THE LAVA TEMPLE

Level by Pascal Scherer

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

As the level starts, Lara drops down onto a slope and starts sliding.  You've got a split second to clear the spike pit by jumping to safety.  (Don't jump immediately upon landing on the slope, or you won't make it.)  Draw your pistols and engage the two ninjas who are firing at you from across the larger pit.  After they're history, shoot the large jugs scattered about the area for the CROSSBOW and crossbow arrows.  Locate and push the two floor levers near the N and S walls to flood the large pit and lower a rope near the cartouche receptacle.  Each time you push a lever, another ninja materializes.

Get up on the NE block and jump to grab the rope.  Turn to your right and swing forward.  Jump off to land on the top of the tall column.  Whether you jump successfully or overshoot and land in the water, you'll trigger a flyby that essentially takes you through the rest of the level.  When you get there, pick up the CARTOUCHE PIECE 2.  Dive down into the water (there's a neat effect here where the pool appears full, but you don't hit the water until you're halfway to the floor) and find the hard-to-see hole down in the SW corner. Swim down for the CARTOUCHE PIECE 1.  Surface, pull out of the pool and locate the ladder on the nearby SW pillar.  Climb up near the top, back flip into an alcove and pick up the REVOLVER for SECRET #1.

Climb back down the ladder, get back onto the rope and this time turn left to locate the crawl space high up in the E wall.  Swing forward, jump to grab the edge and pull up inside.  Use the monkey bars to get across the lava pit and drop down for SECRET #2.  Pick up the crossbow arrows and monkey swing back to the other side.  Crawl through and safety drop to the floor below.  Combine the two pieces to form the BA CARTOUCHE and jump over the obvious spike trap to the cartouche receptacle.  When you insert the artifact a gate opens in the E wall and two ninjas appear, one on either side of you.

Get on the block nearest the open gateway and jump to the passage.  Cross the bridge over the lava to a many-tiered structure with a different task to be performed on each story.  On the first story, shoot all the jugs.  One of them hides a HAND OF SIRIUS.  Pretty easy thus far, huh?  Insert the artifact in its receptacle, and a ladder appears on the SE column.  This establishes a pattern for the rest of the level.

Climb up the ladder and back flip when you near the top.  You can see the required artifact ahead and off to your right, but stay put for now.  Look at the ceiling to see which squares are safe to stand on, and make your way around the perimeter in a counterclockwise direction.  It helps at times to use a short running jump (walk forward before initiating the jump).  When you reach the HAND OF SIRIUS, jump back to the receptacle to use it.  You can return to the square to which you back flipped with a long jump from the Hand of Sirius square.  From there, jump to the next safe square and from there to the ladder.

Climb up and back flip to a story with many floor levers.  Nothing fancy here, just push them all and deal with a ninja after pushing each one.  After you're through, climb the SE ladder and back flip to the next story.

This one's a little harder.  You have to jump past the flaming squares without being set ablaze.  There are two suspended spike balls to make your life more miserable.  You can easily get to the safe NE corner by hanging from the edge and shimmying past the first flame.  Hop slightly NW between the flames to land on the next safe square and immediately back flip to avoid the spike ball.  Return to that square, then jump to the NW corner with the receptacle.  You can see something in an alcove far away in the W wall, undoubtedly a secret.  Hang and shimmy to the safe SW corner and jump to the square with the artifact to trigger the second spike ball.  Go back there and pick up the HAND OF SIRIUS, then make your way back to the receptacle.

Before moving on, let's go for that secret.  Standing at the W edge in the middle, take a running jump to land on an invisible bridge that extends almost to the W wall.  Walk to the end and jump with grab to land in the alcove for SECRET #3.  Pick up the revolver ammo and return to the flaming tier.  Climb the NE ladder to the next tier.

Back flip to an area clogged with pushable pieces.  You can squeeze your way between them.  The solution is actually quite simple.  Push the piece nearest the ladder away from the ladder.  Push the piece next to it N, toward the ladder.  Push the next piece N as well to occupy the space that was filled by the previous piece.  Finally, push the W piece E to reveal the HAND OF SIRIUS.  Insert it in the SW receptacle to flood the lava room.  You can use the jutting ledge here to take a spectacular swan dive into the water below.  However, if you want all the secrets in this level you'll have to climb painstakingly down each ladder to the first tier where you shattered all those jugs.  There's a gap in the NE corner.  Hang from there and release to grab the crawl space below.  Pull up inside and grab the large medipack for SECRET #4.

Drop into the water, swim N and pull up into the opening.  Follow the passage to an open area guarded by four ninjas.  Go to the N end of this platform, turn around and locate the ladder.  Climb all the way down to the bottom and jump N along the lower platforms to the other side (don't fall into the water below, because it's deadly).  Locate the UZIS behind the last column for SECRET #5.  Return to the ladder and climb back up.  Jump N along the platforms and pull up on the far side.  Kill a final ninja and run into the passage ahead to end the level.  Thanks to manarch2 for pointing out the locations of the last two secrets.