Cheeky Lara Croft moves with the times

Like David Bowie and Madonna, one of the more endearing attributes of Lara Croft, aside from her two greatest assets (grit and determination), is her ability to move with the times.

In the upcoming chapter of the Tomb Raider series, Angel of Darkness, Lara is getting a technological makeover.

Fans are promised a heroine with 10 times more detail than before. Core Design and Eidos, the developers and publishers of the game, revealed that the new Lara will be made up of 5,000 polygons, compared with the meagre 500 used in previous games.

Aside from giving the character more 'definition' and smoother movement, the added polygons now mean that Lara has a real bottom. Core Design said that, in previous incarnations, the heroine's backside was merely an "illusion".

The intrepid archaeologist made it big on the silver screen last summer, when actress Angelina Jolie stepped into her hiking boots for the Tomb Raider movie.

The latest promotional model to take on the role is 20-year-old Dutch beauty Jill de Jong, who is the sixth woman to pick up Lara's guns.

In Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, Lara is framed for a murder and must fight to clear her name.

The game should be launched in mid-November.