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Level: Return for the Amulet 2 - Throne Room back home search
Author(s): sleeper
total rating:6.20 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
CC 6 6 6 5
Dimpfelmoser 6 6 7 6
eRIC 7 7 9 7
Gerty 7 7 6 6
Kristina 7 7 7 7
MichaelP 6 6 6 5
Momster 6 6 6 6
Navi 5 5 6 6
RaiderGirl 7 6 6 4
Sash 8 8 7 7
Scottie 6 5 5 5
Tombaholic 8 7 6 6
Torry 8 6 7 2
Treeble 6 5 5 6
category averages
(14 reviews)		 6.64 6.21 6.36 5.57

Reviewer's comments

"Now after the nevertheless badly disappointing first part of this series I have ventured on the second part. And this second part is already a little better. At least concerning the lighting. Now it is so bright in the whole level, at least which one can see everything. However, otherwise here there are also several deficits. One sees, for example, paper-thin walls. With the Flybys the camera goes through the walls and shows places at the ceiling which are actually absolutely dull. There are again big differences in quality with the textures. At one place they are applied cleanly and stretched directly under it. Generally there is only a little variety with the textures. The beginning of the level in the big cave was completely taken over from the demo level in the level editor, including Flyby, dogs, scorpions and the Goodies. Only a few parts of the textures were changed. A few rooms in this level are formed quite nicely, but, nevertheless, mostly it is badly monotonous and dull. Sometimes one hears a warning sound if one finds something, although afterwards nothing happens. The textures recur not only constantly, but are also absent at some places. Result: All in all, this level is a little bit better than the first part, but, nevertheless, I hope very much that the next parts become substantially better." - Scottie (20-Sep-2009)

“Continuing in the same atmosphere as the first level the game play seems to pick up. Not much though as we have a cartouche a timeless sand and another terrible this time maze. All the lava rooms are safe down and the water doesn't burn. The room with slopes although easy was a nice break from the climbing and swimming. Sadly the same big empty rooms are present but this time with a few colourful textures which give though a rather confusing outcome. The moment you think it's and Egyptian level and mostly it is it reminds you a big cave with a pyramid and going underground to reach the third level I completely lost the plot. Rather long one hour and only one secret found which means they are very well hidden and in separate rooms. On to the next level.” – Kristina (04-Jul-2003)

“Repeat statement: this starts the same as Tomb of Seth only the texturing is very odd in places. We know the drill run forward kill a dog run some more camera flyby of something sneaking up on you of course it's a dog no surprises there. Now if it had been say an ahmet that would have been a shocker. I have to say I got totally stuck in a room with fire floor and a lever I believe it's a bug and the only way I could continue was to dozy to the lever pull it (which sets Lara on fire) dozy again out the new open door to a long room with a water trench and put out the flames and then Lara was ok. At this stage the rooms are new and the texturing is a lot better. Dogs scorpions bats a lot of reach-in holes levers and out into a huge room for more lever pulling to flood the area below. There was just too many of those Tuthankham's gold mask textures and a lot of missing and see-through textures. There's an exciting pillar jumping sequence where you land in a 'safe' part of the lava floor and the most frustrating maze I've seen before. I would have happily abandoned the level at this stage. Anyway the maze is kind of divided in two with a gate to open to the second part. There are three reach-in holes in the first part and one in the second part. Now you go back out of the maze to the huge room place the Timeless Sands on the Pharoah and open a door and finish the level.” – CC (06-Jun-2003)

“There was a slight improvement on the textures department in comparison to level 1 but still the level has many design flaws like untextured tiles (MANY) toggle opacity errors and again many thin walls. Why more mazes? Weren't there enough in level 1? In my opinion the best part of the level was the pyramid although the textures didn't make it look as one. Inside it Lara finally saw the guide and he got what he came for - the Amulet. I don't know why but he enters and closes a door and Lara slides down to the end. Another thing I must point out is these grey/white tiles that blocks the horizon. I know settomb doesn't have one but the author could have inserted something to avoid the horizon view (like some sloped sandy dunes I don't know but this just happens in the end anyway.) 45 minutes.” – Treeble (05-Apr-2003)

“This was also a too dark level for my liking that was not the only thing that bothered me the deadly traps are very annoying. Main goal is finding the Timeless Sands and placing it. The maze was really tedious and at a certain point I was really fed up but luckily I reached the end. The ideas were great but in this level they were in contrast with the annoying gameplay. 20-08-2002” – Gerty (13-Oct-2002)

“The second part is made as if taken from TR4. The first part of the level is straight from the Level Settomb and there were only a couple of textures changed. It was also not as good as the first level of this series. Lara finds an artifact. Unfortunately the rooms are partially very empty. There was a variety of opponents. The sound and the cameras were suitably added. The textures were processed well and reminded of the Level Settomb of TR4. Towards the end there were two pretty mazes to master. I found three of the four secrets. All in all a level for in between. Also not all too difficult.” – Navi (05-Sep-2002)

“I like this level. I really don't mind that the few first rooms are the same than in TR4 (with different textures). Then we have an original setting with puzzles to solve in small rooms the atmosphere is great! Later on some bigger rooms a labyrinth where I was lucky enough to not loose my way and a pyramid in a huge cave. Well worth to be played if you like the spooky atmosphere a la Tomb of Seth.” – eRIC (01-Sep-2002)

“Part two of this series begins with a certain sense of déjà vu. Almost exactly like the Tomb of Seth but as you entered the tomb it thankfully came into its own. Lots of dogs and scorpions waiting for you in this installment as you jump and slide your way finding the timeless sands and placing it to ultimately locating the cartouche piece placing it and sliding out of the level. Almost 2 hours did I spend in this level but probably 45 minutes of it was running around in that damn maze 30 of which were just trying to find my way out. Lighting and textures are improved over the first part but again the flare bug - and I don’t think gameplay was quite as exhilarating.” – Momster (25-Aug-2002)

“I think texture- and atmosphere-wise this is an improvement to the first part of the Amulet series. It starts out as a copy of the original settomb adventure with even the secret at the same spot but then gradually evolves into something of its own. I especially like the jump sequence and the attack of the dogs (six at once I think). Unfortunately the gameplay gets marred by the rather boring maze (well boring maze is a bit of a pleonasm) at the end. The final reach-into-the-wall hole opens the gate outside that let's you access the room where you place the hour glass but as you get no cutscene I searched for ages in the maze for another gate. Very irritating indeed. But now you know and can go there without being frustrated so give it a try.” – Dimpfelmoser (21-Aug-2002)

“Starting this level you get a sense of deja-vu as you look around and realise this is just a re-textured version of the start of Tomb of Seth thankfully the rest of the long level is totally original. This is a great follow up from the first and with over 150 rooms holds many things to do there are some nicely done triggered areas loads of death inducing booby traps switches that aren't accessible unless you actually put some work in and of course my favourite thing well hidden secret stashes. The only down side to this level was that swimming was impossible and I had to use the fly cheat to get through those areas also flares would not work unless thrown down besides that though this level was very well crafted and a lot of fun to play.” – Sash (21-Jun-2002)

“The start is a plain copy from the original Settomb level includeing enemies flyby and secret placement but then this turns out to be the 'adventure of the reach-in switches'. Many of those to find and use here. I found textures rather patchy and repetitively applied and yet again the flarebug appears. Camera work is sometimes very good but sometimes not so much. You need to find and place the Timeless Sands and there is a rather tedious maze to beat as well as literally dozens of scorpions and dogs. I enjoyed the jumping sequence in the lava room and missed one of the four secrets in this 50 minutes level.” – Michael (21-Jun-2002)

“This was a lengthy level with a few very devious areas that were more frustrating than inventive with fire tiles that looked identical to the surrounding tiles trigger blocks that you weren't aware triggered anything and long tunnel mazes. The beginning of the level was a cop out. A simple clone with different textures of the start of Last Revelation (right down to the same secrets). The whole level was way too dark and to add insult to injury the flare bug showed up (again) about half way through the level and if you tried to use the binoculars the level simply dropped you to the desktop. The only saving grace in my opinion was the nice spiderweb textures that were used in some parts of the level.” – Torry (21-Jun-2002)

“This level begins with a slightly retextured replica of the TRLR Seth's Tomb level right down to the placement of pickups and a secret. From there it moves on into original territory with more good puzzles lots of traps and plenty of roving dogs to keep Lara on her toes. Gameplay is only dulled by a tedious maze at one point. As with the first level the weak point here is in the texturing and design of rooms. More thin walls and broken textures as well as a few bugs distract from the solid gameplay.” – Tombaholic (21-Jun-2002)

“I would enjoy this level much more if a few changes were made. The majority of the level was just too dark. There are almost no flares to be found as pick-ups and in most rooms they don't even work due to the flare bug rearing it's ugly head. You know a level is too dark when a fly-by is shown and over half of it is made up of complete darkness. I've noticed too that this creator likes to add deadly traps in the form of ordinary looking tiles that are really spike traps or catch you on fire and kill you instantly. To me this is less of a puzzle and more a game of chance and a matter of reloading over and over again. In places I had a problem with a ‘swimming-and-climbing bug’ and had to use the fly cheat to get through it but it didn't really detract from the level. Some areas were very well textured and designed while some areas were so small and or oddly designed that the camera angle made it difficult to play. I hate to be totally negative because I have the feeling this could be a great level if a few areas were improved. The creator had some clever ideas but the problems I had really took away my enjoyment in playing this level.” – RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002)
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