SHE is famous for her pneumatic features, with a bust that has entranced legions of teenage boys over the past decade, but Lara Croft has undergone an extreme makeover.

Eidos, who produce the Tomb Raider games, which were turned into films starring Angelina Jolie, has toned down Ms Croft’s curves for the upcoming release of Tomb Raider: Legend.

Gone are the gravity-defying features that remained unmoved no matter how vigorous the somersaults Ms Croft executed, and in their place is a more realistic figure.

Her bust size has reduced from a DD-size cup to a more modest C. Her skimpy outfits are less revealing and in some scenes she is wearing a round-neck sweater with full-length arms together with long trousers. “Lara’s been on a diet and she’s definitely gone down a cup size, but she’s still quite well proportioned,” said Toby Gard, the original creator of the character.

The news of Lara’s new body was greeted with scepticism by some women.

“It doesn’t make it easier to be a girl in today’s culture,” Deanne Jade, principal of The National Centre of Eating Disorders, said. “Why don’t they make her podgy? Why don’t they give her bigger hips and thighs?” However, Lou Ford, the deputy editor of Cosmopolitan, questioned how realistic Lara’s smaller bra size was. “Just like in real life, it’s irrelevant how big a woman’s boobs are. It’ s irrelevant to how good a job she does.”

Eidos spent two years researching its core audience and decided to change Lara’s looks after the last title, Angel of Darkness, sold only two million units worldwide, far fewer than expected. “The days of selling Lara as boobs and guns are over,” Matt Gorman, worldwide brand manager for Tomb Raider, said.

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