In an attempt to appeal to more female players, the creators of computer
game icon Lara Croft have revamped her image to remove one of her most
prominent and remarked-upon features - her large bust.
For years, Croft's gravity-defying chest, waspish waist and long legs have
delighted teenage boys playing the various editions of Tomb Raider, the
computer game in which she stars.
According to The Times newspaper, British computer game firm Eidos,
which created Croft, has changed her physique to one less likely to put off
female players.
In the soon-to-be-released Tomb Raider: Legend, the eighth title to
feature Croft, her DD-size bust has been reduced to a more modest C-cup and
some of her more revealing outfits have been ditched, the report said.
The adventurer even sports a modest round-neck sweater with full arms for
part of the game, the paper added.
"Lara's been on a diet and she's definitely gone down a cup size, but
she's still quite well proportioned," Toby Gard, the original creator of
the character, told the paper.
Created in the mid-1990s, Croft's series of adventures have made huge
profits for Eidos, and were turned into a pair of films starring US actress
Angelina Jolie as the eponymous heroine.
However, the most recent Tomb Raider titles have fared less well. In
March, shares in Eidos tumbled more than 30 per cent in a single day following
speculation about a profit warning.
