Flooring Tile - Ceramic floor tile over glued laminate

I'm buying a 6 yr old home that has glued laminate flooring in the kitchen. These are individual strips about 2 1/2 inches wide. One small area has been removed and there is a black smooth underlayment visible. This floor is in perfect condition, no buckled areas. I'm assuming this was the method for installing laminate 6 years ago. I want to put down 16" ceramic tile. Do I need to remove the laminate? If so, what type of tool do I use? Obviously it would be much easier if I did not have to remove the floor but I want to be sure that the ceramic tile will "last a lifetime". Thanks EF

Yes, remove the all the vinyl with a good scraper, if your lucky and there's a 1/4" underlayment of any kind, that has to come up as well, take it all out together.:)

:confused: Thanks for the advice. Is that a job that can be handeled by a woman? I'm pretty sure there is an underlayment. Will that be difficult to remove? The area is quite large, about 475 sq ft. I have removed ceramic tile from concrete before with a hammer and chisel. I'm not familiar with the difficulty of removing the glue used on the underlayment. Someone wants to charge me $800 to remove the floor. Trying to stay within my budget.

Thanks agian