Legend has it that when you drive the dagger of Xian into your heart, you acquire the power of the dragon. Literally.

In Ancient China, the Emperor was the holder of this power and with his army alonside him, he was a force to be reckoned with. Thus he staked claim to the vast lands that are China.

While people fell into submission all around him, the Warrior monks of Tibet would not relent and courageously fought against his evil. Knowing the power of the dagger, they succeeded in removing it from the Dragon Emperor's heart - reducing him and his army to carnage.

The dagger was returned to it's resting place within the Great Wall of China and was locked up for all time...

Now three parties hold the dagger close to their heart: The Warrior Monks, who continue to follow the teachings of their ancestors and will stop at nothing to protect the dagger; the cult of Fiama Nera, headed up by an Italian warlord called Bartoli, who wishes to steal the dagger for his own ends; and Ms Lara Croft, aristocratic Englishwoman and adventurer.

Lara's travels begin at the supposed resting place of the dagger - the Great Wall of China...