS2 game ever released, to such a degree that the distinctions between the two are almost non-existent. Of course it's scaled down a bit, but each level looks spectacular on the vibrant PSP screen. More importantly, when the camera works, there is a lot of detail to be seen. The only issue is that those unfamiliar with either the original game or the PS2 port may find some of the smaller ledges to be frustrating. There is often a blending of ledges with the walls, if only because of the lack of control over the camera. With the difficulty of the puzzles, especially on later levels, this leads to a lot of annoying deaths. In fact, there were times when the puzzles were as simple as "Lara is not there but needs to be" and because of the camera's issues, they felt much more difficult. Some may find the areas a bit uninspired because of the use of such a limited palette, but graphically, the game stands well on its own.

The graphics were ported with little loss in quality.

The game sounds just like it's PS2 counterpart, with the enhanced soundtrack and ambient noises ringing well. In fact the game sounds far better then your typical PSP fare. The only negative lies in the enemies, which much like their intelligence, is lacking. They typically sound unrealistic and generally silly. Overall the sound actually might even be one of the best elements of the game, excluding the aforementioned animal noises.

In the end, Anniversary pairs the old with the new well, creating a good game with just enough issues to hold it back from being truly great. The camera is far too unwieldy at times and the enemies are hardly worrisome. However, what made the original so fun, the actual tomb-crawling, is only enhanced in this version. Those who have played the PS2 version should know that you are going to be playing a direct port. PSP adventurers, however, should take heart for that very same reason. Anniversary is not perfect, but it's an amusing diversion, especially on an anemic system like the PSP. Even with its flaws, Anniversary still comes together well enough to warrant a play by those looking for their adventure fix on the PSP.