Level reviews

"Could be better with less cuboid shapes and similarity between rooms, but it has its own distinct mood and I felt good here. Some puzzles are as out of the box as possible so you need some experience to play this level, but with its moderate size it's possible to solve. Recommended." - DJ Full

"There are a few recurring resources in this level which might drive anyone mad if they're not sure what they're looking for: several jumpswitches, usually hidden by foliage; lots of walkthrough foliages as well, these are usually "see-through" as well so not as big an offender as you'd think but still sometimes hard to make out; and shatterables, from rocks to stone walls to cabinets, lots of different shatterables. Otherwise this was a pretty fun level mashing TR1 and TR3 elements into something new. I liked the area with several bridges connecting different areas and cabins to a central cabin, and generally speaking this was fairly good looking especially considering it's using plenty of TR1 textures. 50 minutes, 3 secrets. 01/22" - Treeble

"A solid and attractive looking raid in a South American setting and the first of two parts. The gameplay is at times sneaky, as switches tend to be hidden inside various static objects (in this case, rocks). Some might complain that this kind of gameplay progression is faltering, and it is quite obscure but I found I didn't mind that much. It's just a matter of taste. The guards and various jungle inhabitants are nicely disposed of if you find the Shotgun (and possibly the Uzis) and there's various traps to negotiate plus a little guidance from a friendly prisoner. As mentioned, it's a delight to look at and the temples and buildings are nicely crafted. Recommended." - Ryan

"I see that I played and reviewed the second installment in this series four years ago, but for some reason I never bothered with the first one. That was a mistake, as this is a refreshing jungle raid that took me close to an hour and a half to complete. No square trees, the lighting is superb, and although some might complain about finding a key to open a door to push a lever to open another door, the surroundings were sufficiently appealing that I didn't mind this a bit. There are some difficult moments, too, particularly at the end where you have to evade a boulder in a cramped tunnel. Harry Laudie's walkthrough documented the intended method of beating the boulder, but I've been around these things long enough to know that they bounce, and that if you position yourself properly you can crouch and let the bastard sail harmlessly over your head. That's what I did here, although it took several tries to find the right spot. This is a good one. Play it if you missed it the first time around." - Phil

"I like the mix of both TR3 jungle and TR1 Vilcabamba atmosphere here. They go well together. I was a bit fed up by the level though as I was stuck every 5 minutes because of the well concealed greenery walkthroughs and hidden switches. There are some good puzzles too, like the short timed run to fill the waterskin, but generally the gameplay is a bit repetitive. Some areas look a bit too square, nevertheless the level looks good, being well textured and lit. What I prefer in this level is the good amount of pickups , the enemies and objects , including the release and use of a prisoner to open a door." - eRIC

"This is a really well put together jungle-style level, where Lara gets to explore a nicely constructed Mayan temple ruins. As the author explains - this is clearly Part 1 of a longer adventure. So in this first leg of the trip we have to contend with some ruthless mercenary goons who appear to be working for the pharmaceutical company that Lara is in competition with, as they seek to enter the Sun Temple to find a treasured artefact. Lara will also have to contend with some other enemies that you'd typically encounter in such a jungle environment. The prisoner plays a small cameo performance in helping Lara on her way, and this was well done. Gameplay is rather reminiscent of TR3 style exploration, and puzzles are generally logical and easily solved. Camera clues are well supplied,traps are fairly marked, and levers,switches and paths are sometimes cleverly concealed. Objects are used generously and add to the authenticity of the jungle setting. there is a good selection of music used in the level and these compliment the game play. The blocky nature of building with the TRLE suited the Temple structures, but jungle borders suffered with two many straight walls and ledges and the flat upper limits of the tree canopy. Despite this, the environs look authentic and correct lighting has created a good atmosphere. It's a minor point but one of my pet hates is anything that suggests 'impossible physics' - please don't make floor levers amazingly appear through a solid rock raising block - it just detracts from the realism. Fun-factor is always important and I can say I did enjoy playing this level. Looking forward to the sequel." - EssGee

"It's a well made level with the appropriate Maya setting and tigers, hostile guys around with powerful guns that can reduce Lara's health fast. You have to find a few keys, an Idol, gems and be very careful not to miss any jump switches. Some of the switches are well placed and hard to see. There is nothing else you can do in this level but it's a fun one. The three golden skulls are not hard to find but again you need to keep your eyes open for switches and 'strange' tiles. It's recommend for a relaxing half an hour or so." - Kristina

"Rating gameplay is always a tricky thing as it's very subjective.In this case,my rating may seem a trifle harsh but this level contained the sort of gameplay which thoroughly irritates me. I was forwarned at the very start of the level as the way forward is apparently impossible,until you consider that this is a german level so it's out with the pistols and on with a shooting orgy until you eventually target the correct ubiquitous 'custom-built inanimate object' which in this case was a rock which was illogically shatterable and which concealed a lever. Why anyone would want to conceal a lever inside a rock is beyond me;as is the query as to why ALL the other (identical looking) rocks were perfectly solid. If this is your sort of gameplay you are in for a treat in this 100 minute level,as almost every gameplay element involves hunting around for an implausibly 'interactive' custom-built Object,and doing something with it. Provided you keep to mind Sherlock Holmes' dictum "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" then you ought to be able to make progress through this. There's plenty to look at,at least,as the environment is crafted to perfection. The atmosphere is all you could require of a Jungle level,while the design and architecture is first-class and represents a huge amount of work and dedication on the part of the builder. The illogical and faltering gameplay,on the other hand,is purely a matter of taste." - Orbit Dream

"Quite a solid hour long jungle adventure here, with initially fairly linear gameplay and then some more expanded exploration later on. What stands out are a number of very sneakily hidden levers and that the few timed passages are all very tame, so a level really everybody should have some fun with. Enemies are sparse with some wildlife and a few bad guys to kill. You get to find masks, gems and several keys for progression and you need to free a prisoner who then opens a door for you. Three Golden skull secrets to find and the one just before the finish trigger is actually quite tricky to get." - MichaelP

"Good work! A very good level, but too much complex for me. It costs me several hours to be a single level although I've played many levels. There's no difficult tasks, but you have to explore a lot and try new actions to advance. It's a very long jungle level where you have to use all your experience if you don't want get stucked, but I like this kind of levels in natural environments. I wait to play the second part soon." - Jose

"This is a very good level with great atmosphere large open areas with many ruins and base camps to explore and most importantly it is in the jungle cause I just love jungle levels. But there are some negatives and positives. I going to start with the positives. There are many switches that have you exploring the Maya ruins. A few traps here and there that offer a little scare, but most are easy to evoid. The large open spaces are lighted and texture very well done. Now for the negatives. First of all there are way and I mean way too many hidden switches. There are also not enough traps and puzzles and most of all I think one of the enemies was a snow lepard?? But beside these flaws avery good level this is a must play. (Tomb gamer(" - tomb gamer

"What to call this adventure? Exploring that is for sure what you have to do. A pity that you have to explore this jungle/temple area for very hidden levers. The area is rather big, at least the one with the temple structures in them is. All the areas looked very good but I still think it is a pity that there aren't any puzzles as such in them or even traps for that matter. The walkthrough walls weren't that hard to spot, at least I thought so but all in all I found it rather confusing at times and I wondered way too long around to find something (that is.. I found yet another lever) to do, so I could continue. There are still some doors still closed in the temple area and the wooden area with the huts felt like I must have missed something. I did however hit the finishing trigger with 3 secrets." - Gerty

"I loved the atmosphere of this one and certainly it has to be said that the builder has improved by leaps and bounds in this, his second level. I really enjoyed the gameplay; it was a nicely balanced mix and quite fast paced, with some good misdirection/red herrings to liven things up. It looks good and plays well - what more could one possibly ask for? Ah, yes, part 2 please." - Jay

"If you like levels that include jungle and temple areas you must play this one. Setting of this level looks really good despite the way it's constructed is quite simple and especially one of the areas is marvellous. There are also many well hidden switches and passages in this level and you have to look every corner very closely to find them. There are also many things that are easy to see but it's hard to figure out what to do with them. Enemies are nice and they are well placed but few of them look really much to be lynxes and if they are them and I think they are, they aren't very good for the setting. However, the main thing is that playing level feels good and playing this level felt really good." - Samu