Level reviews

"A very short adventure. The ending is very abrupt as well. You fight some guards, dinosaurs and white tigers that sound like dogs when dying (lol). I liked the rapid-fire crossbow disguised as an MP5, it was a cool weapon to make the battles more interesting. I wish it would've been a bit longer, though." - alan

"One of my favorite films was certainly an inspiration for this short level, so I had to play it. I don't regret it, it was fun.

The level is too short and the story does not play out at all, ending abruptly with no artefact in sight. The level requires a lot of improvement, especially in developing the storyline and the visuals.

Still, thank you to SilentViper for sharing his charming little level. Congratulations on keeping me hooked until the untimely ending!" - MigMarado

"Some outdoor pastures, a large underground base with caged dinosaurs...I do get the Jurassic Park vibes here. Unfortunately it's still lacking in the immersion department due to the simple geometry, wallpapered textures, and ambient-only lighting (except a neat tunnel that effectively uses yellow bulbs). The gameplay is also lean, mostly consisting of using one key after another, with some raptors and gaurds in between to provide some combat (and a lot of HK ammo!). Not a bad start for this premise, with a lot of molding it could be a cool adventure. 15 minutes." - JesseG

"SilentViper was a rather prolific builder in the early years of TRLE whose levels were all shooters and received mostly middling reviews, not so much because they were shooters, but because they were not very good shooters; and that not so much because of the limited combat capabilities of the TR engine (lacking though they obviously are when compared to engines developed for that purpose), but because he was one of the foremost proponents of the - that'll do' approach to levelbuilding.
This approach is evident in the level under consideration (the builder's second) from the very first room, which is nothing but a large flat surface surrounded by illegal slopes and invitations for you to go and spot the end of the world. The rest of the level continues in this manner, as it takes the form of a string of oversized, discontinuous rooms which is eventually cut off at an arbitrary point. Although the wad has been customised, the builder asks players to simply rename the provided .TOM file before compilation, so it comes as no surprise that the sounds are off: the customised crossbow looks like a submachine gun but continues to sound like a crossbow, while the raptors are entirely silent except when they bite, in which case they sound like doors. Not that there are a lot of opportunities to hear that sound though, as when you eventually get to meet them, the odds are stacked in your favour so much that you can only feel sorry for these magnificent creatures. The title notwithstanding, your main enemies are not dinosaurs anyway: that honour goes to the soldiers imported from VCI, whose presence is unexplained in-game - outside the game, the builder obviously thought there wouldn't be enough shooting without them - , and who are often implausibly triggered in your back (as in the very first room); this isn't one step up from enemies suddenly appearing out of thin air, it's a version of it. There are also regular guards whose function, however, is unclear, as they don't seem to contribute to the gameplay in other than decorative capacities. Even less clear is why the builder thought it was a good idea to throw a few white tigers into the mix, especially when they bark (and otherwise behave) like dogs.
When it doesn't involve shooting, gameplay can be spectacularly uninspired: in one instance, the builder makes you climb down into a deep pit only to make you go up a very long ladder at the other end of it. On the other hand, this level features an excellent scene near the end, in which Lara goes down an inclined tunnel while a dynamic flyby shows a raptor approaching from around the corner (to be honest, it didn't play out exactly like that in my case: the raptor showed up only after the flyby, perhaps because I hadn't killed everything that moved; but I'll give the builder the benefit of the doubt here). This goes to show that the builder is fully capable of creating interesting gameplay moments in an atmospheric and well-lit environment - it's just that most of the time he can't be bothered; that'll do." - Mulf

"On a whim, I decided to play this one on my own to see how far I could get without a walkthrough. I was pleasantly surprised to make it all the way through in about 20 minutes, having saved but once during the journey. I checked Harry Laudie's walkthrough after the fact and saw that the only thing of importance I missed was going back to the area where the guard was shooting me in the back while I was climbing a ladder. The gap looked too wide to jump across, and I was unable to detect a monkeyswing ceiling, so I moved on. Not the worst level around, but nothing to tax either your mind or playing skills. Just a lot of killing with enemies coming at you in waves. Lighting is good, and I never once thought about lighting a flare. Textures are rather crude, and I'll probably forget all the details by tomorrow." - Phil

"Feels like more of the same if you've played 'Scorpions Nest' before this, only it has raptors that spontaneously combust upon death, white tigers that sound like dogs and some passable lighting in spots. But much like before though, give this one a skip." - Ceamonks890

"There's definitely dinosaurs dotted about, but it feels more like a base level than anything else. Not much in the way of gameplay other than a few gun battles against dinosaurs, giant scorpions, guards (some friendly, some not) and even show leopards. Mainly worth looking at for the custom weaponry and the massed gun battles (if you like that sort of thing)." - Ryan

"More of a shooter than anything else. There are raptors (and tantalising glimpses of giant scorpions through windows) but it doesn't feel very Jurassic, more like a base with a few exotic animals on the loose. The other enemies are guards and snow leopards - all in all a rather eclectic mix. Apart from the general carnage, the gameplay is mainly about picking up shed loads of stuff, but you'll be glad of all the ammo by the end." - Jay

"The level has a nice atmosphere but besides that the redesigned SAS and the slope with yellow lights are the only highlights of this level in my opinion. Not much to do except running and shooting dinos. The base setting in a jungle would be good if it was well applied but the base parts looked crude and empty and there were issues like trees floating on air. It also features the longest pickup in trle history. It will probably be fun for people who like tropical levels with dinosaurs." - Nomad

"Jurassic only for the raptors, but in fact there is a sort of base with some soldiers to shoot, some keys to find and some switches to pull. You can easily reach the end of the world and some objects are floating in midair; I found some extra guns but not enough ammo 'cause the raptors were hard to kill; no puzzles, simple architecture, huge and empty rooms, not properly textured... Sorry but it wasn't worth to play for me." - Jose

"This JurassicPark does not miss Raptor and enemies armed to the teeth. It is an adventure or research remains simple and the arduous fight. Quoted decor it is generally rather poor but textures are applied well, I found very successful the tunnel going down with yellow light and effects of will dope when Raptor breaks. In short, it is a good level for a short instant of relaxation." - Daffy

"Today's lesson: Orbit Dream explains 'Endings'. 'Endings' generally happen at the end of something and signify a definite conclusion (or 'end') to a scenario; a point at which nothing more can or should logically happen. Viz: running toward the daylight in Hokolo's 'Lara's Return' or escaping the collapsing House in Marksdad's 'Beneath'. So many levels I've played recently have come to totally arbitrary conclusions (or 'endings') which do nothing more than leave the player quite dissatisfied even though the rest of the level may have been rather good. This adventure is a classic example. All right so it's rather imperfect throughout but I was enjoying it nonetheless. The atmosphere was rather gripping and occasionally scary; there was a degree of suspense; the dinos were fun. Then she encounters some thugs in a large room shoots them picks up their discarded ammo runs toward a closed door and BAM! The level just stopped. No attempt at a Grande Finale (surely a battle with a T-Rex was in the offing?) or even a proper exit. Still it's enjoyable nonsense all the same." - Orbit Dream

"Not a very good level. Dinos and a setting that gives the idea that the author had in mind to create something like a zoo with danger animals but a level must have puzzles as well. I don't like shoot 'em up levels and mostly all you see are many animals. I would suggest the 'Caribbean' levels for better gameplay." - Kristina

"The first thing you'll notice are missing textures trees floating in the air and the end of the world. Designwise it improves slightly over the next 20 minutes yet the gameplay remains rather dull the whole way through so how anyone can reward this with an almost perfect score is completely incomprehensible to me. He is a strange fellow is our Torry. The six raptors are easily killed from a safe distance (I don't think they do any harm anyway) and Lara actually can move through the flybys. There is an awful long climb an awful long shimmying and you spend the rest of the time picking up ammo killing guards and unlocking a few doors. No jumps no traps no puzzles no challenge; not my kind of level." - Dimpfelmoser

"I can take this level only as a demo. It is only 15 minutes short the indoor rooms look rather bare and there is no real gameplay. There are cages outside but somehow the whole park looks more like a base. Seems like the author just wanted to present us those dinos that were a novelty at that time. Lara has to find some keys to open nearby doors shoot a couple of guys some tigers and those dinos - that's all." - Sheevah

"Well here's a first for me in these levels and hopefully this means the beginning of something a little different fully functioning raptors. This is not a brilliant level nor a great level but there's something special about seeing the raptors and large scorpions inside display cages and then when I had to jump into a large display pit of raptors I was so excited that I just stood and watched them for a while before I went in guns ablazing. The actual game play was quite straightforward find some keys open some doors and kill whatever gets in your way that last thing also included killing fully visored black clad guards and white tigers that barked like dogs....the ultimate in genetic mutations I guess a cat-dog. I finished the level sadly in a little over 25 minutes with one key found in a single raptor cage near the beginning unused." - Sash

"Again a level you have to look at: this time for a few really new enemies: raptors (which are a little tame but die spectacularly) and white tigers (that actually bark like dogs J). The re-dressed guards are also interesting. Gameplay however is quite straightforward and uneventful in the 25 minutes it takes to get through the level and the flyby near the end needs some re-working." - Michael

"Well I don't really care what the other reviewers said about this level because I LOVED IT! From the opening search for the key to get into the complex to the white bengal tiger at the end I had a great time. Highlights for me were the stealth of the raptors. If they stopped moving Lara would not sight her pistols on them (clever). The raptor and giant scorpion enclosures were terrific and later doing battle against the 6 raptors when you entered their cage was great. The ship textures that the author used from the Tomb Raider 2 levels brought some mist to the eye and a host of other wonderful things such as a raptor attacking in the middle of a fly by (when you had no control of Lara). In a word great imagination great new objects and great textures. It in my humble opinion deserves this score." - Torry

"This is a short 20 minutes level that was fun to play. There are raptors that burn when they die white tigers barking around and different guards around. There is a room with a lot of ammo for the HK Gun though I made it only with the pistols. The gameplay is straightforward without any puzzle the texturization is ok but the lighting could be better." - Treeble

"It's fun with a level with raptors but the rest of this level isn't that good. Straight on - some keys and some levers. A few guards and a few raptors (that aren't very aggressive)." - G.Croft

"The highlight of this level is definitely the environment. It looks like something straight out of the Jurassic Park movie with its giant cages housing both raptors and giant scorpions. And of course what fun would it be if you didn't have to battle these creatures from inside their cages even. There is also quite a few guards to shoot but other than that there's not much to do. A few switches to use and a few keys to find and use and that's pretty much the extent of the puzzles. I found one key that I never used and a door at the beginning that I never got open and even playing it twice I never figured it out. Also one area under a walkway seemed to have no point that I could find. This is a short level though and I recommend playing it just to look around at the park and for the cool fly-by that shows a raptor heading straight toward you." - RaiderGirl

"Oh my RAPTORS. It was eerie seeing the first one as it only moved when Lara was moving. I thought what am I going to do as I was not in the mood to just jump in the cage and shoot it. Got it killed from a save distance. The other ones are a different story all together. Got a funny fly by near the end that made me a bit queasy. Gameplay was straight forward and very short but I had fun." - Gerty

"This level is very short but it's fun to see working raptors barking (white) tigers and enemies in new clothes. The texturing is good but the lightning could have used some more work. I ended the level in less than 20 minutes with one key unused. When you start the level don't forget to walk up to the door that will trigger a guard with a key (I ran around for a long time searching for the key)." - Magnus

"If you like killing things creatures or men this level is for you. Quite a short level not a lot of puzzles. Lara is not asked to do any difficult moves." - Fairy Godfather

"Rather a short level. However some good effects and animal creations/mutations and suprise enemies appearing from nowhere. Ending rather abrupt though I had had a crash. Two bugs Lara freezes when shot at by close range machine guns and the fly by near end just kept repeating until you moved through the area." - Whistle