When video games got so complex that it became unreasonable to ask players to just dive right into the main experience, designers started to put together quick, low-stakes introductory levels to school newcomers on the controls and basic mechanics of the game. Some tutorial levels are fun, but most end up being boring, frustrating or even entirely unnecessary. Many who picked up a copy of Driver for the Sony Playstation, for example, never got to play the actual game because of the unreasonably difficult and utterly mandatory tutorial garage. It's also rare to find a first-person shooter war game that doesn't start in an abridged bootcamp scenario. Good tutorials are hard to come by, but they can end up transcending their purely functional roles to become an essential part of a game.

Lara Croft's Mansion from the original Tomb Raider is one of the most memorable parts of the game. Instead of forcing players to jump through a series of hoops to get to the real game, the tutorial level is a free-roaming tour of protagonist Lara Croft's familiar estate. There is a real sense of humor in this setup, seeing all the different ways that Lara has repurposed her opulent home to serve as the ultimate training facility. Crates are stacked like mountain faces and whole sections of the house are blocked off by various pieces of Lara's homemade obstacle course. In the game's sequel more of the mansion became accessible and even Lara's dottering butler follows close behind with a clattering tea tray (that can take a bullet or two). The whole experience demonstrates just how little reverence Lara has for her posh upbringing, but it also hints at the boredom that drives her to risk life and limb for strange treasures.

Bioware's award-winning RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic sets its tutorial level right in the middle of the action. The Attack on the Endar Spire is exciting and even a bit challenging. It's one of the few tutorial levels where dying is a likely prospect. Lightly armed, severely outnumbered and caught by surprise, the hero and a helpful hardneck named Trask dash through the exploding space ship fighting off sneaky Sith and reprogramming assault droids to join in the fight. In the story-dependent world of role playing games, the only good tutorial is one that folds seamlessly into the plot. The Endar Spire does that beautifully.

Even though it shipped with more bugs than a university entomology department, Troika's Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is never short on atmosphere. The fledgling vampire the players are asked to guide through the dangerous streets of a supernatural Los Angeles gets his or her introduction to an unlife of blood-sucking from an old salt named Jack, voiced by the inimitable John DiMaggio. The tutorial takes place in a downtown chop-shop overrun with beastly enemies, each of whom meets his end by one of several means available to the player. Between the giddily dark atmosphere and Jack's colorful commentary, Bloodlines opens strong.