The latest "official" Lara model is Alison Carroll (pictured), a British gymnast capable of real-life high kicks who also happens to look quite hot with a pair of semi autos and short shorts.

Margaret Wallace, CEO of casual game firm Rebel Monkey, finds Carroll a fine choice to take to market Tomb Raider Underworld. And the fact that she is a sex symbol isn't exactly a bad thing. "She combines poise, strength and sexiness all in one package--not to mention her real-life athletic skills and experience in competing at events. In this sense, both Ms. Carroll and the Lara Croft character embody aspirational qualities. The fact that they are considered sex symbols only adds to their overall power and allure."

Bushi-go CEO Kimberly Unger agreed that having a live model that can actually pull off some of videogame-Lara's acrobatic moves makes the character more than a sex symbol for men. "From what I have seen of her, she conveys that absolute physical competence that is so often missing when you bring a supermodel or a movie star in to play the role of a physically active character."

She adds Lara is able to convey a sophisticated sexiness. "I don't think Lara perpetuates the stereotype of games being a 'boys club.' I think that would be a lot like saying any woman with large breasts (competent or not) perpetuates the objectification of women. If you were to dress her in nothing but leather straps, maybe, but despite the bodacious ta-ta's she is not a 'vamp' character. She doesn't shake her thang at the camera in cut scenes, she (or rather the animators) doesn't play up that role. Instead, even the places when she's dressed in evening wear or a skintight neoprene wetsuit, she is all business - the 'sexiness' of her appearance is incidental to the strength of the character they have created."



Ismini "Atari" Boinodiris Roby with WomenGamers.com muses, "Is Lara sexist? Did we even consider this question when she first appeared in Tomb Raider 1? No, we were just thrilled to be able to play a female character for once. If you are to question whether Lara Croft is sexist, you need to consider the time in which she originally appeared and how she has evolved over the years. When she first emerged, we could overlook her poorly designed torpedo breasts and tiny waist because we were tired of playing beefcakes. She was a breath of fresh air.

"Today however, we expect more. Over time her personality and look has migrated. Despite her original ridiculous body structure, her personality was more like a female version of Indiana Jones. Over time they've improved her body, but have, in my opinion, diluted her personality. They had an opportunity to develop something wonderful with her character, but dropped the ball to make her more sexy and appealing to their male fan base."