‘Tomb Raider III’ is the only game in the series that I could not finish. I came close-ish though, as I made it all the way to Antarctica, but could not pass beyond the mine cart level.

So, if the prime version of myself couldn’t win over twenty years ago, then there’s no chance of me performing a miracle this time around! As a result, I have little choice but to bypass the third Lara Croft adventure and move onto the second remastered trilogy.

But not before having a little fun in the Croft Manor level…

Enter Lara’s butler – a loyal but rather elderly chap – who follows his boss around the mansion while rattling a tray of crockery and letting off the occasional fart. Because he moves so slowly – as opposed to Lara’s speed and agility – it is possible to use this physical advantage and do all sorts of mean things to this fellow, with comedic results.

To be fair, changing into army fatigues and a helmet – plus having a target on his chest – whilst standing around the shooting range is asking for trouble. Lara can open fire on him if she chooses, but he will successfully repel the bullets by using his tray as a shield. He does eventually fall to the ground, but within seconds the old man will get back onto his feet and literally dust himself off.

The other prank you can play on the butler is to lure the fool into the freezer room, before leaping over him and locking him inside. When Lara reopens the door again to check on her faithful servant, she discovers him a little worse-for-wear.

I tried this a few times, and on one occasion the butler merged into the door before freezing, giving him a T-1000 appearance.

I made a short video of my bullying of the butler and you can check it out here.

As I recall, ‘Tomb Raider III’ is a pretty good game, especially the Nevada and Area 51 adventures. But even before reaching the final levels in Antarctica, there were some rough challenges – mainly in the London and Pacific Island stages – that were extremely difficult to navigate. There is no way that my fifty-year old reflexes can get through this game.

So, it’s onto the next remastered trilogy for me – five months after the game was released, but better late than never.

Screenshots courtesy of PlayStation, Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr.