In the lead-up to the first Tomb Raider‘s release, it was apparent to many that the game was going to be at least a decent hit, so there was likely never any question that there would be a sequel. So it was little surprise when Tomb Raider 2 was announced for release the following year. Although it was built on the same engine, many aspects of the game were enhanced, most notably the size of the levels themselves. Lara’s model also got a makeover, rounding certain things that are expected to be round and adding a long, animated ponytail that sometimes seemed to have a mind of its own. This time around, the SEGA Saturn was left behind, allowing the developers to put in some new lighting effects and really go to town on the level geometry. The resulting game is just about exactly what you would expect from a follow-up to a huge hit. It’s bigger, harder, more refined, and more sure of what it’s doing from a design standpoint. It would be a long time before a Tomb Raider game would again carry the sort of balance found in Tomb Raider 2, as Lara’s rising star started to push in more and more on the core values of the original.