Level reviews

"I found this most atmospheric, not least because of those wonderful, eerie Black Isle sound files. The gameplay moves along briskly, not too demanding, but far from boring – I found it very pleasant and the multiple spike wall run, so reminiscent of the Great Wall, was entertaining. The enemies are guards and dogs, well (and not over) used. All in all, if you fancy a snowy, arctic base adventure of short duration, you certainly could do a lot worse than this one." - Jay

"Somehow reminiscent of both TR2 Gold and TR5, this is a fairly brief but entertaining raid through an atmospheric snowy environment. Yes, some might complain it's too dark, that there's a couple of texture problems, that there's a couple of missing sounds, or that the gameplay isn't extraordinary, but I found it entertaining due to the mostly full ahead gameplay, the brilliant enemy placement, the music and the pleasing construction. It's not destined for classic status, but it definitely provided me with sufficient entertainment while it lasted." - Ryan

"Another good architect, but without good ideas for the gameplay. The architecture is excellent, and also the texturization quite good, but the lighting is too dark for my taste. Always riding with flare in hand is not a very good feature for many players. I was exploring and doing tasks, advancing but always finding dead ends, 'cause the author lets you go on even when you didn't pull the missing wsitches or did the necessary tasks. Conclusion: consult the walkthrough a lot of times, reload a lot of times and repeat tediously the same tasks a lot of times. Worth to play but only if you follow the walkthrough instructions fro the very beginning. Not interesting puzzles here, but only exploring and exploring. :-(" - Jose

"This is essentially a debut level (came out two days after the builder's first release) that displays a firm command of the level editor from someone who was only 14 at the time. Somehow Yoav has managed to pack nearly 45 minutes of gameplay into a half-page walkthrough, but everything is covered quite nicely. There are some perilous runs through spikewall areas, a timed run through a fixed camera field that wasn't too difficult, and three ingeniously placed secrets. It was all rather too dark for me, but that's a minor quibble. It's an entertaining Arctic level that's as good as much of what we see these days with the advantage of the latest tools. Recommended." - Phil

"This very TR2 looking level was rather short but fun to play while it lasted. It starts in an outside area with rather dull and dark lighting but other than that, the level gets really nice. The game play is fairly simple and it is not was easy to get stuck in this fairly compact area. There are a few dogs and gunmen to shoot and I really liked the gauntlet run with the moving spike walls, which is a bit of a remake of the TR2 first level gauntlet run. In general the level had a nice TR2 look and I think the textures were from TR2 cold war level, which aren't so often seen in custom levels. Unfortunately not all was so nice here, especially the sound department. There were many sounds missing - dogs, guard's guns, levers, trapdoors etc were completely silent. Camera work was good and there were plenty of hints. The texturing was well done and so was the lighting, except for very few areas like the very beginning. I had fun with this and would definitely recommend it (30 minutes, 2 secrets)" - Blue43

"A very short, but very good base in the snowy mountains level. Some really interesting climbing and jumping as Lara makes her way through to the base buildings, then inside for more good raiding. She has to find fuses, keys and switches to get things moving. And move they eventually do, as in a series of spike walls and timed runs. But there are also fatal dead ends in the boobytrapped rooms. Love the texturing throughout. Very TR2, as in Tibet mountains, and red rusty metal walls inside. More fuses, a few guards and their dogs later and we eventually find a train at a station ready to take us to... ? This begs for a sequel that never happened as Alex went on to create even more fun levels in different genres. Lots of fun while here though." - CC

"Although this level is rather brief and straightforward, it's quite enjoying and fun, thanks to the good atmosphere and the well-constructed gameplay. In general what you have to do is pretty much clear, however there is a nice tight trap sequence close to the end. Enemies are guards and dogs, and you have to look for keys and fuses in several huts and other buildings on some snowy mountains. The nice, promising title and a spectacular and original finale add more plus points." - Ravenwen

"The derelict Soviet base with rusty walls wasn't a sight for sore eyes, but I think the author just caught the right atmosphere with that, and as we go in and out from buildings to snowy canyons, that provided enough change of scenery for not to be dull. Alhough the level is quite short, the variable tasks nicely filled it with contents, at the end I was surprised it lasted only half an hour, seemed more because there were many memorable moments. Finding fuses, jumping on roofs and ladders, collecting three well done secrets, but the highlight without doubt was the spiked wall sequence, I really liked it. The missing lever, door and enemy sounds were a bit disappointing, and we don't get to know why we came here in the first place. Whatever you do, don't start it at daytime, the darknes plus the lack of flares would make the first half of the level very frustrating, but playing at night you'll see just enough for adventuring in an atmospheric little level. Still could have been somewhat lighter." - Akcy

"Do you ever play one of those levels that,while not recognised as an absolute classic,none-the-less grabs you entirely and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the Finish Trigger? In my case,this was one of those. It starts a little slowly perhaps,with a hunt for two 'hidden in plain sight' fuses,but you can hardly complain because the construction is first rate. After around twenty minutes,the adventure kicks into top gear and fairly races along from one awe-inspiring location to another and with fast moving Gameplay to keep you on your toes. This is adrenaline-producing stuff,and bloody good it is too! The climb up the ladders is beautifully worked out;the attacks from the guards are superbly placed;there's a terrific 'moving walls' gauntlet;and even a dash of humour (the extravagently booby-trapped rooms). So what if a couple of the walls were wafer-thin;perhaps it was intentional for all I know? The locations are breathtaking and utterly convincing.The construction is first class. The Gameplay is top-notch,and the adventure builds to a lovely little conclusion. Perhaps the ultimate objective could have been a tad clearer (was this really all about catching a train?),and the Gameplay could have done with a thinking-puzzle or two;but it remains a classic of it's type." - Orbit Dream

"What we have here is an Arctic level with some switch pulling a couple of traps and a couple of dogs and dudes. I happened to like this level and found it to be quite pleasant. A couple of complaints would have to be the darkness of this map as I quickly ran out of flares and to use muzzles fire to see in this dark level. Second complaint would have to be the missing sound files which take away a bit from this fine level. Other than that I like the textures used the level layout and design and the gameplay was easy enough. Some of the traps were good and were quite difficult. Overall this was a good quick and easy level that had me entertained for about 50 minutes. Not a bad effort if I do say so myself. If I had to give this level a grade I would give it a B a distinction." - The Aussie Adventurer

"Here's a great little arctic/base level. You start off in the snow and you travel through TR2's 'The Deck' style bases. She is in her TR5's sub outfit as well. There isn't much to do just pick up fuses use them go through new doors pull levers etc but I quite enjoyed it. The end was cool too you hijack the Eurostar and you watch it drive off into the night. Some of the sound effects were missing but it didn't bother me too much. There were a few traps the main one was quite tough; a spike trap. I know I had seen it before it is in TR2 the first level great wall but there isn't breakable floor tiles over the holes on the way or chopping blades in this one. The last spike trap was different you had to open the door while a trap descended in TR2 you just stood on a breakable tile. Takes a few goes but when you have the right timing isn't a problem. There's some nice textures as well. All in all a fun level recommended!" - Aims

"I don't know what to make out of this. Most of the reviewers seem to have liked this level at least a little yet I hated it. I haven't played a single custom level for at least a month but today I decided that it was time to go back and see if I would yet again get interested in the Tomb Raider. I loaded up the editor to see if I had a level installed and found this one. I remember downloading it just to see if it worked but instead of playing it I played an old game called 'Yoshi's Island'. As soon as I started the level I knew I would hate it. It was dark some sounds were missing and it just looked plain boring. The texturing is okay though. Unbelievably boring but okay. There aren't a lot of enemies and instead you get million after million of levers. Okay maybe not that many levers but there seems to be one around every corner. The gameplay isn't exciting either. You pull a lever jump pull another lever kill an enemy pull yet another lever and so on. Nothing new at all. The only thing I liked was the end where the train went away. I got to that after eighteen minutes and sadly it wasn't worth it. I know that this may sound little harsh but I'm sorry to say that this level just made me wish I hadn't done everything possible in Yoshi's Island. Instead I'll search for a level that will keep me interested in playing - not making me want to go read a book." - Magnus

"Dark Death inserts a lot of unnecessary rooms and booby trapped switches to his levels. I like this VERY MUCH since the mercenaries should set up the traps and not every room should serve Lara's purposes. In fact most rooms should be empty or just have enemies mad dogs etc. in them and no rewards for barging in. Cold Winter Nights has all of these and more. Cold Winter Nights also has some neat puzzles that should heat up the brain matter a bit. The camera angles are used against the player effectively to improve the challenge of a couple of the puzzles. Well done though a bit too dark in too many places. Highly recommended." - Dougsan

"Although this level had a lot of sound problems it was very fun. There's no story behind it though. Lara gets through some arctic base areas and then eventually you arrive to the train that will take you to the end - and what an ending sequence by the way. Although some textures used weren't adequate (like the stone floor inside the train) all of them together made this a rather interesting adventure." - Treeble

"Entering this cold snowy base your job here is to locate 3 fuses and make it to an awaiting train with wonderful moving effects. We've all done this a million times your saying and I'd have to say back yes we have. There isn't a whole lot that makes this stand apart from the others but there is a very cool moving spiked wall run that is overly reminiscent of the one in TR2 which gives a bit of a thrill but if you could get through the original then this is not a major difficulty. There are a couple of flaws and downsides though. When it came to the enemies SAS and dogs their sounds were non existent the level needed a few more camera shots of lever triggers as this is usually always an annoyance and there are a couple of lever traps that made me think I had to somehow pull them without dying as they seemed too inappropriately placed to have just been traps but of course they were. Don't get me wrong though I did enjoy this 45 minute level but without that fantastic train ride at the end it would have been just one of the bunch." - Sash

"Quite an improvement from the first level of the author. A gloomy level mostly in the outside area with snowy mountainsides. The puzzles are fuses and a key. Your goal is to reach the train and leave the area. Going through doors fighting dogs and SAS guards you find yourself surrounded not only by snow but also booby traps from some point further. Two jump switches are not supposed to be flipped they had me wondering though for some time as if you slide down there is no way back. I had a bit of trouble to locate an opening as it is very well hidden I enjoyed the spike walls traps and there is a timed door somewhere with a broken camera that might give you more difficulty. The textures and lighting are nice but in a few areas darker than it should. The end is a cut scene with Lara inside and the train passing through the snow and move on I was convinced. If the improvement continues in this rate I think you might have a new talent." - Kristina

"Apart from the fact that some sound effects did not work this was not a bad level with some quite different and clever sections of gameplay. There are two timed runs one passed a bank of moving spiked walls ala Tomb Raider 2 that takes a few tries to get through. Apart from that you are on the hunt for three fuses and there are SAS and dogs in your way plus a myriad of doors and levers to open and find. In the end you hop aboard the last train to Clarkesville and are whisked away to presumably another adventure." - Torry

"A rather weird level with switches and doors you can see and never get to so don't always try to get to where you think you ought to go next. Gameplay can be tricky at times with a hidden platform appearing with no hint (don't expect to get any help on what switches do not even the sound of a door opening) and what seems a nasty jump just off the roof tops which turns out to be easy. The spiked walls were rather overdone and frustrating. Same lack of sound for baddies (dogs and SAS) you don't hear them. As most of the 18MB download consisted of Audio files these aspects were disappointing. The first areas are rather dark but you can see with good scenery. Some good ideas for scenes and textures but spoilt with thin walls. Not a bad level well worth playing as a quickie." - Whistle

"This is a very fun arctic adventure that will have you search for a set of keys and three yellow fuses in a base type environment then escape using an abandoned train at the end. The combination of dramatic music and darker lighting give the level a spooky atmosphere though for the most part Lara finds herself alone with only a few lonely dogs and guards for company. The highlight of the level is definitely the run through the rooms with the spiked walls and the spiked ceiling which reminded me of the obstacle course in the first level of TR II and a spiked wall from the jungle level of TR III. There's also an easy timed run near the end but everything else is fairly straight forward and offers a fun environment to search and explore." - RaiderGirl

"This is a huge download because of the sound files. But as some of them replace the original I had some sounds lacking. In this icy level you have to find three fuses. In the base camp you have to pull levers and even getting a key to open doors. Some of the levers are outside so have a good look around you. Enemies are SAS men and dogs and I sort of knew when to expect them. The moving spiked walls were well done and the timed run went without a hitch that is what I like. 16-11-2002" - Gerty

"Another good game in the snow! A nicely built level with good gameplay. At first I thought 'here we go again' as it resembled other levels of this kind. However it contained a few new ideas which brought a fresh new look to the Arctic scene. A few errors in the making but quite professional looking. I enjoyed this level very much and congratulate the author." - Sherry

"This level was a lot of fun to play it's set in a snowy base at night Lara has to find several fuses to progress through the level the gameplay was good if a little linear and those spike traps had me gritting my teeth in frustration for a while. I also missed a switch but with help from Kristina (thanks Kris!) I was on my way again. The puzzles weren't too hard and the enemies were German shepherds and SAS guards though the sound was missing on them which spoiled the effect for me the SAS' animations weren't too good either. I really liked the horizon and the music from TR5. I thought the objects were well placed and the overall layout quite good but it seemed to be lacking more involvement regarding gameplay. The textures and lighting were very good and I especially liked the train ride at the end of the level. Overall a fun level but not too hard the architecture/objects and textures show promise of better things to come." - Litepulsar

"Lara is in the Soviet union somewhere. At a secret base maybe. Guards and dogs are her enemies. It is cold and dark. Keys and fuses to find doors to kick open and levers to pull. The highlight was a moving-spike-walls-run a really good one. Just one question - why was she there?" - G.Croft

"I am finding this a difficult level to review. There are so many things I liked about it yet so many faults. First of all unless I did something wrong in the installation I only had partial sound. Now this could have been a good thing - I'll explain. At first I thought 'wow what neat background music' but after a while it really started getting on my nerves but unfortunately that part of the sound worked. There were a lot of suspect textures and places where Lara could blend into the building. But all in all a very enjoyable level to play. I must admit difficulty advancing myself in the early part and a couple more cut scenes when one of the many levers was pulled would have been helpful. They are some nasty German Shepherds and guards trying to stop Lara but are dispatched fairly easily (but no sound there). This is not linear by any means in my opinion. There are a lot of areas you will search and search and find absolutely nothing to do and some meaningless traps. There is a fantastic moving spike wall (more than one *hint*) that had me dying a thousand deaths very exciting. And oh yes...a pull-the-switch-timed run that wasn't too bad. A fantastic ending as the train moves down the tracks. A big improvement over the author's initial offering." - Momster

"Now we're talking! The second level by the author presents us with a really nice arctic adventure with excellent lighting and texturing throughout and a few added sounds that help improve the atmosphere (and increase the download size). Lara in her arctic camo outfit starts out in a canyon and progresses in a reasonably linear course finding three yellow fuses and a key. The enemies (dogs and SAS) unfortunately have no sound there are a few thin walls and the booby traps in the middle of this 45 minutes adventure are rather pointless but towards the end you get a rather cleverly set up interrupted climbing wall an exciting chase by spike walls and ceiling an easy timed run and a train ride. Found only one of the three secrets." - Michael

"A little linear but quite enjoyable level including some not too confusing fuse searching a 'spikey' run a not too hard timed run with good static camera view and a really good train ride simulation at the end: that's what I call original. Shame something went wrong with the enemies' sounds. May be a promising future level builder." - bERT

"Gameplaywise a great leap forward from the non-descript Peaceful City level but let's have a look at the downsides first: There are definitely too many levers I could have done without the booby traps at times there is this strange beam coming out of Lara and bearing in mind that most of the 18 MB download consists of sound files I found it slightly irritating that some were apparently missing. On the upside it's a highly entertaining adventure in an atmospheric setting that ends with a nice train ride; hopefully to some place where it's warmer. You get a base scattered across a snowy mountain range with the compulsory SAS guards and dogs to kill a key to find three fuses to place and many doors to kick in. The highpoint is definitely the run past the oncoming walls of spikes. I needed quite a few tries to get through that and Lara lost some blood before it was over. I had some trouble locating one door as the nearby mountainside that is climbable was somewhat misleading but otherwise the rather linear game has a nice flow so this 45 minutes adventure won't have you think too hard about the way to proceed. I liked most of the fixed camera angles especially the ones you get with the easy timed run near the end. If you liked the environment of 'The lost mountains of Heroic Madness' you should not miss out on this one." - Dimpfelmoser