In Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Lara Croft joins forces with Totec, The Guardian of Light, in order to fight off an ancient evil threatening to engulf the world in never-ending darkness. Players will journey through the game in a franchise first isometric cooperative adventure that aims to deliver intense action and bite-sized puzzles.

You don’t have to wait until Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is released to get started! Head over to the Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace from July 29th, 2010 for your first chance to get Lara Croft gear for your Xbox LIVE Avatar in one of the many themed outfits and accessories from the game. Whether it’s Lara’s iconic shorts or Totec’s battledress, you can experience part of the brand new adventure early by equipping your Avatar with plenty of colorful and intricate new outfits and accessories! Items range from 40 Microsoft Points to 240 Microsoft Points.

A Premium Theme is also available now on Xbox LIVE. Deck your console out with The Lava Tomb as Xolotl and his minions take over your system in this haunting theme for your Xbox. The Lava Tomb is available for download now on Xbox LIVE for 240 Microsoft Points.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will launch on August 18th, 2010 as part of Xbox LIVE Arcade’s Summer of Arcade, delivering this season’s biggest and best downloadable games. Available for 1200 Microsoft Points, the game is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

Eurogamer: Is there a chance that the PC and PS3 versions will release on the same day as the Xbox 360 version?

Karl Stewart: No. The agreement with Microsoft is, in order to participate in their hugely successful Summer of Arcade promotion there is a window of exclusivity. That window of exclusivity is a set four weeks.

It is written that Xolotl called upon the power of an artifact known as the Mirror of Smoke to summon forth a horde of unspeakable horrors from the Abyss.

Totec's warriors were slaughtered in the battle that followed, but Totec himself survived. He found a way to turn the Mirror's power back against the evil god. Xolotl was imprisoned within the mirror, and the descendants of Totec went on to forge a mighty empire that lasted until the arrival of the conquistadors.

As for what happened to the Mirror of Smoke, the ancient texts are vague. Some say it was hidden in a secret place, that the mirror was lost forever. But if there's one thing I've learned it's that nothing is lost forever.