Level reviews

"What we have here is a desert themed level with some buildings, rock structures, canyons and underground areas and caves to explore as well. What I noticed and appreciated was the lack of many levers or switches to trigger! as platforming, exploring swimming and item finding and using was used mostly for further progression through the level. Other gameplay elements include killing enemies such as ninjas and scorpions, a mirror room shooting task and some traps to contend with: the boulder ones clearly being the most fun and challenging. The negatives for me was the lack of timed runs or puzzles and the bland textures but hey this was 2001 and if that's all the builder had available at the time then so be it. Overall a mostly short and simple level with the occasional obscurely hidden passage or area to find but with a very uncommon and refreshing setting this level is certainly worth a look." - John

"A nice addition to early TRLE levels and a beautiful setting. This level keeps you occupied from minute 1 with things to do and places to explore. There is a good balance between the open area and linear areas and the lighting is done well for the setting involved. Textures were used well and the puzzles with the few ingenious traps kept me interested. Well worth a play!" - ColeMoles

"Great Level design amazing puzzles, I enjoyed your take on the mirror puzzle and Its very rare to see an Very Well Designed Egyptian Level. I loved it. However from what I can see there are No secrets so I had to dock a few points for that but other than that well done." - JoeTheCrazyGamer

"Great level ! Very neat, with fun gameplay, challenging at times, and some battles to keep it interesting. There is only 1 small medipack to be found so you need to watch your health bar, and there is no extra weapons except for the revolver that you need for a couple of lasersight tasks but that's OK because those baddys die easily. Recommended for nostalgic players." - Feder

"In this desert there are some castles and mountains. Ninjas and scorpions to shoot and puzzle items to find like the ba cartouche, eye of horus and 2 stars. I liked the trap of the boulders that pursued Lara through a slide! Good level and recommended." - alan

"Do you know, I really enjoyed this one. Admittedly, I had moderate expectations since I read the reviews although it was an older level. Still, I was pleasantly surprised. The architecture and overall setting is nicely achieved with authentic rocky outcrops and imposing temples. A few boulder traps were sneaky and required some reliable strategies to successfully complete, and the mirror room was devious. An older level that's definitely worth playing." - Ryan

"Excellent and challeging level with lots of thing to do and a bit of backtracking too. The textures were excellent. All in all this was a very interesting level;you never get bored or stucked! Recommended for those who like medium to hard levels." - Gonxii

"This is a very nicely made, solid desert/catacomb style level with ninjas lurking around, but not so many that it becomes annoying. I had quite a fun time exploring caves, canyons, sandy pathways and temples, with some swimming, rope work, and boulder traps. It's a large area to explore and not necessarily linear gameplay, but somehow it works well and there shouldn't be anything to hold players up for long. Definitely worth a look." - Jay

"This is an interesting and well-made level. It started out being a little confusing, but quickly won me over as I began to make progress. Nothing is overly complicated, but it all fits together into a nice, neat package. The architecture is particularly appealing, as the temples drew me in. Enemy placement keeps the action going without being overbearing. Puzzles aren't that challenging, but they fit the atmosphere. Just an overall solid level that is worth checking out." - Xela

"With everyone concentrating at the moment on the BtB levels, I felt that revisiting another level from the Dawn Age of the level editor would be a refreshing change of pace. This little gem, which took me a little less than an hour to complete, involves the exploration of a temple and its surrounding canyons. There's nothing really new here, but there are several boulder runs that will challenge your manual dexterity. Enemies are assorted nomads and scorpions, and the artifacts consist of the standard cartouches, eyepieces and starfish (hands). It got a bit tiresome for me near the end with all that long ladder climbing, but overall this is a nice raid with lots of outdoor sunshine and the bright lighting that naturally accompanies it. It was released several months before the founding of this site, but it's still fun to play. Give it a try." - Phil

"However, the old Egyptians are quite widely travelled. They have even in the desert Gobi in China her tracks leave. And who may not be absent with Egyptian buildings? Clearly, the Baddies. They are as inevitable as the amen in the church. But this only by the way. Where Lara is already here, she can also take immediately everything thoroughly under the magnifying glass. She must find the eye of the Horus and a cartouche, dodge Rollingballs, explore caves and different buildings and climb and jump a lot. Aim is to find the hands of the Sirius and the Osiris, with which she can open the door which leads to the level end. There are a lot of level builder who can build though good interiors, however, with undeveloped outskirt areas fail despicably. This is not here the case. The caves and buildings are built and textured completely attractively. The lighting feels well and for the few dark places is the one package Flares completely sufficient. The only negative point is which there was here no shotgun. It would have been quite helpful for the battles with the Baddies. But luckily one can find a few half Medipacks. The playing time was exactly right with about 45 minutes. Result: A good level which one should play anyway" - Scottie

"It's not usual, but in this level I found several places to go and tasks to do which are not neccesary to finish the game so, sometimes I got confused and I thought I was missing something. The game is no-lineal but not difficult to advance, although it's a big desert to explore with some original puzzles. There are few variety of enemies and I couldn't find secrets. Not a great level but well playable." - Jose

"For some reason the all important revolver wasn't awaiting me on the staircase above the water pool (as described in the walkthrough) but was instead lying in a water tunnel some distance beyond a strategically placed submerged vase; a submerged vase which could only be destroyed by the Revolver (and lasersight). Very odd and the sort of error that actually made the level unplayable without using DOZY. Aside from that (and the lack of an ultimate purpose - Lara didn't appear to have achieved anything under the circumstances) this was truly magnificent. The outdoor areas were crafted to perfection and quite realistic; the Temples were magnificent to look upon; the interiors were spectacular; the challenges (particularly the utterly superb Rolling Boulder sequences) were of the highest order; and no-where was the draw-distance limitation reached even though the feeling of vast space was engendered. There were a few areas which seemed to serve no purpose and the gameplay involved a long backtrack which really should have been indicated by a flyby but I could easily overlook all these faults as the construction was so very accomplished. A remarkably fine work." - Orbit Dream

"This level simply does not age. It's a classic! It's 3 years old and I can easily say it is better than many of the latest custom levels. Although objects are the ones that Eidos supplied us with the release of the Level Editor the game play that Dwayne has created turns the entire thing into something that's really above all expectations. The care the author has taken with texturization through the various sometimes huge rooms is impressive and I just didn't give a 10 for that criterion because some rooms were just too dark. Gameplay does vary from room to room in this non-linear level and you will just be gripped by the entire set and play it till the end which unfortunately comes only after 40 minutes. Btw - Dwayne thought about everything. And I mean it! When you reach a passage with four boulders you'll see what I mean. There are several ways to avoid those boulders but only two ways will keep Lara alive... Just amazing." - Treeble

"One of the fast paced and old levels out there. It's quite good actually; we are seeking a cartouche the Eye of Horus and two hands. The setting is part desert with red rocks part coastal with ninjas scorpions and traps with boulders and fire. Thirty five minutes in it and I had fun climbing those rocks getting on top from the underground and swan diving from a ledge every time I turned to the main area. Surely a good level." - Kristina

"Tough level to rate. The setting is rather original in feel though not in structure. The designer has taken from that which has come before (bravo) and built a very compact and interesting environment. Lara finding herself in the desert jumps in the water to cool off. BIG mistake. First trap. Well done. Fell for it hook line and sinker. The caves remind me more of Monument Valley than desert caves but the author makes excellent use of them with some fun jumps. The puzzles are pretty lame imo but tough puzzles are tough to design. Maybe the next offering? The sound was not inspiring but it fit. The level was fun. It took me 45 minutes to complete the level WITH A LOT OF LOOKING AROUND. I found no bugs. Excellent first offering. I hope there are more to come. The author tells a nice story now if some meat is added ..." - Dougsan

"This is just a great little level. Beautifully made with atmosphere galore. The game play is interesting and not too difficult. Wonderful presentation of desert and canyons. I got right into this one and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Well done." - Sherry

"I think this a game very far beyond Gobi. Nevertheless I really enjoyed playing it. There are outside areas to explore (watch out at the river) inside buildings to search and an underwater maze to manage. One has to find 2 Eye Pieces 2 Cartouche Pieces and a Hand of Sirius and a Hand of Orion. Enemies are ninjas and scorpions. I didn't find it a very difficult game to play except for the 2 boulder traps. I also had some problems with finding the switch which opened the door for the UZI. I drained the underwater maze but I don't really know why one had to do it. Playing time for me about 75 minutes (statistics). (08/2002)" - Monika

"I liked this one a lot. The atmosphere is so convincing that you can almost feel the blistering heat from the midday sun. There's ample chance to go exploring in this Nevada-style level and the traps and puzzles are very nicely done in particular one extremely nasty boulder trap. I think I missed something somewhere though as I wasn't able to explore the pool area due to the current. Gaming time for me was about an hour and a half and I found a grand total of zero secrets lol. Highly recommended." - Bex

"A nice desert level with a lot of beautiful canyons and beautiful views to the towers around that took me 38 minutes to complete. I think that the Egyptian setting objects and some textures didn't exactly match with the desert of Gobi as didn't even the coastal textures for me. Ok the coastal textures could've been forgiven but as long as I know Gobi is pretty far away from Egypt. This level isn't also very hard (at least the route I took) so if you don't like frustrating levels you can pick this one next. Also some parts were a bit too dark for me but at least the flare bug doesn't occur and you have enough flares to finish this level. You can try this one if you like desert-type levels." - eTux

"What a visually beautiful and wonderfully designed level this is. Set in and around a canyon in the desert with a white fortress seamlessly blended into it the player must go on a fun adventure searching for a handful of key pick ups one that sends you on an exploring side adventure to the far end of the canyon where you will eventually cause an earthquake that will drain an underground stream. Although there aren't many puzzles or traps the ones that you do come across are well crafted and when it comes to one of the boulder traps very tricky and deadly. I was a little surprised though that I finished it in 50 minutes as I expected it to have lasted longer seeing that it was built with 180 rooms but I can see that a lot of those rooms were used in making it a vast environment like you would expect with a canyon so I can't complain. This is definitely a must play if you like exploring great locations and nothing too strenuous!" - Sash

"A very pleasant surprise this level! Nicely crafted it creates a beautiful desert/canyon type atmosphere coupled with some inside action and swimming an ever progressing and not too linear gameplay that seems to continue on just when you think you are almost done. The puzzles are not too difficult but you need to stay alert to not miss it. The only downside I found was the not always consistent use of enemies and the sometimes a bit strange placement of the (very few) pick-ups. It lasted for around an hour of net gaming time for me and I enjoyed every bit of it!" - Michael

"What a rip snorter of a level. Mix some Egyptian artifacts some pesky ninjas outdoor settings out of Nevada and a few bloody tough boulder puzzles with plenty of running and jumping to do in between this is simply a bloody fantastic level. Not too hard (except for one boulder trap) but a satisfying level. I didn't locate any secrets and neither did my mate in Texas so perhaps there aren't any. Download this one. You will enjoy it." - Torry

"OK I don't see the connection between the Desert of Gobi and this Egyptian setting but I surely enjoyed running through sand dunes and ancient temples and towers. This level brings a lot of different puzzles and exploring area. Some actions are quite hard to achieve. The textures although a bit repetitive are very nice due to the wonderful architecture and topography of the places. The use of cameras is carefully and surely mastered as well as lights. You really feel the desert atmosphere! One or two things: I didn't manage to explore the underwater channel because of the current and the lack of health package throughout the level made some parts a real challenge. All in all it took me a good hour to complete the level and yet I haven't explored all the corners. There didn't seem to be any secrets although I found many hidden places (one of which is really "beyond of Gobi" since it's a non textured area: all black!)." - Jbc21

"A very well crafted level with a lot of exteriors and daylight ambience. These kinds of levels are quite difficult to get a good result. In this case Dwayne has produced an interesting Desert ambience with a lot of water and a mysterious building/temple. I believe that the use of some additional textures will get a more realistic result with the scenarios. A good level." - Josep

"A classic desert level with some really good puzzles; especially some with those big rolling balls took me a few times to manage. Good looking gives you a feeling of an abandoned (almost) archeological site. Look carefully around to find your way through." - G.Croft

"After playing so many levels where you only see the inside of a dark tomb it was great to play this one since so much of it is spent outside where you can see the beautiful blue sky. There are plenty of places to explore in this 45 minute level as you search for many objects including two each of the hands eye pieces and both halves of the cartouche. Except for a really tough boulder trap the puzzles are fun but not too hard and seem to be centered around finding the many objects one of which is found in a large wonderfully textured area that reminded me of the Nevada level in Tomb Raider III. As there are few enemies you won't find too many pickups but the ones you do find are often oddly placed. I found that one large area had been made just for a small medipack. I did finally find the uzis though after reading Sash's post however I never managed to drain the river. I hope to see more levels by this author as it was very well done with good use of lighting and textures the camera work has been done very well and it was fun to play." - RaiderGirl

"I had great fun playing this in- and outdoor level. Although the inside areas were at places a bit dark. But luckily that only lasted for a couple of steps. There are some nice puzzles and some traps. Main goals is getting the two pieces of the Eye the cartouche and the 2 stars of Orion. Outdoors there is lots to explore and some nice jumping in the canyon like area. And there is a very mean boulder trap. Pay attention where the doors are as I got lost many a time. Still couldn't open a green gate after a rope jump so I used the fly cheat and found the exit and went back toward the still closed gate to see if I missed anything. The underwater maze was not funny and had me reload quite a few times. Loved the way some small watery areas are thrown in. Also didn't manage to drain the stream Sash mentioned but I'll put that on my list to have a better search next time or mail Sash and play it anyway :) 23-06-2002" - Gerty

"Personally I find underwater mazes very boring. The rolling balls are nice especially where they jump after Lara behind the grate has been well designed. Modeling mountains takes a lot of time and I could not find any short-cut through them. How do you open the door before you get to the Uzi? Are there no secrets? I could not hear any Secret sounds. I was quite impressed how well the author adapted the 'ruins' to their surroundings but unfortunately he used only three texture tiles in the open areas: one for building one for mountain one for sand. I did not come across any stretched textures or illegal slopes. All in all a very well crafted level. The errors are so minute that they do not matter. It took me about an hour to play which is a bit too long for my taste as the rooms are spread out across lots of space." - XETH

"A good alternative to The lost Valley: shorter and less difficult but still very entertaining and beautiful with both inside and outside areas some Coastal buildings with great architecture placed in the midst of canyons and rocks with a deadly stream of water. I think that the author could have placed a couple of secrets as there are some useless rocky areas. In some areas it is possible to see missing textures of the horizon. This level can be completed in one hour the difficulty is not above the middle except for a boulder trap hard to master." - eRIC

"A little weak a little pale today? Looks like it's time for that certain holiday. Do you want to get yourself a nice tan? Well grab the sun blocker and embark on this sunny adventure. I really enjoyed the gameplay here and I admit I prefer Levels like this that have a main theme designwise and where the author resists the temptation to throw in every texture available. Aparently there is more than one way to make it to the end and I suspect I took a rather short route as I never managed to open the underwater gates and never walked over the bridge at the start. But I like this concept cause it's closer to real life where it's very rare indeed that you only have one way to reach your goal. Some runs are quite impressive and I always like the rooms with big mirrors. Enemies seemed to be thrown in at random and never pose a real threat but otherwise it's a fairly balanced mix of the classic TR ingredients. Flybys are well done and are employed to give you some clues. In fact I got stuck cause I didn't pay attention one time. Serves me right. Another great debut." - Dimpfelmoser