WHO IS SHE?:
This 20-year-old English bombshell is the living embodiment of ass-kicking archeologist Lara Croft, star of Tomb Raider. With the latest installment of the game, Tomb Raider: Legend, in stores, Karima -- a 5'8½" beauty -- is traveling the globe, bullwhip in hand, as part of Eidos Games' mega-marketing campaign.

WHAT HAS SHE DONE?:
A former fashion student, Karima's previous brush with greatness was the role of a sacrificial maiden in Alien vs. Predator. Before tackling the role of Lara Croft's doppelganger, Karima got serious training in combat, survival and other lethal activities from Britain's most bad-ass military unit. She also studied elocution and deportment -- Lara, after all, is a countess. So Karima knows which spoon to use with the soup -- and how to use that same utensil to carve your eye out. Okay, not really.

WHY DO WE CARE?:
What's not to love about a beautiful girl who knows her way around the business end of a Desert Eagle handgun?

Playboy.com: As the face (and body) of Lara Croft, what are you doing, and for how long?

Karima Adebibe: I am officially an ambassador for Lara Croft, which means I'm promoting the newest Tomb Raider game, Legend. I am currently traveling the world to meet the fans who love Lara dearly. My contract with Eidos will last just over a year.

Playboy.com: Do you find that wearing Lara Croft's guns and knives and whips, out in public, is a little intimidating to men who otherwise might want to ask you on a date?

Adebibe: When I put the outfit on, I go into full Lara mode. I'm portraying the ultimate gaming female, so I don't really notice what's going on around me. I must say that the gentlemen have been very polite!

Playboy.com: We read you got S.A.S. training, but for us Americans, we don't know what S.A.S. means. Who are they?

Adebibe: S.A.S. stands for Special Air Services, but they are known here in England as the elite forces.

Playboy.com: We feel really sorry for the poor S.A.S. bastards who had to come home from the front lines of battle to spend time training a beautiful model. They must have been very unhappy. Were they tough on you?

Adebibe: Well, they were given the option to go home on leave or train with Lara Croft -- what do you think they chose to do? They were very tough on me, but I wouldn't have had it any other way; I didn't want any special treatment from them. I must say how fantastically fit and dedicated they were!

Playboy.com: What kind of training did you get?

Adebibe: I had one-on-one combat training, rock climbing, assault courses, flying fox -- you jump from a platform grabbing a T-bar attached to a zip wire and swing down -- and rope climbing. I also completed helicopter stunt training and automatic firearms training in Germany.

Playboy.com: Are you now officially "licensed to kill"? Or at least "licensed to inflict grievous bodily harm"?
Adebibe: You don't want to find out!

Playboy.com: What was the nastiest weapon you trained on?

Adebibe: The deadliest weapons I had to use would be the Desert Eagles (Lara's signature pistols), which I trained to use in Hamburg, Germany at a gun club. Lots of mixed feelings!

Playboy.com: Did you ever get the urge to turn the gun sideways and fire it gangsta style, like the video game characters in, say, Grand Theft Auto?

Adebibe: Lara is a gaming explorer; she uses her guns to complete her missions. She's quite professional in handling her firearms, so I try to embody that.

Playboy.com: Got it, no gangsta action. So, if you came across a guy who didn't play Tomb Raider, and you had 15 seconds to convince him to try it, how would you do it?

Adebibe: Use my grappling hook to haul him in, tie him to a chair and put the control pad in his hands, and off he goes! Wouldn't be too difficult!

Playboy.com: You've worked as a professional model. What kind of gigs?

Adebibe: Within my first month of modeling, I managed to land a Coca-Cola TV advertisement and was featured in many teen mags. That led me to Milan for three months to build my portfolio with some amazing photographers! Upon my return to London, my agency upgraded me from new faces to main board -- hair and beauty campaigns, women's glossy magazines, mobile-phone billboard campaigns. And a small part in Alien vs. Predator!

Playboy.com: Classic movie! Any upcoming projects, besides obviously the Lara Croft gig?

Adebibe: The Lara Croft project has demanded most of my time and energy. And when I decide to do something I give it 100 percent. But I'm pondering whether acting or presenting can be in my future. Photography is also one thing that has captured my interest since I started modeling.

Playboy.com: You worked in a clothing shop, right? Name three things any guy can add to his wardrobe to impress the ladies.

Adebibe: I'm pretty chilled out, so I like a man to be comfortable. No man can go wrong with a pair of Converse shoes, jeans and a cute T-shirt.

Playboy.com: There's some controversy surrounding the new Tomb Raider game -- the downsizing of Lara's cup size. We read it was from 32DD to 36C. What's your take?

Adebibe: I think that Lara's creators had decided it was a better idea to focus on her tomb raiding opposed to her assets! Don't you agree?

Playboy.com: No.


Photo Credit: Eidos Interactive