Level reviews

"Part 2 of this level is absolutely amazing. It kept me hooked and was enjoying every bit of the game. It's a big hub level that is quite complex but it is not too confusing and it is done properly.I think enemies placement can be frustrating to some people at times (it was not really for me). However, there is more than enough supplies. A lot of fun platforming and nice ideas throughout the level. Interesting architecture and really good texturing, there are only certain places where the texturing is questionable at best. Lighting is solid as well, some places appear to be too dark but there's a lot of flares. It's one of those early levels that is really solid despite its time. Recommended!" - Mahetus

"There are some custom levels that truly gives the sense of tomb raiding that the original games give. This level is one of such levels. We have a big Valley of the King-ish complex here, and have to explore and traverse in and under every part of it to find the items needed to move forward, and then have a pretty chaotic, apocalyptic battle, take the artefact, and get the heck out. Very enjoyable, balanced difficulty, exciting platforming, excellent stuff. The only part I disliked were the collapsing ceilings because there was no way that I could discern that hinted they were going to crash, which means unmarked death tiles to me. Though I guess you could roll two times to dodge them safely, that is tough to do with undead knights, Tulun boss, and two dragons breathing down your neck. Recommended." - Nomad

"A really outstanding classic level that might seem intimidating at first but its really not. Even after two decades of its release i'd say it has a lot of remarkable bits all through the gameplay. Firstable, this is not a very difficult level, it's actually pretty simple to go through, level jumps aren't confusing as you pretty much just need to go only twice to the second level. There's everything here, traps, enemies, puzzles and a bit of platforming. Enemies are the hardest part I'd say, even to the point some sections are harder than the final fight. Atmosphere is good too and cameras are well placed, even though I'd say lighting is too dark at times but luckily the author gave enough flares (he gave enough items in general). Overall, a good classic level which is also pretty accessible but with its challenging spots. Glad to have finished without any help in 1:30 hours." - Neltharion

"I couldn't finish this level due to its complexity. I think it dragged for too long and some areas were plain confusing. You were also travelling from one level to another, and I don't like this kind of levels where you must revisit a place over and over. But I can understand if it was fun for some, because the platforming sections were good." - alan

"A solid TRLE with a lot of action, platforming and traps although if one is looking for some good puzzles then they will be sorely dissapointed because there are only a few sections of puzzles (2 or 3) and even calling them puzzles is an overstatement since it's clear from the start what you gotta do, on the other hand the level has a really good pace to it with a lot of tricky platforming, good usage of traps and enemy placements (although there were 1 or 2 spots where the enemies are placed quite annoyingly in an unfair way in my opinion). I appreciated the sections where the flairs were really usefull (because of how dark the areas were) and there is even a nice dank labyrinth as well half way through that has a nice horror-ish atmosphere to it. Object placement is good for the most part however I have to criticise the ending section where the level just dumps a lot of ammo there even though it's useless since the only enemies you'll encounter at that point are just invulnerable/unkillable ones, so I don't know why the builder put so much ammo pointlessly considering that then the TRLE just ends. This is a really old level, it uses only assets from TR4 but the builder combined those assets in a clever way to make a good looking and working TRLE. It took me 2.5 hours to finish this one, so if you wanna see a good level made from a time when builders didn't have as many resources as they do now in order to build TRLEs, then I definitely recommend this one if you like action filled TRLEs and don't mind the lack of head scratching puzzles." - Cruzader

"Absolutely brilliant. Everything a good raid should be and more. I really liked that you could follow any path as they all returned to the center chasm upon completion so that the player was not forced to do things in a certain order. Atmosphere was grand and I spent just over two glorious hours here. Found four secrets." - Torry

"This is really impressive for an old level. A strong point is undoubtedly the atmosphere, aided by the dramatic reddish lighting, particularly in the outside areas. The gameplay is also excellent, with some fun puzzles, agility tests, block puzzles and a boss ending with a dragon (and accompanying locusts). 90 minutes of brilliant entertainment. Don't miss it!" - Ryan

"Wow, I really had forgotten what an excellent level this is. The atmosphere is amazing and the action nonstop. Puzzles, fun (and occasionally quite challenging) traps, a good mix of enemies, interesting agility tests - it's all here and it should keep you well entertained for over two hours. The boss ending with the hammer god, dragons and locusts can certainly take a toll on Lara's health (even with the saving and reloading trick those damn locusts aren't to be put off), but you should by that time have amassed more than sufficient medipacks to cope. Highly recommended." - Jay

"Let's go into the hell on earth. I'm really curious if this indeed an really infernal job is, or if one can lie down on the job. The level beginning makes, in any case, properly fun. A cave, a lake with deadly hot water, a harpy, a skeleton and a few crumbling tiles prove an interesting mixture. But nothing is as bad as it looks. Lara finds fast enough weapons and ammunition and can send the bad boys back into the hell. Short time later I was in a really brilliant cave. There lava flows down and only a handful of block can one enter. But one cannot stay, because as soon as one enters a block, a block falls down from above. Therefore one must in one go up to the top. I already notice, this is obviously a level completely after my taste. And it was really a level after my taste. OK, it goes constantly to and fro. And back and forth. And the inclined player must visit many places several times. And numerous opponents existed. But it was never unfair or so difficult that one could not have solved the job. Well, up to one place. It is not so entertaining if Lara must do a monkey swing over a hole and at the same time constantly a Demigod shoots on her. However, this was the only irritating place. Otherwise was this Tomb Raiding as it's best. Most rooms looked very good, although one could see a stretched texture here and there. In rare cases a sound was absent and one animation was wrong. But on the whole this is a level which every player must absolutely have played. And remember: Nothing is as bad as it looks." - Scottie

"Really good this level. A settomb-type with an excelent design and a lot of tasks to do. Great ambience but a bit dark for my taste, good architecture and puzzles with all kind of enemies to shoot from the very beginning (try to find the secrets for extra stuff). You'll jump many times from level to level so, it's easy get disoriented but if you explore the areas you'll not have to retrace your steps many times. There are some tricky tasks but not too much hard; a lot of jumps and all kind of movements to avoid clever traps and lava pits. I found uzi ammo but not the uzis so I think they would be in one of the secrets I couldn't discover. This is a really infernal level!, but very enjoyable. Fantastic work." - Jose

"Another fiendish level! This one has such a flowing gameplay that it cannot be expressed by words. Everything you can imagine for custom levels you will find in this one, from the rather usual Settomb-WAD opening to the final showdown with the two dragons and the minotaur. I personally hated the wading bits, especially because there were always some giant scarabs to push you into the deadly water thus forcing you to use weapons other than pistols (but don't worry -- you get plenty of pickups in this one). The quest apparently can be performed in any order you desire, or as you find the temples hidden around this chasm, which I thought was just brilliant. Well, I just can't commend this enough! 100 minutes, 4 secrets. 08/07" - Treeble

"Here's another Hall of Famer that I had somehow missed. It's a wonderful gaming experience that consumed about two and a half hours of net gaming time. Although challenging in spots, particularly the closing battle sequence where you must deal with a hammergod and two locust-spewing dragons at the same time, it was not at all unfair to the player. I did encounter one glitch where a puzzle piece refused to be pushed over an active flameblower tile, but Val fixed me up with a savegame so I could proceed. There are a number of places where you appear to warp to a different level, but they all had the same name in my load game screen. Play it if you haven't already done so. Highly recommended." - Phil

"This level has very nice visuals and a lot of good atmosphere. It also features nice jumps puzzles and enemies. Unfortunately quite a lot of the enemies were of the invincible kind which is strange considering the amount of ammo you are given. It has to be said that there is one misleading part of this level and that is the bit where you get to a lava/glass wall room with seemingly nothing in it. The object you need will appear guarded by a demigod later on but it felt weird being allowed to do some quite complex things to get to an area that (the first time at least) had no point to it. Still I liked this level a lot and I'm sure anyone else who plays it will too. Well done Harly! It took me 2 hours and 15 minutes and I found 4 secrets." - gfd

"For my money one of the best custom levels ever. Plenty of action and some serious challenges - you don't dare take anything for granted. I loved every minute of it and wish the author would do more." - Duncan

"What an oddity. Like Monika and Percys I wasn't sure about this level at first - I found several of the puzzles very hard to complete. But once I'd settled into it it just got more and more enjoyable. I had most difficulty with the lava slope/crushers and that room with the submerged path where the harpies and big beetles kept pushing Lara into the lava filled water pools. Both of these frustrated me almost to the point of giving up and yet I persevered and overcame. What a sense of achievement and relief. :-) After approximately 3 hours of game time (nearer 12 hours in real time) I finished it and now look back on a remarkable adventure. I have always been an eternal beginner which may explain the difficulties experienced at points but it is well worth the effort to escape through that final gate. Excellent level. And many thanks to Dutchy for the walkthrough which saved my sanity on more than one occasion." - Staticon

"Valley of the Hell 2 drove me crazy when I first played it almost two years ago. I never knew where I was or where I was supposed to be going. I finished the game and made a note to myself that the game was from crap. The me who played Valley of the Hell 2 in 2001 was a schmuck and a pretty poor 'raider'. This is a great level. I played it today right after 'Hell 1' and was impressed with the flow of the game - I always knew where I was and where I should go next (having played it before was a big help). Once again Harly tests Lara's jumping skills while really challenging your ability to think very quickly as jumps lead to jumps lead to enemies lead to jumps etc. There is a cute block puzzle that was so simple I was sure I did it incorrectly and spent 20 minutes redoing it VERY differently to learn I was sorely duped! Another way I was almost duped was in how easy it was to build up medical packs. Because of the jumping from level to level - there are six in all I think - Lara never has to use health packs. Then came level six! Three fierce enemies none of which you can kill. You can save the game at crucial times and make the ending easy or you can fight. If you fight you'll need lots of health packs. I prefer to fight it's more fun! This is a really good game. I highly recommend it to even the better raiders." - Dougsan

"Almost another keyboard gone to smithereens what a level. I played this over a long period of time as I had a hard time locating the necessary items to proceed. Don't come asking as I for sure don't know most of it anymore. There is so much happening in these levels. You'll meet every enemy there is out there and you cover many miles as well. There is a lot of very tricky jumping to do with collapsible tiles burners traps moving blocks and a timed run over lava with blocks coming out of the ceiling. And then of course the enemies. They had me jumping in my chair almost through the game. There could have been a bit more camera work that would have saved me some running. Most of the time I didn't know where I was as you will find shortcuts and suddenly you have a deja vu you've been there before and suddenly you know where to go. This level is not easy so be prepared to spent a lot of time playing this one. Found 5 secrets and I thought they were the things easiest to find. 07-01-2003" - Gerty

"No rest for the wicked! 2:10 hours of pure fun net gaming time here in a setting that at times truly conveys a hellish atmosphere from one lava cave to the next. It sounds so simple: Get two halves of a cartouche two guardian keys a Gate key a hand and near the end four golden stars and finally the amulet and get out but Harly lets you work hard for it without it ever becoming too frustrating. He nicely makes you go back and forth between the two levels so it really plays as only one. There are plenty of enemies around (scorpions dogs skeletons harpies many pesky wasps giant scorpions sharks ninjas in red and white mummies knights beetles bats wraiths ahmets demigods and at the end the hammergod and two dragons for the grande finale). But they come in low counts and thanks to all the pickups you also get are fairly easily dealt with. I found five secrets (usually pickups accompanied by a golden rose) and simply loved the progression as you master jumps ropes spikes boulders a bit of target shooting timed runs torch puzzle pushing objects around with the help of raising blocks - some maybe a little too tedious as you need to do things four times but not as much to really hurt the excellent gameplay. This is great raiding! Try it out for yourself!" - Michael

"A very dark level fortunately with enough flares. Still though there were areas pitch black not my liking. Nevertheless it's a very good level quite tricky as to find the items you seek for. Guardian keys a hand and many traps will keep you busy in big areas with lava rocks that hide entrances to new areas and it doesn't stop here. The movable objects from Semerket's level are used and a lot more that would spoil the fun if I was to write them all here. The secrets are not hard to find but maybe a little difficult to get them. The enemies are skeletons harpies sharks and a demigod. I liked the way the crowbar and laser-sight were found they are not hidden so as to run around hopeless and search for them. It would be too much anyway because the level's difficulty is above medium. There was one thing though that puzzled me at the area which you need to use the revolver to shoot some targets high up Lara has something like a string on the left side like a puppet that continued until the end and only if I reloaded in those areas after the first part. The level is divided in two parts but it's not confusing it's done nicely. Play it but never in daylight." - Kristina

"If I believed in Hell this is what I would imagine it looked like. From the pools of hot molten lava to the blood red color in the sky - just looking at this place makes you want to change your ways and be good from now on. Though my time at the end said only two hours had passed I spent probably four getting through the level - reloading after the many times I died or looking everywhere for what to do next. It's really a large level and at times I was unsure where to go - I agree with Doug that there needs to be some more camera work here. It takes a while to look around too as it's not just running from room to room but each area is separated by its own obstacle course to traverse. I reached the receptacle for the hand early on and spent quite some time wondering where it was. In my travels I saw swinging blades evil dogs ahmets giant scorpions and beetles sharks harpies mummies undead knights spike traps boulder traps rope swings deep chasms difficult jumps blind slides into traps and finally ended up in a room with a Hammer God and two giant fire/locust breathing dragons! This was quite an adventure - just be ready to do a lot of exploring and save a lot. Secrets:2" - RaiderGirl

"I abandoned this ages ago because in the second part I had no loading screen and as you can surely imagine you die a lot in Hell. However now I continued from my old savegames and this time I got a loading screen. Which makes it worse in a way as I feel really incompetent and we can't have that. Boy what a great adventure this is. A most thrilling gameplay that is linear in a non linear way. Meaning you have to master five very tricky branches to reach the grand final but you can choose which one you wanna do first. It seems very complex at times however you won't get stuck if you pay attention to your surroundings which I did not on one occasion. There are heaps of really challenging jumps in here some clever puzzles and a most ingenious placement of enemies. It all climaxes in a frantic pillar jumping sequence while two dragons a hammer good and the swarms of locusts try to make sure that you don't get out of there alive. I wonder if Lara is supposed to reach the finishing trigger on fire as I entered this room with 21 small and 12 big medi packs (since you constantly go back and forth between levels your health is restored all the time). But then I noticed that if you save shortly before the thunderball hits you and reload the savegame the fire disappears and you have few seconds before the dragon strikes again. But why am I telling you this? Let me rather wallow in the brilliant gameplay that leads you from one exciting task to the other. This hellish quest is filled to the brim with traps action health hazards nasty surprises so that I was really grateful to do a bit of harmless (if tedious) object pushing in between. There are so many highlights in here too numerous to mention but I particularly liked the torch puzzle where you have to do the whole procedure in the presence of a very noisome swarm of beetles and just when you think you're getting there a giant wasp attacks which has you instinctively reach for your pistols so the torch drops into the water. And then you have to start all over once the mean insect is taken care of. The rooms are most impressive especially the main outside area where the four trailheads are located and the penultimate hall that you have to climb up through is just totally awesome. Well to cut a long story short more than two hours of blood curdling suspense with some very inventive ideas and therefore an absolute must for every serious raider." - Dimpfelmoser

"An awesome level with every sort of jump and sequence possible in great numbers. I nearly gave up on a jump series where blocks fell on you if you paused but finally got through by saving in suitable places in the sequence. A hand of Sirius was particularly difficult to find as it was where I thought I had passed before only this time a demigod was holding it. I looked again in another area for the hand and found a Gold Rose on a pillar where before there was none. This is a level to be played by all." - Fairy Godfather

"For me two absolute point levels here everything is demanded of Lara jump combinations climbs shimmy monkey... The puzzles are very well thought through - Lara really has much to do to reach some puzzle pieces and artifacts. She returns to places she has been to before. The textures were good especially the environment where Lara was was set in scene very well. The atmosphere was here really good because it provided some tension and much action there are numerous opponents among them ninjas baddies giant scorpions mummies and skeletons. But particularly at the end itself Lara has to deal with two giant dragons and needs to divert the hammerman that is not so simple at all but there are many medipacks and ammo to find. Secrets - I found 3 golden roses and I can only say this is Tombraider purely :))" - Engelchen Lara

"What a level! This is a fantastic 2 hours non stop action and puzzle packed feast that went from strength to strength ending in a stunning and epic confrontation with 2 giant lizards and a hammer pounding demigod that felt very much like the boss endings in TR3 only better. I don't even know where to start describing this level there are almost one of every kind of enemy although they never intrude into gameplay and are placed perfectly adding an exciting element there are brilliant puzzles such as all kinds of movable objects (some being smashed apart and some involving mirrors and lasers) a heart pounding timed run on a lava lake as blocks slam down from overhead and so many more fantastic traps that will involve some precise moves to make it through and a great environment to play in with special mention to the gorgeous central lava canyon with 3 craggy rock pillars sprouting from its depths. It's not often I come across a level that I find entertaining in every sense and when I come close they are either a little too difficult making me seek help a bit too much for my liking or too simple that I breeze through them and this one had me doing neither the gameplay in this level is just perfect keeping the pace going but never letting me become nonchalant. Please download and play this one because it really is wonderful!" - Sash

"This level sure keeps you busy all the way. And you should be lucky if you have time to breathe in the last scene! ;-) Tricks and traps and enemies of all kind all through the game. This is a 'mustplay level'. Have fun!" - G.Croft

"This is one mother of a level. It has something for everyone! Puzzles foul tempered bad guys fire and brimstone and so on. The game started off leaving me wondering if I was going to get lost and never finish because of its vast proportions. But I didn't have time to worry cause the baddies and booby traps kept my mind off things. I only downmarked cause I felt there should have been a little more camera work but all in all a brilliant level." - Doug E

"These levels are very good and challenging. The enemies are well placed and the two dragons and one cow in the end made it more challenging. The texturing was good but I found it a little boring. The lighting is good; a little dark in places but still good. I have ended the levels in 1 hour and 43 minutes and I recommend everyone who likes lava (who doesn't?) to play them." - Magnus

"I made sure I played Valley of Hell 1 before Hell 2 and I am glad I did because it made me appreciate just how far Harly has progressed with making TR levels what a huge difference. This is easily a must play huge level. There is an amazing variety of puzzles (some very difficult like jumping on squares surrounded by lava while trying not to get squashed) and excellent variety of enemies. Some of the enemies appear when you would least expect them but that makes for a surprise and great gameplay. In hell you might expect quite a few skeletons but thankfully Harly didn't overdo them - was good to blow up enemies other than skeletons. I didn't kill any of the sharks (nice to see) as I am all for 'save the sharks'. Atmosphere and Sound etc was great could of maybe been a little more scary being hell? There wasn't a lot of camera work but there didn't need to be - there isn't any of this hit lever and wonder what the hell it did. Progression is quite natural although I did get to one area before I was supposed to and was stumped for a while until I went back there when I was meant to as such. Lighting and textures were also very good maybe could of done with a bit more variety in some of the textures underground - but hey I don't think hell would be any different!" - Nutman

"If you don't like puzzles of the really hard variety then don't bother with this level. Some of the jump sequences are awesome. When you sigh with relief at completing a section up jumps another to get you going again. There are enough enemies of a large variety (including those dratted mossies and beetles) to keep even the hardened shooter going. What a level spread over a wide platform a must for the hardened level player." - Whistle

"This level looks stunning just when you think you have finished it you are spoilt with yet more enjoyment. There are some really good puzzles in this level most of the puzzles are fairly straightforward but again at times you have to be pixel perfect and fast. There are probably every kind of baddie in this level from Scorpions and scarabs to Guardians and giant serpents that spit locusts. Had the puzzles been a bit more cryptic then Harly Wuson would have a 10 for game play and puzzles. Then if the puzzles were more difficult he could have utilised the camera work more without giving the game away. I liked the way he combined 2 levels to make one giant level. You can probably guess that I am finding it hard to criticise this level and rightly so it was fantastic and I enjoyed every minute of it. Well-done Harly." - Jason

"At first when I started the game I thought not too much of it. Just too many obstacles right at the start. The longer I played the more I liked being in the Valley of Hell. The title is sort of misleading or the author's idea of hell being situated in Egypt. There are some interesting puzzles to solve difficult parts to pass and nasty and annoying enemies to get rid of. I just mention the part where you have to jump over squares in a lava filled room and blocks are falling from above to squash Lara if she just hesitates for a moment. There are plenty of different enemies. Sometimes they come in a very awkward moment like for instance the giant beetles pushing Lara from a ledge or so. At the end there is a big showdown with the hammer pounding man running around and giant lizards and swarms of locusts. But Lara will make it and take with her home (or wherever) a Horseman's Gem. My way through the 2 levels was not a straight one and so it took me 3 1/2 hour (statistics) and I found 4 secrets." - Monika

"Lara in hell. A nice idea and I was rather curious when I started the level especially as I had read the quite enthusiastic reviews. After 45 minutes I wasn't curious anymore in fact I began to hate the level. Traps and baddies everywhere Lara couldn't hardly rest and I found no time to breathe. I don't like that I am more of the 'exploring kind'. Finally I was about to give in because I couldn't make the jump across the lava-pit (with the columns coming down from the ceiling). A friend sent me a savegame and persuaded me to give it another chance. Now I am glad I did because after a while the gameplay became more interesting. Still too many annoying traps for my taste but now they were compensated by some beautiful rooms and fine puzzles at least. A good level for everyone who likes lotsa straight action." - Percys

"Achtung! This is a red-hot chili level! From the beginning until the end you will have to face many enemies of every kind and avoid devilish traps in a torrid and frightening atmosphere. Textures are beautiful some are taken from the burial tomb of Semerkhet some are custom but they are mostly from Settomb. The gameplay is intense fluent and not completely linear. The puzzles are nice and not too difficult they permit you to have a little rest for a while before another hardcore sequence of speed action. More cam sequences would not have been useful as you never get lost here but a nice flyby or two would have been great putting the seal of perfection on the atmosphere/sound/camera slot. I have found 6 secrets used 21 medipacks (!) and 3 hours of net gaming. This hell is really not a place to spend your vacations and you will feel the breathe of the dragons on your neck. Would anyone have a glass of fresh water please?" - eRIC

"Amazing! 2.5 hours of never ending action! You get to fight swarms of all enemy kinds! Maybe there were too much of them but at least you get enough ammo and weapons to fight 'em all. Even a crossbow with enough ammo would have been enough for the whole 2 levels. Most of the rooms were full of ammo. A very big mistake was to place baddies in secrets. Secrets are supposed to be reward for going through the trouble of finding them not more frustration! While talking about secrets I found 3 of who knows how much. The level was designed very well and you always had something to do. It wasn't too hard though the only place I got stuck for a while was the place where the first underwater switch is. In my opinion this level isn't hard but definitely NO beginner level. There were some challenges that a newbie to Tomb Raider couldn't pass. The textures were cleverly chosen for the rocks and outside areas but I wouldn't imagine an Egyptian tomb in hell or an Egyptian tomb as hell. Some more custom textures would have been nice. Like pentagrams skulls and bones would fit perfect in this level. And the enemies could have been retextured more 'frightening' it's hell after all! Lava in some places wasn't nice too it could have been lightened up a bit. But the idea of hell was nice and quite well made the atmosphere was perfect. The sky was good but would have looked better in a blood red color. The thunder and lightning gave extra points to atmosphere; it's good that they were added in the level. It was quite disappointing that I went through hell and back and at the end got an amulet called "Horsemans gem". The final bosses were chosen good the Minotaur cost me some med-packs with this damn hammer and the giant dragons burned me sometimes and their locusts annoyed me to the end of this tough enjoyable level." - eTux

"This is a great level which really captures the spirit of Tomb Raider and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys some seriously challenging puzzles and a lot of action. It's not really for beginners because some of the trickier puzzles and action sequences almost fly off the end of the frustration scale. In particular I'll mention here (as someone else already has) the bit where there are blocks falling from the ceiling in a lava-room. Lara can't take a breath here - even a one second pause will result in certain death. I can't tell you how stressed out that part made me feel! In this level which incidentally looks absolutely stunning you'll meet multitudes of enemies and you'll have to make your brain work overtime too. But that's definitely no bad thing. If you're up to the challenge download 'Valley of the Hell 2' now and prepare to enjoy two hours' worth of prime raiding." - Bex