Released back in 2000, ‘Tomb Raider Chronicles’ is the fifth installment in the adventures of Lara Croft, and structurally is very different from the previous games. By this I mean that the story is set out as a series of flashbacks – or mini prequels – as told by associates of Lara during cut scenes that connect the overall game.

The first of these ‘trips down memory lane’ is of a caper that took place in The Eternal City, which appeared to be heavily inspired by the Venice levels in ‘Tomb Raider II’.

This story arc is broken into three chapters; the first of which is titled ‘Streets of Rome.’ So, let’s check it out…

Design-wise, the game looks good – and the 2025 remastered edition is a marked improvement on the original release from twenty-five years ago.

But one of the things that was ‘off’ about the Rome location was that there was no one else around – besides a couple of rogue dogs – and anyone who has visited this city would know this is impossible. It’s not only the desolate surrounds that are incorrect, but the audio as well; as Lara is exploring in the vicinity of the Colosseum – where there would be thousands of tourists and a ton of traffic – yet distant bells and the odd bird are the only sounds you can hear.

The opening level is a short one, and is little more than cobbled lanes and courtyards with the odd switch to be pulled. This area plays out as a maze, and you find yourself running around in circles until the pathway to another section is discovered.

This short chapter concludes when Lara encounters two old foes in Pierre and Larson – both of whom she would later kill in the original Tomb Raider game – before the story quickly moves on to the next stage.

‘Trajan Markets’ is where the story starts to get interesting; opening up a mysterious part of Rome where mechanical monsters, hordes of rats and deadly statues await!

Again, the layout is very maze-like, but there are a few ‘touristy’ highlights of note – without the tourists, of course.

‘Trajan Markets’ eventually turns the full circle and ends where it began, with Larson once again ambushing Lara outside of the temple door visited at the end of the previous stage. However, this time around there is one noticeable difference – that being, the mechanical hydra clunking into life to defend the entrance.

I couldn’t help but think Tomb Raider had ‘jumped the shark’ with these deadly robots – I mean, who built them and why? How did the hydra heads move from above the door to the ground below?

In any case, after an epic battle against this metallic, flame-throwing fiend – the temple door opens up to reveal the entrance to the next level.

‘The Colosseum’ is the third and final chapter in the Rome story – featuring some impressive torture chambers, underground caves and battles against ancient gladiators, lions and more lethal statues coming to life.

But I have to point out again that there is no way these types of shenanigans could be going on at the Colosseum in broad daylight without any tourists being around.

The Rome levels were a breeze to get through, with the only major delay being the fight with the hydra. On the whole, it was probably a little too easy and the areas to explore were quite limited – but on a positive note it was well-designed and the aesthetics were good.

As always, I like to present a few split screenshots to compare the difference between the original PlayStation game from 2000 to the remastered 2025 edition – with the new version on top and the old graphics being on the bottom.

The Rome levels of ‘Tomb Raider Chronicles’ were a little hit and miss for me, with the limited area on offer and ease to pass through being the biggest issues. I also can’t get my head around choosing a busy city like Rome as a setting and expecting us to believe that the place was deserted.

However, I do recall playing the original game all those years ago, and accept that there are far more difficult levels to come – so to have the opening story being light on challenges is perhaps not such a bad thing.

‘Tomb Raider Trilogy Remastered – IV, V and VI’ is available at the PlayStation Store.

All screenshots and images courtesy of Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics and PlayStation.