Level reviews

"I come back on Win10 and see ATI version with wrong transparency. Or maybe I wasn't even here, it's hard to tell with all the levels reusing this map... Anyway here we are in the OG, which is the least tiring of them all, because Turbo had limits tighter than my boredom activation timer, as he described in the readme - truly, that file is a historical gem, I dare you read it even if you have no idea what it's all about. You will understand how much of a hassle it was to build a level back then, and how cherished a moment must have been when anything actually worked. It makes you re-evaluate things. Recommended, of course." - DJ Full

"A classic feeling Tomb Raider I adventure with Lara exploring a temple with some interesting puzzles, which were definitely the highlight of the level. There isn't much in terms of decoration or structure in the level which unfortunately makes it feel more like an arcade-y level than an actual tomb. Luckily different textures were used in every room, which made them look distinct at least. The tile puzzle was quite confusing and I could not make sense of it even after beating it through repeated trial and error attempts. Despite that the rest of the puzzles were quite interesting, making the level worth a play, in my opinion." - LuxQSD

"So now I see where the idea of Dendarah came from! This was an enjoyable romp through some spiked rooms, and we had break tiles to choose and use wisely, some clever box puzzles, a nice timed run for a key and plenty of enemies to shoot. I got lucky with the safe tile jumps going for the final key and nabbed it on my first try. I was very pleased that I managed to get this level to run on Windows 7 without really any issues other than my PS4 controller acting kooky. A DS4Windows profile that mimics the default keyboard keys and properly mapping everything within DOSbox got me going again though!" - Chel

"This little TR1 level is quite action- packed for its age. The textures were very grainy overall and there were a few graphical glitches with fadeout, but I found the gameplay to be quite sturdy and it has its moments. There's a couple of block pushing exercises, some adrenaline- inducing breakable tile runs, a moderately tight timed run and a nice little quest for a few keys. A pity that the final safe tile jumping sequence seemed to rely more on trial and error than luck, though. Still, a quite solid effort for an early release." - Ryan

"I really can't imagine that there is also the possibility to play soundtracks on PC within TR1 system . Everything was cunningly designed , and the textures from TR4 made the game way better ! Thanks ." - Mehrbod

"As this is arguably one of the very first TR1 levels it really stands out in my opinion. Game play is simplistic with the normal mob of enemies you encounter in the original but there is a timed run that Virus Inside provides detailed instructions in his/her walk through when all you need to do is run jump grab and be quick about it. Some of the textures were paper thin and if you got Lara at the right angle you could actually "see" into the adjoining room behind said wall. The object of this level is yes, it can be done but it also provides you with a half decent raid in the bargain. Short level of 15-20 minutes but definitely have a look if you are interested in the real start of the custom level phenomenon." - Torry

"This one has nice puzzles and shows the authors creativity. The gameplay is a straightforward running into a room, solving it's puzzle and entering the next one. There are tomb raider 4 textures being used, which gives an old custom level with the TR1-engine a nice look. Something confusing were the 3D-pickups (magnum bullets) lying on the ground of a room, that Lara can't pick up. It is worth taking a look in this level, it is short but quite fun!" - Nuri

"A fairly decent level, especially when considering it was made with the TR1 engine. There are a few tricky parts including a timed door and falling tiles. The textures suit the concept but they do get monotonous after a while, and it would have been nice for the builder to put more effort into hiding the magnums and shotgun, to make for a bit of a challenge. It also could have been just a little bit longer, but overall this is a good old-school level and I would recommend it." - Ejecta

"Fenician Temple, Pascal's second attempt at Tomb Raider I custom level creation, featuring an attractive texture tile set, a large number of antagonising animals, a couple of simplistic puzzles and most importantly of all, a finish trigger. Lara's guns will surely be hot after this raid, as there is quite the collection of animals to needlessly slaughter, as many as six in the second room alone. I found the level design overall rather linear as it adapted the typical find- the-key-for-the-locked-door philosophy. Speaking of questionable level design the room housing Pierre needs to be revised. I say this because if, like me, you were too hasty and went for the key first you are stuck and have no way of getting down safely. So if you didn't backup your saves then you have to restart the whole level. I later discovered the only way to avoid certain death from the spikes below is to lug a movable block all the way to the other side of one of the longest rooms I have ever seen. Another one of my frustrations of playing this level was the area with the lions and the timed door, if you were a bit slow and ended up behind the door when it closes you were thrown out of map, unable to do anything. In summary, a huge improvement to Pascal's previous work but nothing to go crazy about. A 5-8 minute level with nice looking textures and lots of enemies to kill, worth a look if your after a quick and easy raid." - Useless-_-Assassin

"This level has more gameplay and things to do than the first ones. There are keys to find which have to be collected by solving some puzzles, like with movable blocks, a jumping sequence to avoid death triggers, a timed run, and more. Enemies are lions, gorillas, crocodiles and Pierre. Also rats but they are underwater and it seemed like they were trying to get out. I don't know why the pack of 6 magnum clips couldn't be picked up. Recommended." - alan

"Great TR1-level from year 2000. Puzzles are quite median and there is not big troubles to finish level. There are quite lot of lions so you have to have lot of ammon. There is also a timed run to do. I love so much TR1-style." - vienna

"This one has more to do than his first one and isn't half bad. The hunt for keys is your goal here. Killing some animals (always feel bad about that) and pushing some blocks. There is even a timed run to do. Also jumping over tiles but the logic for that puzzle evades me big time. You can't compare it with what is made to day but for an oldie... nice one." - Gerty

"This level is actually not half bad when you take into account the age of the level. Some actual thought went into it and it's the first TR1 custom level I've played that didn't completely feel like a monotonous test level. Pretty cool and I think people should check it out just for historic TRLE interest. You'll have some baddies to take care of and a few puzzles/challenges to tackle, overall not a difficult level though" - droogie

"Now, this may have been the first "actual" TR1 custom level, and it's not half bad! The quality of the textures really stand out as they're actually far more detailed than the original game, it's amazing the engine can actually handle it. Gameplaywise it has you running back and forth in search of a few keys in very logical trap/puzzle rooms, all bar one of which would be the colored panels floor. I am not entirely sure there's any logic to it behind sheer trial and error, but Tsveti's got you covered with her walkthrough should you stand up for the challenge. 15 minutes. 12/15" - Treeble

"Although never more than adequate as far as visuals were concerned,this small adventure kept me surprisingly absorbed right up until a couple of minutes before the end. The combination of effective (and devious) enemy placement;good use of moveable blocks;some neat collapsible platform jumping;a tight timed run,and a hunt for several keys ensured that everything zipped along nicely.What spoiled it was the final 'trial-and-error' jump sequence,which bore neither rhyme nor reason.Nonetheless,when you consider that this was built a full six months before the official Level Editor was even released,then what you have here is a surprisingly enjoyable and competant level that was unquestionably ahead of its time.Definitely worth checking out." - Orbit Dream

"Another level from the old days. I noticed that "Denderah" by The Quad is almost an exact copy of this level with many rooms being exactly the same except for using the TR2 Engine instead, i didn't know that when i wrote the review for it. For being an old level it actually has some pretty decent gameplay involving pushing a block over spikes, a jump sequence over collapsible tiles, deadly tiles room where you have to figure out which tiles are safe or not (Found no clues) and a timed run through a door which i found a bit odd. He used textures from TR4 which most TR1 level builders don't use so it's nice to see something different although it's pretty monotonous for the most part. Recommended !!!" - totizedger

"A surprisingly decent level to play here, despite its age. Much like Venus Vulture's 'Tomb of the Vulture', this release also uses high quality textures from TR4(in conjunction with traditional TR1 textures in this case), but unlike that other level, this one handles it a lot better. Gameplay is pretty simple, amounting to you completing a series of tricky challenges(from jumping over the correct collapsible tiles to guessing which fancy texture isn't really a death trigger) in order to get some keys to open doors needed to progress, on top of killing off plenty of crocs, lions, gorillas and a few rats that get in your way. Unfortunately, not everything is done well here, as the level design is rather boxy and the atmosphere is pretty flat throughout. Overall however, this is still one level that is worth at least a shot." - Ceamonks890

"An entertaining level worth to play. One of the very first custom levels created with the unofficial editor, I found several interesting ideas like the pushblocks puzzle or the task with block and spikes. Unfortunately also there are some situations with the collapsible tiles where you'll have to reload if you don't do the tasks properly; also I couldn't understand the hint to know what the safe tiles were in the room with deadly floor. Definitively a good attemp from the creator of the unofficial editor to show to the TR fans some things they can do with his software." - Jose

"This is a surprisingly good level for an old TR1 offering. OK, playing in DOSbox does nothing to help the experience, but the gameplay is actually quite sophisticated for a level of its age, with some nice use of blocks and timed elements, as well as collapsing tiles and a variety of enemies to deal with. An interesting glimpse into the early days." - Jay

"Definitely a fantastic level for the early days of custom levels, but nothing overly remarkable or outstanding. Collect some keys, solve some one-noted puzzles, and fight enemies in sporadic droves. Everything is fairly solid on the whole, but individual rooms feel like isolated challenges, as opposed to being part of one grand level. The textures are varied, but are monotonous within each isolated room. Still, not a bad creation for an early-day, TR1 custom experience." - Xela

"Couldn't decide how to rate this level but it's decent from point of being rather old. Different textures used, some traps and puzzles of average difficulty, even timed run and spikes. It has rather pleasant gameplay and you can try it if you want to feel a bit nostalgic with TR 1 but it lacks objects and rooms seem to be empty. Overall not bad level and it's playable." - Casual Raider

"I occasionally do struggle when reviewing older levels, whether I am doing so with a touch of presentism, i.e. judging it from modern day standards. But if we consider the standards of those days to be the original games - there still is little excuse for large, empty rooms, haphazard texturing, almost non-existent lighting, and random assortment and placement of objects. True, this shines most where gameplay is concerned with a couple of formidable opponents, jumps and collapsible tile runs, a movable block puzzle and a deadly floor puzzle (though I failed to see any logic or pattern in this one), but it all feels more like a glorified assault course rather than a proper adventure when all is said and done. I did like the camera hint showing you a switch you might otherwise miss when rushing off over the collapsible tiles. I much prefer the later iterations in the "Fenician Temple" series, but this one has its merit in the right mindset too." - eTux

"Indeed the architecture and part of the gameplay were used in the Denderah level (I didn't know that while playing the mentioned game) but made with the TR 1 engine, which isn't exactly my favourite, but this game really has its moments with pushblock puzzles, a few traps and a timed run, varied (but not really coherent) enemy usage and atile puzzle that I only figured out with the walkthrough as I don't think there was a hint for the safe tiles. Texturewise there were mistakes but it's okay-ish throughout; the rooms were way too boxy through and lighting rather bland. I hit the finish trigger after only 15 minutes of duration but it was still a level that can be enjoyed - even if rather sparsely." - manarch2

"Pretty straightforward level with some easy tasks. Collecting keys, some shooting, some jumps to avoid death triggers, and a block to push.(and it'll be veeeery long, just like in Example Level...) Otherwise, I loved the colorful texturing. This level is very good entertainment if you're bored." - rtrger

"Aha! So this is the basis for the first half of The Quad's "Denderah." As the foundation for a longer level this is good, showing much basic TR1 play with simple puzzles, movable blocks, timed doors, collapsing tiles, lions, apes, and swimming with crocodiles. Though I have to say, having played "Denderah," that it killed any surprises in "Fencian Temple 1." There is a deadly patterned floor at the end, with Lara having to jump to safe floor tiles, but here the pattern of safe tiles seems different in each row. I could never never figure out how players are supposed to know which tile are safe. Worth a look as a Turbo Pascal level." - dmdibl

"It was the first level around 2000, when the TREditor projects are released. One Hondurasian fan started this "avalanche", he created the editor itseft, and another 1-2 handy utility too, and this level too. Later people connected for these projects, and this project stand still today too. If you are a fan, don't miss it!" - Obig

"A reasonably solid effort with some thinking that went into a few puzzles, as you get to push a block into a spikefield, solve another block puzzle, manage a timed run and a 'jump across the right tiles' room. After about 20 minutes you will have collected the respective keys and opened the doors you need to open. Enemies are a few apes, crocs, lions and good old Pierre makes an appearance, too." - MichaelP