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The Rescue 8-10 by MagPlus

Akcy 9 10 9 10
alan 9 9 8 9
Bex 9 10 10 10
Boris 10 9 9 9
CC 10 9 10 10
Cuqui 9 10 10 9
Dimpfelmoser 9 10 10 9
DJ Full 10 9 9 9
Doug E 9 9 8 9
Engelchen Lara 10 10 10 10
eRIC 10 10 9 10
eTux 10 8 10 10
Fairy Godfather 9 8 9 9
Freeman Porter 10 10 9 9
G.Croft 9 8 9 8
Gerty 9 8 9 9
Ivan 10 10 10 9
Jason 9 8 9 9
JesseG 7 8 8 9
Jose 6 8 6 7
Kristina 10 10 9 10
Leandro 9 6 8 9
Magnus 10 9 9 9
MegaGamer 10 10 10 10
MichaelP 9 9 10 9
Mman 8 9 10 10
Mytly 9 8 10 10
Navi 10 10 10 10
Phil 10 9 10 9
RaiderGirl 10 9 9 9
Relic Hunter 9 9 10 10
Ryan 10 9 9 10
Sash 10 10 10 10
Staticon 9 8 9 9
TC14 10 10 10 10
Treeble 8 9 10 9
Whistle 9 8 9 8
 
release date: 31-Jan-2002
# of downloads: 113

average rating: 9.21
review count: 37
 
review this level

file size: 186.00 MB
file type: TR4
class: Egypt
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
pascal-ducey.home@orange.fr

Reviewer's comments
"A suggestion for players: For those who may be upset at having to forgo their save to at this point, one idea is to use a savegame editor on the provided save to copy over things like your number of secrets and ammo, to give the effect of a cohesive adventure. I did so without any issues. The first level didn't make the best first impression with constant back-and-forth running between switches. And this unfortunately includes a maze, although there is a map you can jot down to make it a trivial task. There's also a ladder that Lara is overly stubborn about using as she shimmies over from an adjacent ledge. The second level, where you collect the fourth beetle to complement the three you got from the earlier levels, would be my favorite of the three. It may have simple architecture but it has the most engaging gameplay overall, and the relatively linear layout works well. Here there will be timed runs, pushable block puzzles, and plenty of boulders. One of the pushable puzzles is a bit nasty though because the player may inadvertently cause a trapdoor to open and lose one of the pieces if it was on top. Lara will return to the first level to place the four beetles and unlock the final level of this set. This third level is the opposite of the second: a sprawling labyrinth of a city with excellent architectural ideas (including a giant stone scarab for Lara to explore) but little sense of direction, with yet more back and forth running between switches to pull, although there are a few challenge rooms as well, including slopes over deadly pits, boulders, and tiles to push blocks onto. A few general changes would have improved this levelset overall: 1) Camera cues, there were barely any of them which is pretty bad considering the high volume of switches involved. Doors will suddenly be open, lakes will suddenly not be deadly anymore, and blocks will suddenly be raised or lowered, all without letting the player know. Sometimes not even the walkthrough knows when or why certain changes occurred. 2) Less backtracking. Not just within each level, but between them too. The three levels could have just been set to play in a row without any loss to the engaging content. A pretty solid level set, but could use quite a bit of trimming. 3 hours 22 minutes." - JesseG (27-Mar-2021)
"Between the series we have this trilogy that has to be completed by visiting different areas, in all 3 levels, and collecting the necessary items. It's not linear at all; there are many places to go to and you may do it in a different order. Level 8 was beautifully built, I liked the views and nicely applied textures. Level 9 was too dark, but it offered lots of challenges and puzzles. Level 10 was the longest of all, I think, and that one also had its nice views. More cameras could have been used; yes, there are many and they are very useful, but more of them would have prevented lots of backtracking. All in all I liked these 3 levels, and now going for the 3 final ones." - alan (14-Jul-2018)
"The rate that I play through this series probably make me the worst Tomb Raider player in a way, as my review for the first release in the series was submitted over 15 years ago. While I might not remember much from any of the earlier entries in the series, I'm sure these three levels maintain the same intelligent and intricate design, so simply navigating the areas becomes a challenge in itself as your next move isn't always clear. While this may sound like a good, engaging challenge for seasoned raiders, it's not often the case. I personally found my interest beginning to vanish somewhere along the way, as there are far too many hard to spot levers which have no clear indication of whatever they did, so going back and forth these massive areas trying to spot changes quickly lost its appeal and the fun factor was reduced upon every new chain of levers to find and understand what they've affected. There were also several pushblock puzzles, of which only one I really enjoyed (the one with the four colored pawns in the tight crossed catwalk). All in all, these definitely are good levels, but it's in your best interest to keep the walkthrough at hand. 3 hours and 40 minutes, 3 secrets. 12/2017" - Treeble (04-Dec-2017)
"Wow, what a great set of levels in the Rescue series. Really puzzling and beautiful. Pushable puzzles, traps and hard enemies. You go back and forth between them so search carefully. Now, onto the surreality of level 11." - Ryan (09-Jun-2016)
"Things really start to make sense with the most convincing architecture, brilliant graduation of item vitality and the clearest intentions shown by the builder so far in the series. There's still some confusion, top three fragile moments being understanding you need to leave a level when it's complete, reaching a crucial lever behind a secret rooftop and spotting the crowbar beetle before quitting the underground part; but before these happen enough time is given to accept the requirement of observation, and in most cases the solution is much closer than it used to be in the previous episodes. Other earlier flaws are also gone while the best design showcased in the prequels has now accumulated, all resulting in a milestone progress for this builder - I think here's where he really got it - and my first ten for him, because even though the flow isn't always perfect it's predominantly hard to imagine better. Another extraordinarity is the boss fight which, via simple yet efficient mind trick, was the first in a long time to surprise me despite of using a default enemy. Some other enemies and traps, especially the beetles and the steam emitter, could be less nasty as I kept losing life from them no matter what I did." - DJ Full (12-Apr-2016)
"There's an immediately obvious visual leap here; pretty much all the visual rough edges of the previous levels are gone. The slightly eclectic texture use is still there, but refined to create something unique feeling yet still coherent, so you pretty much get the best of both worlds. There are unique sights throughout and whenever you think you've seen everything some new impressive area comes along. Stuff like the object use is also stronger while making use of more custom assets. The gameplay is highly complex, and at times it seems stretched for the sake of it (like having find multiple blended levers more than once), and some of it is extremely obscure on top of being a difficulty leap from earlier. There are also several unique and fun moments and sequences though, and it ends up a bit mixed but mostly good, with the best gameplay in the set so far despite the weaker moments. I had a lot of problems grabbing one item, and only restarting the game seemed to fix it, but it seems it was a one- off problem as no-one else has mentioned it so I'll let it go. This is the end for the Egyptian section for now (with a small boss encounter at the end), and there's a pretty big theme swerve as the next level loads..." - Mman (21-Feb-2016)
"Thank you Pascal for adding your savegame into the download file. :) Now I could save normally! Onto the 3 levels: The Lost Temple of Saqqarah: This was a very beautiful level! The atmosphere and textures were awesome! The gameplay and puzzles were very challenging. Imhotep's Challenge: A very appropriate name for this level, as this is very challenging. There were many interesting and challenging puzzles. The room with the 4 game pieces was very beautiful. Guardian of Imhotep: The gameplay and puzzles felt a bit more challenging than Imhotep's challenge. The enemies, objects, and secrets were well placed. This was also a beautiful level, just like The Lost Temple of Saqqarah. Overall: These are the most involved levels in the rescue series. I really enjoyed these levels. Recommended." - MegaGamer (23-Mar-2014)
"I've been replaying the Rescue series for old times' sake and to tweak the walkthroughs. Now that the levels are no longer available individually, but must be downloaded and played as a package, keeping savegames between the levels is no longer necessary. Also, the secrets (50 in all) are now numbered cumulatively throughout the series, so for that reason alone the walkthroughs needed to be changed. There have been so many changes (most of them for the better) in the level editor since these levels were released that they don't have the same luster that they did when I first played them. However, the intricacy of the gameplay puts them on the same plane as the best levels being released today. This interlocked three-part adventure is probably more complicated than any of the previous levels, and for this reason I'm glad I had the walkthrough close by. There are undoubtedly many new raiders out there who have never been exposed to this fine series. I would heartily recommend that they download the package without delay and discover all the fun they've missed." - Phil (12-Oct-2010)
"This set of three interlinked levels is undoubtedly the best in this game so far. Lookswise, I think it's simply perfect (with the by now usual exception of arbitrary shadows ... sigh!). So many gorgeous new textures, especially in Guardian of Imhotep, with its beautiful pink and green colour scheme. Even when the gameplay would get frustrating at times, the gorgeously coloured surroundings always managed to cheer me up.
And yes, the gameplay is frustrating, no doubt about that. There are several points when the walkthrough is a must. There are unfortunately several cheap tricks, like switches that blend into the walls so thoroughly that it's hard to see them even when you're staring directly at them. Going back and forth among the levels is also a bit tedious at times, especially the last trip back to level 8, which feels completely superfluous, as it involves a four-beetles-and-pyramid puzzle for the second time in that level! Without this unnecessary puzzle, the levelset would have had a more cohesive feel to it. On the positive side, however, there are a number of grand puzzles, especially in Imhotep's Challenge (a superb and most aptly named level!) and to an extent in Guardian of Imhotep. The puzzle with the 4 pyramids with the glass tops is particularly memorable. There's also an interesting maze in The Lost Temple of Saqqarah, for which a map is provided - if you are observant enough to notice it.
Overall: An excellent levelset, which falls just a little short of perfection." - Mytly (26-Aug-2010)
"Oops this is nasty start, as saves don't work if you are playing with the full version, you can save but if you re-load you get send to the beginning every time. So you need to have a save that was original in the download when the levels were separate. Problem is now that the site where the package was with the saves (Larashome) is not working. I have written to Pascal but so far, no answer back. I do have the original downloads on a CD, so in the worse case scenario you can PM me. Again exploring is high on the list and travelling back and fro is a must. Finding levers again (could use more hints) and also again the beetle puzzle. The further I go into the series, the more I needed the walkthrough, what is a bit of a pity. There are more puzzles and keep in mind that the levers in here are pretty well hidden" - Gerty (24-Jun-2008)
"Although I copied the *.dat archives provided in the download, the game crashed with my savegame from level 7 so I had to use the savegame from the author. In this set of levels I noticed most experience from this builder and they have a very good look, excelent architecture, good puzzles, perfect texturing, intelligent use of musics,... However gameplay was very complex for me 'cause as in previous levels you have to imagine a lot of times where to go when you trigger something; sometimes there are cameras to show you the way but many other times you have to look for something through huge areas and even between levels. Another feature I didn't like was the many dark areas so I had to play with a flare in hand or use the binoculars too many times, making the game more slow; evenmore jumping from level to level many times looking for something when you haven't the necessary items add more confusion and makes the game tedious and bored. Definitively, a well builded levels but too much no-lineal for my taste." - Jose (23-Oct-2007)
"Thanks for the provided savegame, my save didn't work. Playing with someone's savegame even the author's, felt like if wearing someone else's boots, so I used a savegame editor to get back my inventory (amount of ammo and stuff), that caused a negeative feeling at start. But this great set of levels made me forget about it soon. The atmosphere of each is somewhat different, but fit together just right. Nice puzzles, solving them were easy though, but they set beautifully. Some tricky jumps required, especially for the secrets. Some levers on level 10 were very hard to spot, MagPlus hid them on plain sight, well done. Such things makes the player to want to bang her/his head to the wall, when finally finds them ;-). If you don't like Egyptian levels, try this series, it may change your mind." - Akcy (02-Dec-2006)
"The Rescue series continues in this wonderful three-parter, which will put your raiding and puzzle solving abilities to the test! Be prepared to face the wonders and perils that await, from booby-trapped mazes and switch combination puzzles, to sprawling temple complexes and tough enemies to encounter, it will take a long while before all this will start to get boring. These are some great levels with the continuing Egyptian theme that Pascal established in the previous installments, and as the predecessors of these levels, it still contains imaginitive gameplay that will not leave you bored. If you plan on continuing further, this is a wonderful opportunity to download these levels and play out the excitement that awaits." - Relic Hunter (17-Jun-2006)
"Lost Temple of Saqqarah: This is one more beautiful level by Pascal with his usual new ideas within classic raiding. You will backtrack quite a lot but it didn't matter for me as the setting is wonderful. Some highlights as the smoke labyrinth with its map a big water-pool-room and the first time I saw these custom crocodiles. Challenge of Imhotep: This is a quite difficult level with timed runs and moreover many puzzles that require time to get through. An absolute highlight is getting into a pyramid from its top at the end of the level. When you've finished here you can come back to Temple of Saqqarah. Guardian of Imhotep: OK this one is my second favourite in this series; beautiful with perfect gameplay I think this one reaches again the great classic-TR feeling I had during my playing of Temple of Osiris. I don't really know if this has much more in term of gameplay/architecture than the other levels of the series but the feeling is there there's this extra thing that should make me put it some 11s in my review. So a great passage in the Rescue series and a TR experience absolutely not to miss to get sensations of playing a good CORE game again." - Thibault (12-Jul-2004)
"A great man Dr. Martin Luther King once said 'I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character' a grating woman Anna Nicole Smith once said 'So there's a slight age difference I love him not his money'. My point here is that you can always spot brilliance and you can always spot trash and these levels from Pascal are brilliant. I'm not even going to tell you anything about them as they are something special you should find out about all by yourself!" - Sash (22-Sep-2003)
"Many thanks Pascal for the savegame for mac users. I loved these three levels great architecture unusual gorgeous new textures and great lighting. Starting in the beautiful Saqqarah level you will go to the levels Imhotep's Challenge and Guardian of Imhotep and come back to Saqqarah each time. So it's an idea to make a mental note of doors that haven't been opened in Saqqarah before you venture to the other two levels. Again many thanks to Tombaholic for the walkthrough to explain all this especially where the levers are that are so well blended with the walls it's hard to see them. Even if you manage the gameplay on your own remember you need that star for the bonus level. Saqqarah is about finding levers trapdoors climbing monkeyswing ropeswing crocodiles locusts giant bugs that attack you while you're vulnerable. I like the way you get the snake artifact. Imhotep's Challenge is about traps - spike fire boulders timed runs great jumping. That room with lava floor and long slope I found it easier to jump to the slope shimmy left or right and backflip to the ledge behind the centre ledge has a skull tile on top. Skull textures everywhere mean trouble. I loved that huge room with bridges and those pushable coloured stones. Lots to do in the rooms off this getting the silver star and scarab talisman. I also loved the huge outdoor room with four glass topped pyramids transparent balls and pushable Senet pieces! And way up there is your goal Hathor's head. You get the 4th beetle here. Back to Saqqarah to place your beetles in a pyramid. Guardian of Imhotep starts with you looking at a bridge and a very deep pit underneath. Down there was one of the toughest slide grab jumps I've ever done. Through the ankh door at the bridge to an enormous temples complex that was great fun to explore with challenges of fire block puzzles jumps getting on the roof boulder traps great torch puzzle. And what about that gigantic beetle room terrific flips and grabs rope swinging jumps. Finally placing a last beetle to get the Hathor stand and enter a huge courtyard with a colossal Egyptian statue and the minotaur. You can temporarily trap his lordship behind the back doors while you explore but you'll have to let him out eventually to end the level. A masterpiece. Bearing in mind I got a savegame at the start my time at the end of these three levels was 12:03 hours." - CC (24-Aug-2003)
"Great levels with a main big beautiful area and many secrets passage all around. Not much enemies but the level is based on ability to resolve puzzles and in particular to find one explosive labyrinth better with the map precision jumps and climbs and not frenetic shoots. 1.5-2 hours to finish it with middle difficulty. Well enjoy it!" - Boris (06-Jun-2003)
"I had to play Levels 8-10 with the provided savegame as I did have errors otherwise :(( But to the levels themselves: My Lara was really excited about them. You had to jump and run a lot find the 5th secret star and 5 beetles which need to be placed in pyramids together with three from the previous levels. Lara picks up two artifacts and keys. Graphics were unique again. Beautiful colours and a lot of diversity. Many tricky jumps puzzles with the water skins and devious traps but my Lara managed to cope well. Difficulty level is high but manageable. You need patience and endurance. Not many enemies but well placed. Cameras added in all the important places sound was suitable and often warned you of dangers :). 8 Secrets were found by my Lara and quite well hidden. Among them the crossbow near the hammergod. Atmosphere unique as always. Pascal knows his editor - very highly recommended!" - Navi (31-Mar-2003)
"Those three levels took a lot of time but it was time well spent ;-). The puzzles are by far the most difficult of the whole series. Lara has to refer to her full range of skills and use her brain a lot. Patience is required and tricky jumps to master but eventually she made it. Importantly the puzzles are logical and I liked the idea to 'clean the water' a lot. Lara needs to work hard to get to the artifacts. Textures were perfect as ever same for the lighting. Looking at the whole architecture of the temples I think it is better than the original TR levels and Pascal has proven how much work goes into level building. Sound also great as always and enemies often stopping Lara in her progression. Brillant. I only found 6 of the 8 Secrets but finally got the crossbow at the end. I would definitely recommend these levels but only if you have patience and endurance." - Engelchen Lara (31-Mar-2003)
"Phew phew! What a complex big and difficult set of levels! Really hard but fun and top quality. Dangerous jumps traps clever puzzles levers and more levers... switches and more switches (often strategically placed in dark zones) buttons and more buttons... secrets very well hidden giant scorpions... Is that all! In my opinion to play these levels without a walkthrough is nearly impossible. I've tried at the beginning but I was lost. Wonderful and magnificent rooms. EXCELLENT GAME!!" - Cuqui (08-Nov-2002)
"I'll start by saying that if there was not quite so much lever-pulling and if certain trap-doors were easier to see these levels would be absolutely perfect. As it is they're still very close to perfect. They're more perfect than Core Design ever managed. I can't tell you how fantastic these levels look I've never seen such beautiful settings in a custom level - download them for yourself and see. Pascal is a very talented guy. Hell he must be - he makes Egyptian levels that are actually gorgeous and unique! (And in my experience this is a skill matched only by designers like Palopique and a very few others). Anyway one of the most impressive things here is the way you have to move between levels - it's very smooth and fluid. Pascal has obviously put a lot of thought into this aspect of the game as it's never confusing or disjointed. I can't think of one single thing (unless it's the slightly-excessive lever-pulling) that I didn't like about these levels. Again this is one for puzzle fans rather than those who prefer fighting and let me tell you that some of the puzzles on offer here are great. These are the best levels so far from Pascal in my opinion with the exception of 'Evil Spell From Osiris' (which I probably only raved about so much because I am a masochist who likes tough levels!)." - Bex (10-Sep-2002)
"Wow these are the best levels in the Rescue series so far and propably the best Egyptian levels I've ever played! It usually is not too dificult and you can always figure out what to do but it gets a bit confusing and I must admit I would've probably finished these levels much much later without the help of the walkthrough in some places. A bit less or a bigger variety of levers could have been present since sometimes I thought that this is the only thing to do in these levels. I saw this also in the very first levels of the Rescue series and I also see it in these that some puzzles seem to repeat themselves (the 4 beetle pyramids) and for very special moments I think this is not very good I don't like that important puzzle pieces repeat themselves. But otherwise the levels are very entertaining and you'll have your fun in them. The secrets were well placed and I found 6 (I think) including a golden star. To find the secrets you have to keep your eyes open and see what happened after you've finished a task or look into dark corners. If you'll do this you will find many secrets. Some enemies in 'Guardian of Imhotep' didn't actually fit with the 3 levels overall and shouldn't have been added at all (like the giant scorpions and soldiers. Sure the fly-by that showed how they fight was nice but these enemies just didn't fit in and didn't help to make the atmosphere as much as in the original Giza levels in The Last Revelation). The best thing about these levels was the texturing. Mostly Egypt levels are textured very boring and so making the adventure a bit boring too but the textures in these levels were very colourful and lively applied and I really loved that. A bit of thunder and lightning in the sky would have made the atmosphere really unique but it was very good anyway. The final battle with the Minotaur wasn't very threatening for my surprise but I was really scared to death when he climbed up on a block that usually are to high for them to climb up. Also the ending was a bit dull in my opinion we've seen Lara sliding down a slope a million times before so it could have been made more interesting or original as in 'The Temple of Osiris' for example ;). These levels ain't definitely for the beginners and even experts could find some places frustrating but if you played fairly and have finished all the previous levels in the series (I'm more aiming to 'The Evil Spell from Osiris') then you probably are not a novice player anymore. Definitely worth the download." - eTux (11-Aug-2002)
"I don't think that I can add anything to what has been said already about this level. But what a splendid set of levels this was. Puzzles a-plenty a few baddies with a knack of showing up when I least wanted them to scenery to take your breath away and most importantly action. Lots of it. This level took me a long time to play (with a considerable amount of walkthrough consultation). I was not helped by my networked computer becoming unstable and crashing every five minutes then not working at all for three weeks slap bang in the middle of playing this especially as you need to remember so much. But nonetheless I am looking forward to part 11. (I have built a machine just for games playing now.) Not easy - but worth the time taken to play. A lot of thought has gone into the sounds atmosphere and architecture in this level which combined with the other parts make this a must play game." - Staticon (17-Jul-2002)
"The series easily keeps its high level of quality and entertainment with these three interlinked levels. Note that the indicated net gaming time is on replay with walkthrough so expect much longer initially! Rescue 8 - The Lost Temple of Saqqarah: 8/9/10/10 (30+20+10 minutes) The Lost Temple of Saqqarah impressed me with a breathtaking setting and impeccable use of sounds and flybys. The gameplay is a little repetitive here with many levers and a lot of climbing and repeating of paths you have already been through. I liked the nice clue with the map texture and the wasp attack when jumping to the rope was cleverly done. There are also locusts dogs ninjas and crocodiles in this level and you will start here and come back to it from levels 9 and 10 later. There is an easy secret to find and one shortly before you go to level 10 if you bother to follow an already used path again. Rescue 9 - Imhotep's Challenge: 9/9/10/8 (1:15 hours) I am rating this down a little on lighting & textures because of the darkness that really got into the way of my gaming fun. While it does look nice and real and spooky it happened to me just too many times that I climbed up or monkey'd somewhere with a flare in hand and then inevitably died. But of course other than that this level is nothing but brilliant. Gameplay is more diverse than in level 8 with a few tricky puzzles and diagonal jumps fire and boulder traps movable object puzzles and timed sequences. There are three secrets to find one easy one rather tricky and one requiring a bit of work. The area with the four glass top pyramids is nicely designed and the flyby showing the Djoser Effigy is awesome. Enemies are again dogs locusts and ninjas but also skeletons bats and retextured harpies. Rescue 10 - Guardian of Imhotep: 9/8/10/9 (1:45 hours) For me really a high point in the series as the architecture of this level is simply grand. Again rather dark in places but the way you get a look at areas you will get to much later and how it all comes back together in the end as you make your way trough the stages is fabulously designed. Puzzles are built mainly around many many levers and some movable blocks. Enemies are maybe not that fitting in this level as in the others. You have skeletons harpies fire wraiths giant scorpions a wasp and a bunch of ninjas (which had a sound problem for me when shooting. Two of the three secrets here were not that hard to find the third I missed (who expects an invisible platform high up anyway and what was that crossbow for right at the end of the level?). So after giving the hammergod another wave I ended these three levels with a net gaming time of 4 hours (on replay with walkthrough) and can only hope there will be more coming from Pascal." - Michael (21-Jun-2002)
"These levels are a struggle every bit of the way. There is hardly a room without traps or puzzles or doors to be opened or levers to be pulled. It is an advantage if you have a good memory (which I don't) since you have to go back and forth. Try to remember every door you leave unopened and every button unpushed you have to come back later! And look carefully around everywhere. These levels are a really hard and fun challenge - don't miss them!" - G.Croft (21-Jun-2002)
"I really like Egypt levels since TRLR is one of my favorites. Then Magplus released the first levels of Rescue and I can say that those levels were my favorites levels created by fans. Now The Rescue series is on her 10th episode and still have amazing graphics puzzles and traps. But the atmosphere is not all that good because Magplus since the last episodes didn't create anything new. We have played 10 levels in very similar places of the Egypt with very similar puzzles and no new objects. Magplus is a excellent level creator (one of my favorites!) and that's why I gave him this 'lower' score: I know he can do something much better than that!" - Leandro (21-Jun-2002)
"This last section is actually three levels but you'll go back and forth between the levels so it makes one long game. The first level or level 8 of the series seems to be the central level and the one you'll be returning to most often. The easiest puzzles also seem to be in this level with many switches and doors to open some deadly water to get over a short water maze and you finally get to put all those black beetles to use and acquire a key. Level nine is much darker and spookier and the puzzles are tougher as well and included a switch puzzle where the switches have to be pulled in a certain order a series of boulder traps some pushable puzzle pieces and a pyramid puzzle in which you shoot off the top of the pyramid and slide down over a bed of spikes to jump to a pole which takes you to a room where certain tiles kill you instantly if you step on them as you make your way to the other side of the room to pull a switch. whew! Level ten was probably my favorite though. You start out on one side of a deep pit and thru a series of difficult jumps acquire a key that will unlock the door on the other side of the pit - and then the fun really starts. You have to solve a number of clever puzzles in order to get a hand and open the door that leads to a giant scarab statue and more puzzles. After finding another four beetles you'll make your way back to level eight to use them and then run back through level ten to find the exit. Despite saving quite a bit I still spent five hours just playing the last three levels and had to try many jumps at least a few times before I could make them. It was great seeing the Hammer God again though I wondered why I didn't get the crossbow till right before the end of the series - hopefully that means that another level is coming. I had a great time playing this series and am so glad that I did. With a total of ten levels (so far) this is actually a complete new game and should keep you busy for weeks. For me the most important things in a level are how much fun it is to play and how good it looks and this game didn't disappoint me on either one. At the end I had 41 secrets including five golden stars and hope to see another level in the series soon. Every level is completely different from the rest and each one is memorable. Pascal is one of the best puzzle builders I have seen so far - some levels have many large rooms with very few puzzles but he has a few large central areas filled with many types of puzzles. It seems like everything in his levels is part of a puzzle. This is a great game that I highly recommend!" - RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002)
"Wow! This is some mother of a level. It left me physically and mentally tormented. The whole thing revolves around a central area and it is necessary to return to this hub during the different stages of the game. This level is huge and I have to admit I had to beg help on several occasions! The only gripe I had was that there are many many things to push/pull/tug etc and it wasn't always obvious what effect these actions had. This one is a real gem of a level and should not be missed. Get your download head on now!" - Doug E (21-Jun-2002)
"Again a giant work from MagPlus I finished after 7:20 hours and I needed nearly 500 saves :) The three levels fit perfect together you start with level 8 but you come back twice later. The puzzles were brilliant and very hard also the jump combinations are very difficult. There are some dark corners but lots of flares helped for that some levers have the same colour like the walls and are very hard to find. A nearly perfect level set but there was one thing negative for me: Many times you don't know what happens after pushing a lever the areas are so huge you run around searching for doors or something else maybe opened. The textures were standard Egyptian style but perfectly fit together it's real Tomb Raider! The secrets are very well-hidden I could only find 2 of them. Recommended for expert players who like big levels and have lots of time. One of my favourites." - Freeman Porter (21-Jun-2002)
"The 'Rescue-levels' seem to get better and better each time. These three levels took me a very long time to finish (I'm not going to tell you how long you'll just laugh) but at least I didn't use any medipacks. I managed to find seven secrets but still miss the golden star. The texturing in these levels are very good and the lighting too (therefore the high rating). The gameplay is very challenging and it never gets boring. The 'cow' in the end (I know that it's some kind of god but it looks like a bull and therefore I call it cow) was a nice touch even though it was easy to avoid. My only real complaint about these levels are that the levers (in some cases) are so well hidden that you may get frustrated because you don't know what to do and then you find out that you had just missed a lever." - Magnus (21-Jun-2002)
"This is another brilliant level set from Pascal. Starting with a clean savegame supplied Lara has to find a 4th beetle to operate a beetle pyramid and continue her quest. Quite a bit of traveling between levels as some items are found in one level and used in another. The puzzles are very subtle in parts (thanks to Tombaholic for hint) and to Sash I say when you get there 'When everything else fails get on your knees'. Not too many enemies as you don't need them around when doing some of the more intricate jumps. I hope for a continuation of this fascinating series." - Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002)
"Level 8 starts off quite gently but you have to even at this level (to me they get harder as you progress) you must keep yours eyes open and be observant. Pesky locusts and other insects gewt at you but lots of lovely running round and solving puzzles. Remember what you see! I must admit this whole set of level was made more difficult because I could not see some of the switches because of I assume my colour blindness. This level is revisited a few times. Level 9 has its own set of surprises as does 10. Difficult jumps abound throughout all the levels with some good puzzles and situations. A level not for the novice and try and play it in a short period of time if your memory is on the blink? Another good set of levels from Pascal." - Whistle (21-Jun-2002)
"These are the latest installment of three interconnected levels from MagPlus which continue the Rescue series. The puzzles are very good some quite easy but others needed a bit of thought. In the first level (level 8) I found it a little bit tedious at first as I had to keep covering the same area over and over as I pulled switch after switch but once I got to a proper puzzle room I could spend time thinking about the solution as apposed to having to run around to see where the next switch might be. Some of the switches were very hard to see (brown switch/brown wall). There were very few enemies but they were worthy adversaries for instance near the end I got to a smallish room only to be confronted by a Guardian with not much room to maneuver it took a bit of dodging to sort him out. I think the camera work could have been a bit more helpful when looking for those hard to see levers. Texturing was fantastic and the light level was reasonable for me. One thing I will say is just remember that these are interlinked levels (VIII-X) and you will visit each level more than once (I was guilty of not assuming that). Final comments; more puzzles and fewer levers Please. Magplus I enjoyed these levels and will look forward to playing your next." - Jason (21-Jun-2002)
"Three more levels from the famous series of Pascal's Rescue. I must admit that I needed help from the author to finish these and I owe him a big thank you for his support. I can't say that the levels are difficult but the style is more mature therefore it seems like one big adventure in endless corridors below the ground as well as above but in a way that gives a solid picture about the whole game. Very well organizing structure especially at the tenth level but what is impressive is the eighth level which is the link to the others. This level is the key to acquire the 'knowledge' and keep going. At first it might look like gathering some keys and proceed but be patient and try to remember previously opened doors and eyes open for the switches. It's amazing how the player can access an area by going around the level and eventually get behind the fence and solve the puzzle. The player can use items form the inventory collected from a previous level a smart use of the torch. None of the puzzles are common of course the pushable objects state their presence but as mentioned before the next step rewards you for every difficulty you might come across. The pyramids are a masterpiece shooting at them was something that took me a lot time to figure out and if you think we are talking about some Egyptian ordinary pyramids think again. The puzzle hasn't even begun. The textures are still the usual Egyptian sets but not boring as someone might think. Combined with the multiple use of colors and good lighting are giving the proper atmosphere night falls. Be aware of the room that looks harmless is it really or it keeps a secret inside only one way to find out step forward. Underwater puzzle rooms and a clever way of returning to the start a variety of puzzles in general. The enemies are skeletons scorpions and some others you must find out for yourself. The ending was a little too easy though and sudden compared with the rest of the game. Pick a day or night to play and sit back for these levels. The fun is about to begin." - Kristina (21-Jun-2002)
"I should compare somewhat this set of levels to The last crusade by another masterbuiilder for the intense gameplay and the atmosphere of these three interconnected levels. Magplus has released another great work the atmosphere is very good and thick the very well placed enemies have surprised me often. There are some funny jumps that cost you some health and very well thought traps and puzzles special effects of lightning or explosion. Some textures at the end of level 9 are not well chosen according to my taste but I like the textures and architecture of levels 8 and 10 so much that I give the maximum rating. There are so many highlights in these levels like the giant beetle statue the 5 levers puzzle the fantastic architecture and the beautiful textures in level 10 that I've never seen before the funny and not so difficult final boss with the hammer-cow. I like the way that Magplus give some hints to solve the puzzles and sometimes not most of the time he let the player think how to solve them logically. Some brown levers on brown walls are hard to see but there are placed where they should be placed so I have been stuck several times but not for long. Magplus has the reputation to make hard levels and maybe it's true but I can tell you that I'm not a hardcore raider and finished this game without walkthrough. The downside point is that I've found only 4/8 secrets and no golden star so they must be very well hidden. Magplus is Doctor puzzles and Mister Hide and he is gifted to make you improve your TR skills to make you think about what is possible to be done. It is very enjoyable and I did not think that the Rescue was so good before beginning to play this great adventure one month ago. Congratulations to the author! You'd better set apart two whole long days to play these 3 levels this masterpiece is worthy to be in the top20 and maybe in top10." - eRIC (21-Jun-2002)
"First I gotta thank Pascal for providing a little savegame creator for us Mac users. Very considerate indeed. Before you embark on this epic adventure be aware that you're going to spend quite some time there and that you have to do a lot of running to and fro. I myself was getting a bit restless right in the middle of part ten as there is a never ending succession of levers (not so much hidden but camouflaged) and I wasn't always sure what they did. In general I hate it if you have to push more than one lever for a door cause you never know if you have to look out for a newly opened gate or another lever. You get more hints cut scenes than in part 1-7 but then again this being very non linear I could have done with a few more. Also with a area as complex and intricate as we have here it's almost inevitable that you can find some illegal shortcut (for instance I could jump from the pointed archway onto the upper level) which adds to the confusion. But thankfully Tombaholic provides us with a walkthrough that you can refer to every time you get stuck (I didn't find the trapdoor right at the start). That aside it certainly is the best part of the series and Djoser's Ziggurat is pretty hard to beat. Yet the atmosphere here is simply superb and up there with the very best among Custom Levels. The buildings are awesome the course that involves a lot of interaction between areas is very clever and if you have played the previous levels (I bet you have) you know what to expect in the puzzle department. Right from the start you really feel like being there and the great achievement in my view is that Pascal can keep it up over the whole game. I loved the retextured enemies and there are more of them than in the previous levels. Plus they are placed with care as they usually attack when it's very inconvenient. Never would it cross my mind to tell Pascal how to build his levels but if this had not so many levers it would have been close to perfect." - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002)
"Excellent levels are continued with lot of new very cleverly hidden secrets which are very needed for the end (8 stars). Marvelous combination of different levels which crossed with lot of needed elements for searching escape and passes through games!" - Ivan (21-Jun-2002)