Back home after the gruelling adventures of Tombraider 2, Lara spends her time cataloguing her finds and writing the book of her adventures. But as she works through the events of the past few months, she begins to believe she hasn't got to the bottom of the story...

During the course of her day-to-day investigative research, Lara comes across some clues referring to a small island in the Bering Sea – Melnikov Island; a faded photograph showing an Inuit Whalehunter holding what looks like an ancient Golden Mask; an old newspaper from 1945 referring to a conflict over an Alaskan gold discovery; and a secret blueprint in Russian showing what looks like some kind of fortified military minebase.

Lara is primarily interested in finding the Mask, as it is rumored to be the famed Golden Mask of Tornarsuk – a ‘greater spirit’, said to bestow powers of re-animation on the mask wearer.

Travelling through water and mines in a snowy climate, you can enjoy Lara's toys, such as her harpoon gun, flares, and arrangement of firearms--but don't let them distract you from the hungry, and large, wild animals that are waiting to greet you (or rather, eat you). In addition to the snow leopards, bald eagles, and sharks, Lara must contend with an opposing human contingent; in this case, a mercenary treasure-hunting group known as A.V.A.L.A.N.C.H.E., with whom Lara's relationship culminates in a snowmobile battle.