Level reviews

"Exceedingly poor attempt at a paint-by-numbers remake of what was a fairly dull level to begin with - the kind that allows you to skip huge portions of the gameplay (you can reach the place where the finish trigger would be in five minutes), and whose builder failed to grasp the concept of - a switch'. Lions behave and sound like dogs; gorillas get stuck in animation loops or stand frozen with their face against the wall; Pierre looks suspiciously like Larson, and you can kill him, but he'll turn in another appearance later on anyway. Certain texturing issues, not to mention the builder's obvious incompetence, point to a ripped map rather than a project built from scratch. One point for the occasional moment of unintentional humour." - Mulf

"Well, this level was quite a bit shorter than I remember in the original game. Gameplay involves shooting some animals (and Larson), jumping around some pillars and swimming in a long tunnel. Unfortunately the level has an unpolished feel; there's a door that appears to use a key but it just opens on its own, and there's no exiting from the end of the level. The architecture is good (although it's ripped from the original, so that shouldn't be a surprise). Texturing is very wallpapered, especially in the caves. The lighting is dull and flat. While I'm not against remakes in general, this one is sadly just a shadow of the original. 9 minutes." - JesseG

"As a massive fan of the original tomb raider I had to play this remake of the colosseum from TR 96, but i was a bit let down with the broken Triggers, No End Game Trigger, The Textures are kinda Sloppy in some areas and the Lions SOunded like a dog." - JoeTheCrazyGamer

"A remake of the famous TR1 Colosseum level. The gameplay is the same format, surroundings are the same and you'll likely finish this easily. However, I did encounter some strange things here that are worthy of mention. It seems possible to skip a lot of the level for two reasons. The big pit in the arena seems to have had its spikes removed so you can easily drop down and hence skip the two areas with lions and switches. Also, the gate which needs a key opened as I approached it, despite having not used the key. There also seemed to be no finish trigger. Okay for a nostalgia rush, I guess, but you may wish to replay the original." - Ryan

"After doing what I was able to do all around the coliseum I took a look at the walkthrough to discover that there's not a finish trigger. Even when it's supposed to be a remake, many things don't work like in the original TR1 level; the only tasks I did here were shooting enemies and open some doors. The triggers don't work properly, many times you don't need to pull a switch or use a key to open a door, another times there's only a wall texture without switch to mark the trigger tile. Not worth to play, only to awaken old memories from the past when looking the environments." - Jose

"A rather by-the-numbers remake of TR1's Colosseum level that doesn't really offer anything truly noteworthy enough, to justify it's existence in this day and age. The texturing, enemy and object use is exactly the same as in TR1. With the lack of an actual finish trigger, buggy triggers for things such as switches or doors, flat lighting and little to no atmosphere, you're better off simply going back and playing the actual TR1 game again over this unfinished release." - Ceamonks890

"In order to spent some less stressful time with Lara I wanted something easy and simple where no walkthrough or stuck forum thread was needed and chose this one from the remake selection. It's a decent TR1 coliseum remake that was fun to play and it does look really nice texture wise, but the lighting is fairly flat and gives it a very 2-dimensional look. The game play is similar to the original, except in some cases, switches seem to have been replaced with pressure pads. The enemies were as expected, except that the lions had the wrong sound, which more funny than annoying. No finish trigger, but since we all know this level it's not so bad. All in all it was worth the download and a good trip down memory lane. Recommended if you are looking for something quick and easy for in between." - Blue43

"Playing this remake has brought to my attention how long has it been since I last played TR1. I had to jog my memory a bit for this level but even so, there were at least parts in this level that seemed redundant, perhaps I did something out of the actual order or not. It looks pretty much like what I remember though, although the water is not animated and there are several untextured spots. The room housing the secret in the room with the pillars was empty, curiously. No finish trigger and door triggers seem to be wrong, but all in all, it's a rather functional remake. 20 minutes, 3 secrets. 04/09" - Treeble

"Remake level of Colosseum from TR1. I spent 25 minutes in the corridors from levers to doors, from lions to bats, from beginning to ... no end ! There is no finish trigger and the door leading to Midas Palace stays obviously closed. I found 2 secrets, and I heard the secret sound thrice (once at the beginning !). It is a good remake, better than TRA's one I think. But some things were disturbing : the dog sound when lions died, Larson's attacks (normally it was Pierre!), several bad textures, and the total lack of atmosphere... yes I know TR1 was none artifices. But I expect to see some cameras, much more sounds ! Nothing. In conclusion, good remake, but a bit too close to the original level." - Neso

"Ahh what a great remake of the good old Colosseum level! Almost everything is perfect! All the textures, secrets at the right place. Lions (dogs in disguse?), monkeys etc. As usual I will rate this level for what it is. A remake; and compare it to other tr1 levels. What I found strange though is that some doors were already open.. and the author had, with all the work he must have put into this level, no finish trigger. The door to the Midas level remained closed :( Overall it was a great remake! Let's hope for more. 2005-05-29" - QRS

"Another remake of an original obviously of its namesake so scores for me are going to be low. There are trigger anomalies with switches no end trigger and the third secret in the corner room with the platforms you jump up is empty. It is good to see the crazy acting gorillas again though." - Sash

"Well what can I say - I haven't had the chance to play the original due to my system yet so can't say how this compares to the original game and even though it is decently textured I can't call this a good level. I won't even mention the lack of proper lighting - but it definitely is unfinished - as the missing textures occasionally indicate also sometimes the switches that don't work or are not there but that's not the biggest issue as you simply have to step on the same tile to achieve what you should - also never found the key as the door before the end opened enigmatically by itself. Ok so the author knows - how to place objects place solely - usual triggers and even texture the level and add ambient level but ain't there more to a good level? Play if you wish - I for one will be waiting till the author comes up with something original and actually finished." - eTux

"Remake of the Colosseum and although I didn't like the original that much this one wasn't much better. The lions barking was a hoot and the jumping from the gorillas had me laughing. You can shoot Pierre twice so that is ok. For the rest it was a very simple gameplay. As there is no finishing trigger I thought I made a mistake and played it all over. Glad I could read in the other reviews I wasn't the only one. Found even a secret a shotgun. 27-02-2004" - Gerty

"There are some serious problems with this level especially in the textures department. Stagnant water texture missing ones water bubbles in rooms with no water. Then there's the application of textures on walls floors around the Colosseum etc. doors with keyholes that opened on their own even though you had the key and a lot of missing stuff. The lions looked good but there's something wrong with their shoulders. Perhaps it's because they are really dogs that bark and growl and yelp when shot. The apes were so funny and there's a couple of crocodiles to deal with. Oh and I forgot Larson shows up in a couple of areas too which was cool. As soon as the first door opens and you run towards the water you go AHA I've been here before. And you'd be right because it's almost identical to the original Colosseum level. The problem with this is that I knew exactly what to do and where to go and what to expect and that can't get a high gameplay score. However I'll recognise the work that's gone into building the level. In the final water tunnel there's an air hole with what looks like the backing for a switch but the switch is missing and that possibly is what opens that gate underwater to end the level. If it isn't then I don't know where the end trigger is." - CC

"Well lots of lions were only to be expected and very good looking beasts they are too. It's just a shame they sound like dogs. There are some spooky things going on here - levers that don't move (or even exist) but still open doors and doors that open before you insert a key in the lock not to mention the very odd behaviour of the gorillas. Still it was nice to see them again together with Larson and his twin brother! This is a very faithful reproduction of the original Colosseum level even with its few oddities and certainly made me feel nostalgic. Short and easy but if you liked the original then you'll definitely want to download this. Oh there doesn't appear to be a finishing trigger so once you get through the final underwater door just stop." - Jay

"This is a remake of the original level 'Colosseum' but some puzzles and secrets are missing. Generally the level isn't bad but at several places the textures are patched and stretched there is problem with the sky and almost every trigger is not placed well. Doors open by themselves before Lara uses the appropriate switch the lions behave like dogs but the gorillas are funny the way they run around like mad. There is Larson which can be killed twice I might add and a key to find. I found two secrets in twenty five minutes and no finishing trigger. It's a nice feeling to see an old level from the originals and a nice effort from the author to try and recreate it. I hope you will see the author's skills in a new level in which he will be able to apply his own ideas." - Kristina

"Difficult to rate this level as it has no finishing trigger. I ended with a wall lever that Lara couldn't pull and that would have (I presume) allowed me access to the underwater gate finally. There are lions (that bark) as befitting a level titled The Colosseum but also gorillas(!) as a surprise. I had hoped to contact the author before this review but had no luck in doing so. Interesting level marred by trigger mistakes and no camera work. The basics for an enjoyable level are here - just not completed." - Bene

"The idea to build the Colosseum is great but some things are strange like the doors which open without using the switch or the key. Gameplay is very easy find switches a key kill apes and lions. I found two secrets in the statistics is only one but I heard the secret sound twice. Ammo and Medipacks are enough till the Level is finished. Most animals can be killed from the distance so I had not often used a medipack . The Sound of the lions is funny when you kill them. The time needed is very short to finish this level don't look for the finish trigger as I did (that's wasted time). For people who liked the original Colosseum-Level it's a interesting level to play." - Avmaster

"A very faithful remake and indeed rather good looking. The lions (that bark like dogs) and the gorillas are hilariously funny and progression is easy enough and just as we remember it. Found 2 secrets and no finish trigger and the 30 minutes could have been real fun if not for a multitude of problems in the level: the black sky the invisible door blocks the doors opening without use of a lever or key due to incorrect triggering missing sounds for the boulder no camera work and script errors. Still worth a quick trip down memory lane." - Michael

"It's a remake. A remake of a level that was pretty dull in the first place! How am I supposed to score this when someone at Core Design back in 1996 was responsible for the actual Gameplay? Nevertheless as remakes go this is a pretty thorough recreation (and I certainly enjoyed killing Pierre twice!); but I had a major discrepancy with an underwater gate which opened for me far earlier than it should have. And the finishing trigger at the end of the long underwater tunnel seemed to have vanished (or was there more which I somehow missed?). You know either this level was simplified somewhat or my raiding skills have definitely improved over the years as (despite taking what seemed an age to get through this level back in 1997) I sprinted through it this time around in 35 minutes. Give it a go only if want a nostalgia trip." - Orbit Dream

"This is a remake of the wonderful Colosseum level from TR1. Nothing changed from the original level - the same gameplay and puzzles textures and enemies (gorillas and lions). Funny things happen when Lara kills lions they howl like dog LOL. As the level title indicates it's a big Colosseum with many doors. Lara needs to find the key to open the gate to the pool and swim to the end." - Yoav