GARDEN OF A TWIN ARCH BRIDGE

Level by Nagae Takanori (3ki3ro)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Lara begins facing the bridge from whence the level derives its name. Enjoy the looping music from TR3 as you run forward up the bridge and pick up the flares on the abutment to your left. Admire the view from the top, then go down the other side for various goodies: uzi and shotgun ammo, and crossbow arrows. Safety drop from the east side to a ledge below for some revolver ammo and grenade gun ammo. This alerts a number of crocs below, so drop into the water and quickly run in a SE direction to pick up the REVOLVER lying in plain view on what looks like a tree stump. By this time a total of at least nine crocs have been brought to the scene, so waste no time exterminating them. Now you can pick up the nearby flares and small medi-pack that seem to be suspended in midair, and splash over to the bridge for some more revolver ammo, shotgun ammo and flares.

So that this can be done in an orderly fashion, run south across the shallow water to the beginning point and go back up the bridge. Continue north along the second arch and down the far side, and pick up more flares on the last abutment to your right. Now go back up to the area between the two arches and safety drop from the west side to a companion ledge for some grenade gun ammo. You're now through with the bridge, so safety drop from here to a ledge at the water line and pick up some uzi ammo. Hop around to the grass-covered ledges on either side for a large medi-pack. Shoot two more crocs in the water, then use the blocks west to hop over to the bank without getting your feet wet. Pick up the small medi-pack along the way.

Approach the pagoda to the south and note the barricaded alley to the right. Shoot it and go inside for a neat rope trick. Say hi to the man with the flute, toss a tip into the nearby basket and pull up onto the wall surrounding the pagoda. Run around to the south side and pick up the revolver ammo. Pull up into the nearby opening and jump up to grab the ladder. Climb up one rung and back flip, keeping the action key depressed so that Lara will grab the edge of the roof as she slides down. Shimmy to the left, around the corner and past the "Egyptian Adventure" sign below, and pull up at the flat corner. Take a standing jump east to a stable portion of the roof and run forward to pick up two stashes of revolver ammo, the LASER SIGHT, the BINOCULARS, some grenade gun ammo and some uzi ammo. You may see another croc scurrying around on the grass below, so kill it from here if you do. Now pull up onto the highest part of the pagoda and pick up the UZIS.

Hop back down to the flatter part of the roof to the north, jump back and grab the edge, and shimmy all the way around to the south side where you can release onto a grassy bank and minimize your loss of health. Jump down to the ground and run along the grass around the south end of the bridge. When you turn the bend and start running north you'll soon come to a row of wooden barriers on your right. Shoot them all to give you some additional elbow room, together with another row of wooden barriers ahead to the NE. Hop up onto a slab next to a small palm tree and pick up the SHOTGUN and some shotgun ammo. This draws the attention of (if I counted correctly) four more crocs and four wild pigs. Clear the area while running about to evade these enemies. Hop into the water and vault up onto a green slab near the east wall for a small medi-pack.

Now that you have some potent weaponry in your arsenal, head over to the grassy area on the NE side of the bridge and locate the stairs going up to a larger pagoda. Pick up the shotgun ammo and the small medi-pack on the ground nearby, and run up the stairs. You'll awaken two skeletons before you reach the top, so you can either shoot off their heads with the combined revolver and laser sight, or you can blow them off the edge with your shotgun. Your choice. Run around the grassy periphery of the shrine and pick up some revolver ammo on the south side. If you keep running around the edge you'll alert two more skeletons and a wild pig. Now go onto the central bricks and pick up a small medi-pack, some shotgun ammo and some flares. Then climb up onto the block and pick up the ORNATE HANDLE.

Go to the SE corner of this area and take a running jump across the gap to an elevated and much longer open pagoda. More skeletons and more wild pigs. Dispose of them as you deem best, pass by the Jack in the Mummy and hop down onto the ledge to your right. It gives all indications of being spike trapped, but it's harmless. Pick up the CROSSBOW, some grenade gun ammo and the TOKEN. Safety drop to the grass below and jump into the water near the bridge. Swim across to the west side and return to the first pagoda that you visited earlier. Pull up onto the wall near the closed west gate and insert the Token in the receptacle to its left. Go inside, pick up the small medi-pack, the shotgun ammo (on the other side of the gate) and the grenade gun ammo, then vault up onto the pedestal to claim the HATHOR EFFIGY. The two golden stars on the wall appear to be for decoration only, so exit this room and hop back down to the ground.

Run north, with the bridge to your right, until you reach a small tributary that cuts its way to the west wall. There's an underwater opening there that you can swim into. Do so and grab the grenade gun ammo in the far right corner, then swim over to the middle of the south wall and surface. Pull out into a dark room, light a flare and pick up the nearby small medi-pack. Combine the Ornate Handle and the Hathor Effigy to form the PORTAL GUARDIAN. Use it on the pole to open the nearby gate. Go inside and pull up into the crawl space. Lower Lara down the other side, turn around and go pick up all the goodies in the next room: grenade gun ammo, two stashes of uzi ammo, five stashes of shotgun ammo, another SHOTGUN, and two bunches of flares. Pull up into the NW crawl space and lower Lara down the other side. Look up to see a hole in the ceiling and pull up into an upper passage. Follow it to a hidden room for SECRET #1. Vault up onto the platform and pick up the PHAROS KNOT.

Return to the hole you pulled up from and hop down to the floor below. Go through the crawl space to the previous room where you found all the goodies, and exit via the NE crawl space. Treat the opening at the other end as a crawl space and lower Lara down into the water. Swim east to the diamond-shaped opening and return outdoors. If you wish, you can run over to the NE corner of the white wall, pull up and add some more grenade gun ammo and uzi ammo to your inventory.

One more thing before we embark on the final leg of this journey. I said earlier that we were through with the bridge. I lied. Run up from the closer north end, and at the top of the first arch vault up onto the ledge to your left, facing the roof of the pagoda. Take a running jump east to land on the roof, and draw your shotgun to deal with four skeletons that are sleeping at various spots. Blow 'em up, blow 'em off, or shoot off their heads, as you prefer, then go around to the other end of the roof and pick up three stashes of shotgun ammo, flares and crossbow arrows.

Go over to the flat SE corner of the roof, and two more skeletons will emerge. Get rid of them, then take a running jump SE to the roof of the long temple you explored earlier. You'll never believe this, but three more skeletons rise to the attack. Jump over the roof to the east side if you're not near the corner after disposing of the skeletons, and run down to the flat SE corner. When you step on it you bring four wild pigs out of hibernation, so shoot them before proceeding. Now take a long running jump south from that corner, and you'll land on a grassy triangle near some ancient ruins. Hidden behind a rock in the SE corner is another GATE KEY. Pick it up and look for a small medi-pack near the NW corner. Face NE while standing near the north edge and take a standing jump to that grassy slope to minimize damage during your descent. Three more crocs have been alerted below, so kill them upon arrival.

Run west toward the bridge and jump into the deep water under the southern arch to alert one additional croc to kill. Swim around the pillars to the area beneath the north arch and locate the hole near the floor in the east wall. Swim inside, bend around to the left and back to the right. As soon as you reach a larger area, look for a small east passage. Swim into it and follow to an underwater room where you'll find a small medi-pack, some revolver and uzi ammo, and some flares. Swim back out the same way for some air, then return. When you reach the main underwater room, swim south and make a hairpin turn to the right. Pick up two stashes of shotgun ammo at the end of the passage, then turn left into a small triangular opening and follow the passage until you reach a shaft where you can swim up for air. Pull out into a small room and pick up the grenade gun ammo, the revolver ammo and the HORSEMAN'S GEM.

Swim back to the main underwater room and continue outside for more air. Return to the main underwater room and locate an opening near the middle of the east wall. Swim inside and up, and pull out into a dark room. Light a flare and pick up the two stashes of uzi ammo and two large medi-packs that are scattered about, then insert the Horseman's Gem in the receptacle next to the south gate. Go inside, jump to the ladder and climb down. Follow the passage below and pick up the revolver ammo at the bend. In the next room pick up the small medi-pack and uzi ammo before inserting the Pharos Knot in the receptacle near the closed gate. Enter the next room and claim the spoils of finding the only secret in this level: the GRENADE GUN (too bad you didn't have that earlier), some grenade gun ammo and a large medi-pack.

We're almost finished here. Exit this room and the next, return to the ladder and climb up. When you can see the ledge behind you, back flip to it, turn around and jump into the water hole in the next room. Swim back to the main underwater room, turn left and locate the small opening near the SE corner. Swim inside and follow the passage to a shaft. Swim up, surface and pull out into a short passage. Use the Gate Key on the closed gate at the end. Continue along the passage until you reach a slope. Slide down to end the level.