QUEEN OF THE CATS

Levels by LaraLevelbauer

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Queen of the Cats

Begin with a flyby through a golden room that ends with a submerged cat head that is presumably your goal. Step forward from the hall into a room with large vases on golden slabs, and you'll immediately hear the pitter patter of not-so-little feet. Draw your pistols and hop back as two crocodiles charge. After they're dead, explore the room a bit. You can shoot the vases if you wish, but they're all empty. You'll find a large medi-pack behind the column near the west wall. There's a closed door in the east wall, and two closed doors in the north wall. However, pushing a button opens the one on the right, so go on inside and run down the ramp.

Follow the passage until you come out onto a ledge overlooking a large deep room with what looks like, but isn't, a pool of deadly water below. Jump or dive into the water and pick up two large medi-packs at the bottom. Pull up out of the water and enter the room to the north from either side. Throw the wall switch to open two doors, the nearer of which is behind you to the south. Exit this room and shoot five scorpions that have probably shown up by this time. Run past the pool, up the steps and through the open door. Follow the stairs up until you reach the top. A door opens upon your approach, so pull up into the room where you began the level.

Run down the north ramp again to the ledge. Take a running jump north and grab the far ledge. Pull up and enter the next passage, but stop just before you reach the crossing. You'll trigger a scissor-blade trap ahead, and darts start shooting out of the alcoves to your right and left. Time a run past the darts and blades, duck to avoid the next set of darts and enter the next room.

Good thing you didn't recklessly jump down to the sandy floor, because the whole place is riddled with spikes. Stand near the center of the gray ledge and jump up to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing over the spikes to the other side of the room and release. There's a crocodile swimming around in the pool ahead. Jump in if you need to coax it out; otherwise, just kill it from where you're standing. Then enter the water from either side of the pool to avoid the dart blowers in the north wall. Swim carefully into the north passage and follow the passage until you reach a shaft leading up. Pull out and use the ladder to climb up a long way to the top of a pillar overlooking a large and deep room with spike traps scattered about below.

There are several things to do up here, but the most logical order of business requires you first to jump over to the ledge in the middle of the north wall. Step forward, turn to your right and vault up onto the higher block. Slide down the slope ahead and jump off to grab the pharaoh face column in the NE corner. Pull up and then pick up the SHOTGUN, which you'll need shortly. The act of picking up the shotgun releases a boulder over the slope you just used, but to what purpose is unclear. Turn to face south and take a running jump to the arched ledge against the east wall. Step forward and take a running jump SW to the next pharaoh face column. Hang from the south edge and drop down into the water hole below.

Swim down into the passage and follow it to a shaft leading upward. Pull up into a short passage and throw the floor lever to turn off a flame blower that was guarding another floor lever elsewhere. Jump back into the water, swim to the other end and pull out into the spike-infested area. Use the ladder in the east face of the pillar to climb back up. Pull up to the top of the pillar and take a running jump west to the ledge guarded by a steam emitter. Quickly back up and take another running jump west to another pharaoh face column near the SW corner. When you land you'll awaken a skeleton on the central pillar. However, if you retreat to the rocks nearer the corner and simply wait patiently while it jumps around, it will eventually slip off the side to its doom. Now return to the pharaoh face column and take a running jump NW over to the triangular ledge against the west wall. Jump back to grab the edge, and shimmy left until you reach the crawl space in the west wall. Pull inside and crawl forward until you reach a small room with a floor lever (the one formerly guarded by flames).

Throw the lever and immediately reverse roll, as the cut scene showing a door opening in the beginning room hides the fact that two skeletons have just been awakened and are coming after you. Duck back into the crawl space and make your escape. (The skeletons will follow you a short distance into the crawl space, so you need to be quick about it.) When you get to the other end, turn around, lower Lara over the edge and shimmy around to the right and pull up onto the triangular ledge. Take a running jump and grab to the central pillar and climb down the ladder in the east face of the shaft.

Jump into the water, swim back along the passage (don't forget about those dart emitters), and pull out when you reach the pool. Stand in front of the spikes, jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing over them to the passage with the scissor-blade trap. Go to the next room, take a running jump over the gap and grab the far ledge, pull up and follow the passage up to the beginning room. Locate the other open doorway in the north wall and enter the new area.

As you enter the next room north you can hear the sound of an active scissor-blade trap, but it appears to be the same one you triggered nearby a little earlier. Turn left into the west passage and shoot four or five bats that come fluttering out at various times. When you reach the intersection, shoot the nearby vases for the fun of it and then take the south corridor. Shoot the vase at the landing for a large medi-pack, then continue up the stairs until you reach a bare sandy room where you lose camera control for a few seconds. You'll find a jumpswitch in the SW alcove. Activate it and return to the intersection downstairs.

Turn left and go up the stairs. Go through the doorway you opened with the jumpswitch and walk out to the north edge. Look down to make sure you're over the water, and dive in. There are a number of things to do in this underwater area, but these are meant to be done later. For now, swim down and into the west passage. There's a hidden door in the middle panel on your right. Face it and push the action key. Be patient, as you may have to push the action key more than once before Lara will open the door. Then swim inside and pull the underwater lever to open a door outside.

Reverse roll and swim up for some air. Then come back down and enter the south doorway you just opened. In the next room is a layered area with pillars. What you need to do is squeeze between the two layers into an area about the size of a crawl space. Then swim to your right past the first pillar and pick up the GARDEN KEY. Swim back out and surface for air. Swim back down one more time and go through the north opening. Follow the passage up and then level out as you approach the jackal head design. You'll be warped to the second part of this level.

Queen of the Cats, Part 2

Swim up, surface and pull out onto the steps to the east. Exit the pool and run north to the structure in the distance. Run between the two sections and drop down into the hole. Follow the passage to the north end and climb out. Run around the large building to the east. You can enter the building from the west side, and there's a hole inside leading to an underground room. However, I could find absolutely nothing of importance to do or find down there, but be my guest if you wish to explore for yourself.

There's an opening in the outside wall to the east. Go inside and use the Garden Key to open the nearby door. There's a lot of area to explore in here, but relatively little to do. Remember that the exit area here is to the NW, and proceed inside. When you pass the fenced and grated area and turn to your right toward the long pool, you'll get a cut scene showing an assortment of snow leopards that grace this area. There's a button you can push on the east side of the pool, but it's uncertain what that does or what function it serves.

Jump into the long pool and swim through the south opening. Pull out, step forward and pull up into a hilly area. You can jump to the top of the dirt and the pillars if you wish, but there's nothing to do or find up there. Go to the east wall and enter a basement area through the break in the gate. Shoot a snow leopard and a scorpion and locate the shotgun ammo. Go outside and shoot two more scorpions. Near the NW corner in the north wall is an entrance to the snow leopards' den. If you wish to kill five or so of them at close quarters, here's your chance. Inside the den is a floor lever that appears to do nothing more than open and close the outside gate to the den. (The first time I played, the gate was already open so I didn't need to use the lever. But on another occasion I found the gate closed, although it didn't make any difference since you can walk right through it!) Leave via the open north gate, make a horseshoe turn to the right and run between two darker pillars. Turn left just past them and pull up into an open courtyard for SECRET #1. Pick up the shotgun in the SW alcove and go back out. Cross over and enter the next building through either of the openings in the north wall. A snow leopard is cavorting about inside, so kill it and go up the stairs. Go through the north opening at the top of the stairs and run down the ramp to an area overlooking a pool.

Take an angled running jump to the pillar to your right, then a standing jump to the east ledge for some shotgun ammo. Drop down into the water. There's nothing of interest in the pool, so pull out on the east side and enter the next room. You can shoot all four vases if you wish, but only one (the inside one on the right) contains shotgun ammo. Enter the passage beyond the jackal head tiles and follow until you emerge in a larger room. Step inside and to the right, and you'll trigger a couple of spike balls that drop harmlessly in front of the flame emitters. Go between the giant jade cat statues and take the SIMPLE KEY from the left pedestal.

You can time a jump past the flame emitters if you like, but you can also get back via the passage through which you arrived. Shoot a couple of snow leopards and keep running west until you reach the long pool. Turn right, then left at the fenced and grated area and leave the garden. Go around the large building with the blue trim, drop down into the hole in the ground on the other side, follow the passage and pull out at the other end. Shoot a couple of snow leopards, run forward and jump into the large pool, and return to the first level via the hole in the floor.

Queen of the Cats

Swim down the long shaft (you'll pass an opening in the south wall, but there's nothing inside) to the large underwater room and surface on the other side for some air. Swim back down and go through the opening in the east wall. Follow the passage and swim up the shaft. Pull out and follow the west passage up the stairs. Use the Simple Key to open the door, and you find yourself on a ledge, on the other side of the area you explored a little earlier. Turn to your left and light a flare. On the wall behind the east pillar is a reach-in switch where you'll obtain the TREASURE ROOM KEY.

Now jump into the water below and pull up onto the west ledge. Locate the climbable wall to your left and climb back up to a familiar place. Run forward through the south opening and go down the stairs. Turn left at the intersection and run up the stairs into a room where it looks like a bunch of junk has been piled into a corner, but what is presumably the treasure room. Use the Treasure Room Key in the lock in the east wall to raise a large gate back in the room where you began the level.

Return to the intersection and turn left. Go through the doorway into the pillar room now occupied by a mummy. Run around him to the right and go through the passage to the next room. Make a hairpin turn to the left and run through the new opening and down the ramp. Follow the passage in zig-zag fashion and push the button to your right at the foot of the stairs. This triggers a shifting block somewhere behind you, so retrace your steps until the telltale thump-thump leads you to the right place. Time a run into the first alcove, then turn around, time another run to the north and enter the next room. Lara's attention is drawn to a painting on the west wall, where you'll also find a couple of wall switches.

Pull only the switch on the right (the one on the left will set you aflame). Go back to the moving block and this time dash to your right behind it and enter a small chamber for SECRET #2. Shoot the two vases, the one on the left contains some shotgun ammo. Now repeat your timed dashes past the moving block and zig-zag your way down the passage once more. The doors at the north end are now open, so enter that golden room you saw in the opening flyby. Jump into the pool and pick up the HOLY CAT HEAD. Pull out and go to the recess in the north wall, where you'll find a couple of moveable blocks side by side. Pull out the left one once and push in the right one once. Go in between them and push the first block out onto the pool ledge, then push it aside out of the way. Go back and pull back a third revealed block two times, opening up a passage ahead. Go inside and throw the wall switch next to the keyhole.

Return to the pool area and you'll find that the gate in the west wall is now open. Go inside, turn to your right, and then take a left and head toward a larger room to the west. Four skeletons are sleeping on the floor. You'll awaken them when you turn around and climb up onto the SE ledge for another SIMPLE KEY, so hop back down and retreat to the pool while drawing the shotgun. Blast the skeletons into the water, one by one, then return to the west opening and this time go straight in to an area guarded by a mummy. Make a horseshoe turn to the right and locate the crawl space at floor level to your left. Crawl until you reach a hole, then turn around and lower Lara down into the hole for SECRET #3. Pick up the large medi-pack, then pull up and crawl back to the passage where the mummy is surely waiting for you. Run past it, return to the pool area and enter the north passage.

Use the Simple Key to open the gate, and go inside to find two available paths. The one to the north leads to a wading pool where there's nothing else to do, so turn right and take the east passage up the stairs and run past the waiting mummies. Continue past the columns into a sand-covered passage. When you reach the large hole in the corner at the far wall, jump inside to end the level.

Missed one of the secrets.