The new Tomb Raider game, Underworld, will follow directly on from Legend and continue Lara's story.

Eidos is backing the Xbox 360 it seems when it comes to the console wars, promising exclusive DLC for the platform after Tomb Raider: Underworld is released.

The downloadable content will be in the form of two stand-alone game episodes that continue the story of Underworld. Each episode is said to be six hours in playing length.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is the eighth game in series, but only the third game to be developed by Crystal Dynamics after the franchise was moved to a different developer. Underworld will continue the story of Lara Croft and her attempts to break into the realm of Avalon in search of her mother, a plot line that was opened in Crystal Dynamic's first game, Legend.

The first of the two planned episodes is to be titled Beneath the Ashes and will be available on Xbox Live before Christmas. Beneath the Ashes will feature a totally new game area to explore, with more secrets and a storyline that ties into the main game.

The second game is the more controversial of the two and, titled Lara's Shadow, it will be available in early 2009. This episode is set to offer a slightly different experience however, casting players as a new playable character. Judging by known characters in the new series and the title of the episode, the smart money is on the new character being Amanda, Legend's main evil-doer.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is set to introduce a whole load of new features to the series, including open environments and a persistent world. The game itself is set for a release on pretty much every platform except for the PSP and should be out by the end of November

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