Level reviews

"Recommended but not for everyone. You'll have a blast if you prefer action over adventure. I was bored by the Palace bit as not just in TR4 but also here you climb it 3 times, 4 if you miss items - could be fixed but wasn't. This and the throne room feel stripped of furniture, the rest feels okay as you don't compare it to TR4. The end gives more than expected, nice." - DJ Full

"Another snappy and action packed level from Lukasz, and it's another shooter focused jaunt. It doesn't quite have them enjoyable and intriguing gameplay of his later efforts, but if you're in the mood for lots of battles against a wide assortment of enemies (sentry guns, guards, crocodiles, demigod and harmless giant scorpions), accompanied by some good audio files and nice environments, then this is for you. Puzzle fans may be slightly disappointed." - Ryan

"In the same line of Lukasz's levels, a lot of enemies to shoot, few switches to pull and simple puzzles; colourful environments with no much care with the texturization; the ammo is limited, but you'll find a lot of pickups to be able to finish the level; the shotgun is very powerful here or the enemies very soft, 'cause I killed the demigods only with two shots. Simple architecture, again an effort with lights and musics to create atmosphere and some traps to avoid. There are some friends to help you too. If you know the style from this author, you know what you'll find." - Jose

"I've always liked to play levels by Lukasz Croft, and this early one is no exception. Using an analogy of science fiction authors, he may not be a Robert Heinlein, but he's a consistently reliable Murray Leinster upon whom you can depend to provide an enjoyable and moderately challenging raiding experience. The environs here were somewhat colorful and surreal, but they were pleasing to the eye. Plenty of weaponry and flares are made available, and I found the shotgun to be particularly powerful for some reason. The use of friendly soldiers who help clear the playing field was a nice touch. I used the walkthrough, and it still took me about fifty minutes to finish. A good, solid level, despite its being classified as a shooter." - Phil

"The title is quite fitting for this level in a number of aspects. It is a mystery what this place is supposed to be, it's a mystery why Lara is after Von Croy's glasses when they are broken, and it's also a mystery why they're so well protected. This level is quite similar to the first levels I've played from this author, so you do get a patched executable that will you strip you of your weapons. The plus side is, your weaponry is much stronger to compensate the limited ammo at your disposal. Two shotgun shots are enough to take down the demigods, while every other SAS tropper will die with just one. You might not want to kill the masked troppers as they're allies of yours, they're especially helpful early on before you get to collect extra weaponry. Don't be afraid of using flash grenades either, they'll blind your enemies so you can finish them off at ease. All in all, I thought this was quite an enjoyable and challenging adventure, with all the sentry guns (although only the very first one is unfair). 30 minutes, 2 secrets. 07/09" - Treeble

"A very challenging shooter level where Lara is often under fire by sentry guns , SAS , demigods , there is also a few crocos and big beetles for good measure. The mission here is clearly to survive , finding the good method and best positions to dismantle the sentry guns and moving fast at times. I found the setting rather 'atmospheric' , only the final slope at the end has not pretty texturing. The sounds are of good quality and the new audio tracks fit well this kind of raid. The highlight is a high room with 4 levels of ledges which is the strategic point where Lara's life is in great danger. A good level if you like this kind of mission." - eRIC

"This is another one of those Lukasz quickies that can easily be done in 40-50 minutes. The only mystery in this one is(apart from the fact that considering the setting and the choice of enemies it seems to be a slapdash of a military base and an Egyptian catacomb) why Lara would go through all that only to find some broken glasses(two pairs actually). It is another one of those levels you shoot your way through, meeting some bats, flying insects that really didn't pose as too much of a threat, crocs, swarms of locusts/bees/moths or whatever they are, two giant scorpions(where only one of them actually moved and that only occurred after I reloaded), armed guards and an overly massive amount of demigods that went down with two shells from the shotgun + of course some of those ever annoying sentry guns. If you're a friend of puzzles this will most likely not tempt a lot, as the only thing that is mentally taxing here is how to avoid shooting more or less useful allies amidst the killing spree. The sentry gun in the beginning did pose as a bit of a threat though, until you blew it up and thus also ruined any aspect of a potential challenge. The enemies could have been harder to kill if it wasn't for the fact that you picked up the uzis, shotgun, grenade gun, revolver and even the pistols which on the occasion had limited ammo and didn't appear in the inventory until after you entered the room with the first crocodile. And you even picked all of them up 2-3 times each, something which felt more than just a bit pointless. Lara really needs some serious surgery because at times she had long beams sticking out of her knees which looked rather nasty and was something that should have been fixed on beforehand. In terms of lighting there is hardly any at all and a lot of the atmosphere got killed with the lights(or lack of them rather). The music was rather good at first, but after you entered the room where you make your way upwards some Prodigy-like beats kicked in and although I don't usually mind this kind of music it became annoying after about 10 minutes of the same tune. I get a feeling that the music provided is supposed to make it seem rather fast-paced and filled with action, but unfortunately it doesn't feel that way when you play despite the armies of enemies you meet along the way. There is no substance to talk of and I am getting a sneaking suspicion that gameplay and puzzles are never a part of Lukasz' level planning. There were 2 secrets to find and all in all it's another one done. Play if you're in the mood for relentless shooting and nothing else." - Selene

"It's a short level with sentry guns, demigods, flying beetles and SAS. Your goal is to get Von Croy's broken glasses and I got two pairs actually plus a key, two gems and move a couple of blocks to reach the upper levels. Then the rest is easy, levers to use, some swimming and then a slide which leads to nowhere with a boulder dropping. I am not sure where this went wrong because the beginning looked promising with the trick to blast the sentry gun but it sure was disappointing. I found two secrets and I can't say I liked this somewhat base type level." - Kristina

"As always, for my money, the strongest part of a level from this prolific builder is the good use of audio files. Having said which, I enjoyed the start; I always do like sneaking around behind sentry guns and blowing them to bits. It's very much a shooter, but you do get lashings of weaponry, so if you had a bad day at the office and think a short killing spree might be cathartic, go ahead and enjoy yourself with a bit of mindless mayhem." - Jay

"The most mysterious thing about this level is the fact that very early you think you picked up a revolver when in fact you did not. And if you miss it and then make it through the timed door then you are stuck for good. If you master this little issue though, the level is actually fun, with plenty of shooting (wasps, SAS, demigods, crocs and sentry guns) and fast paced progression towards the end which happens after just over 30 minutes. Two gems and two pair of sunglasses to find and one large area that represents a secret and in which you find the crowbar which gives you access to secret number 2. Solid Lukasz-standard level." - MichaelP

"That weapon in front of the first machine gun is a pistol. As Lara already has pistols and unlimited ammo I'm guessing this is possibly a mistake, as picking it up doesn't register or show in inventory. Which means, the first thing to go for is that floor lever. This opens the gate behind it. And in there you will find the revolver. I actually managed to get a good way into the level without the revolver, jumping behind that first machine gun, but it was no use, I became irretrievably stuck and had to start all over again. If the shotgun was available early in the level it would have been easy enough to carry on by shooting that blue ball. I recommend mac players to save often, as the screen freezes and crashes the mac in places. The mac doesn't use exe's, the level started up fine from the .tr4 and supplied scripts. Now to the level itself. I loved the stealth moves required in that first room. It's been a while since I had to sneak around and target a machine gun. Always satisfying. And there are more to blow up later on. Strange architecture and texturing in this base type level. Some rooms look really great, others are like add-ons to hold extra ammo and a lot of heavy weapons. I found 3 uzis, 2 shotguns, 2 grenade guns, at least 2 lasersights, a truck load of ammo, and strangely two pairs of Von Croys broken glasses. These seem to be the only 'goal', as apart from the killing spree there doesn't seem to be any point to this level. The crowbar could easily be missed even though it's right there in front of you. Keep a sharp lookout for the green soldiers, who are your friends, and they are very effective at killing the black clothed guards for you. If you run away from the demigods they will kill them too. Unfortunately the giant scorpions are too much for one poor fellow and you are on your own in that area. I had a strange experience of these scorpions not moving until I reloaded a savegame. Other enemies are bats, flying bugs and crocs. There is a bit of monkeyswinging, rope swinging, boulders to dodge, swimming to levers and avoiding a propeller, and a good timed swim/run at the start. In the dark celler with rope, after picking up ammo, it's possible to get into that crack behind, and be stuck forever, so saving a lot is recommended. I do like the cameras in the high block pushing room, that looks down when Lara moves the blocks correctly, and looks up if she jumps across the ledges high above. I left with the feeling that I missed a door or two along the way. Perhaps there was more ammo or weapons to pick up. None the less it didn't stop me from finishing. Despite it's peculiarities and problems I did enjoy this level very much." - CC

"I'm one of those who have had problems with this level. No matter how I set it up, with the .exe, without the .exe, a fresh copy of the trle, the revolver never shows up in my inventory when I pick it up, and as you cannot finish this level without it, that's all she wrote for me. The roughly 10 minutes I could play of this level seems okay, I especially enjoyed the initial room with the stealthy moves you have to make to get around the automatic gun, but otherwise it was a fairly standard Lukasz scenario of picking up lots of ammo and killing enemies. Although I would have liked to have had finished this game before reviewing it, I just feel it was important to let players know that they could also find trouble and not be able to complete it." - Sash

"I didn't used the TR4.EXE file and luckily I had no disappearing revolver or mishaps while using Lara's trusted guns. Like always, lots of ammo and lots of guns. There are however also friendly soldiers in this level. To disable the sentry gun is first on the list and I took some heave damage to get the necessary items I needed. For the rest it is mysterious what all the crocs, wasps, scorpions, locust and demi gods did in this compound. Finding 3 Gems and dodging a boulder I made it through this level. If you like shoot-em levels, download this one. There is one timed underwater lever, took me a bit to figure that one out LOL but from there.... straight forward. Btw Lukasz, don't start messing around with things that you apparently don't know enough about. 28-01-2006" - Gerty

"OK,after thrashing Lukasz' VCI level,I have to admit that this is an improvement.There's little gameplay to speak of (excepting a smart timed door),as it consists exclusively of shooting an assortment of baddies (including some massively overused demi-gods and a couple of stationary scorpions)and destroying nests of machine guns. However,the setting isn't at all bad,and the central room you need to blast your way up is quite impressive. Far too many pick-ups are provided (many of the firearms are repeated,which makes little sense;and the ultimate goal for this adventure was the aquisition of a couple of pairs of broken spectacles)including one leangthy detour which appears to have no relevance except to enable you to arm yourself to the teeth. Basically,it's 40 minutes of killing,running and more killing in an acceptable environment;which may well be just what people need." - Orbit Dream