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Level: The Cave of Pandora/Lost Camp back home search
Author(s): Hokolo
total rating:8.90 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
Andi Croft 10 9 9 10
BigFoot 10 10 10 10
Brat352 10 10 9 10
Dimpfelmoser 8 8 9 10
Dougsan 8 6 8 8
dya1403 9 8 10 10
eTux 8 9 9 8
Gerty 10 9 8 9
gfd 7 7 6 7
Heloisa 8 8 6 8
Hendrik 9 9 10 9
Jbc21 9 9 9 10
Kristina 8 8 9 9
Magnus 8 8 8 9
MichaelP 8 9 9 10
Moonliteshadow 10 10 10 10
Nicky 10 10 9 9
Phil 10 9 9 9
RaiderGirl 10 10 9 9
Samu 8 9 9 8
Sascha 10 10 9 9
Sash 10 10 9 10
Scott 8 8 7 7
Scottie 10 8 9 9
Tombraidergirl 9 9 10 9
Torry 9 8 9 10
Treeble 7 7 9 8
TrueRaider 10 8 9 10
WebKnight 9 9 10 10
category averages
(29 reviews)		 8.97 8.69 8.83 9.10

Reviewer's comments

"This level is supposed to be the sequel of "Lara's Return", the previous level built by Hokolo. So, When I read the story and the famous "Something really horrible seemed to happen to the men who opened the CAVE OF PANDORA..." I say "this game is for me". And as "Lara's Return" I have no regrets. This little adventure in two level was amasing. We are a mix of secrets tombs, mines and even factories ... so an modern archeological site with baddys, mommys and scorpions. To conclude everything we like in TR4. The level start in the dersert and the goal is to access in a lost camp destroyed by the many things hidden in the complex. The first level is not really hard but some jumps are difficults but like others Hokolo games, nothing impossible. There are also a very good choise of textures (destroy box by exemple) and the level is not really dark. The second level "the lost camp" is my favoryte of the adventure. We are finally a confrontation with the things who destroy the camp and kill the mens ... and a perfect side car travel through the famous Cave of Pandora. This level is more difficult than the first and darkest too and I really enjoying the last events in underground. So to conclude, another masterpiece built by Hokolo playable by everyone with a nice tr4 atmosphere." - BigFoot (05-May-2013)

"This is one of those levels which I had played nearly 6 years ago and had cancelled for most different reasons. I do not know at all, why I had cancelled this level, but it was definitely not the bad quality. On the contrary, one has tons of fun in this level. At first moment one asks himself of course how one comes unscathed completely down to the bottom of the deep hole. However, this was already the only difficult situation in the first part. The level is built very good and above all the last big room in the first part is a real eye-catcher. The only what has disturbed me were both desert warriors who appeared all of a sudden behind Lara and shot immediately at her. Though the first part was good, but the second part was even better in my opinion. As already in the first part, only few texture mistakes were also to be seen here. All together this was an excellent level which one should have played in any case." - Scottie (28-May-2011)

"This is a marvelously entertaining two-parter, and I have no idea how I've avoided playing it all these years. Some levels I played early on and simply failed to review them, but I had no memory at all of this one. Anyway, both levels feature the familiar Egyptian scenery, but the action is nonstop and you'll rarely experience a dull moment during the couple of hours you'll spend here. Dutchy has provided one of his ealier walkthroughs, and I relied on it heavily in making my way through the myriad twists and turns, including a brief ride on the motorbike near the end. This is raiding in the grand old style, and I'll never grow tired of it. Highly recommended." - Phil (17-Mar-2010)

"This is one of the first levels I played when I discovered the Level Manager almost a year ago. Eventhough I played it a long time ago, I will review it not, as it is a level close to my heart and I still remember it's details. Lara begins her quest in an egyptian enviroment, an abandonated lost camp, an archaeological site to be precise. You move around digging areas in search of some egyptian artefacts that you encounter in other adventures: the hand of Sirius, a cartouche, Horus eye pieces and then back to home sweet home. I was pretty excited when I played this level so I will not forget it for a long time. This level gets my recomendation and brings back memories to me." - dya1403 (14-Jan-2007)

"This was quite nice game containing two levels. Puzzles are mainly pretty easy but there are also some harder puzzles for example some nice pushable block puzzles and different things which are hard to notice. Objects and enemies are well placed and secrets are hard to find. Atmosphere is also good despite I think some musics aren't used well always. Lighting is good but textures aren't that good so I had to give less than 9 for lighting and textures. In a whole I really enjoyed these levels." - Samu (26-Mar-2006)

"The Cave Of Pandora: A nice-to-look-at level, textures are efficiently applied in well crafted rooms. I personally loved the human-made bits into the cavern, it really did enhance the atmosphere by suggesting other people were already working on the excavation of this place. The cave itself is really small, but it's there. As you could have expected, gameplay revolves around finding the Cartouche pieces and, eventually, the Eye pieces. There was one demigod to fight before reaching the end of the level. Really nice with a good flowing gameplay. 50 minutes, 2 secrets. The Lost Camp: It works just like a part two of the Cave of Pandora, setting is equally impressive, if not better. I don't remember having seen a realistic camp like this one. The barracks were very small on the inside, truth, but what about those explosions and finding the other half of it destroyed, dead bodies around, fire everywhere and a single demigod standing? Gameplay is more linear on this part, but still good enough. There was a tricky bike ride near the end, having to ride it through boulders and past sentry guns, on the walls so you wouldn't fall into the lava. Loved it. 30 minutes, 1 secret. On a bottomline, these are two really fine levels that should keep any Tomb Raider fan interested on them for an hour or so. 01/05 " - Treeble (06-Feb-2005)

“This is the second time I’ve played through these levels and the first time I played them only because of the strange lighting that’s on the picture in the ‘Top 50’. Well after having played through them again I still haven’t found the place that picture shows but I really don’t care since the levels are more important than the lighting in a picture. The texturing in these levels is very good and the lighting is good too. It was a nice idea to make an excavation site since it makes this more than an average Egyptian level. I’m writing this review more than one year after the levels’ release so moveable blocks don’t impress me. When I first started playing custom levels moveable blocks were already used in many levels so I’ve never really been impressed by them. The enemies are well placed even though I saw one that appeared out of thin air. My favourite area is the place where a demigod has killed a couple of SAS-men and it really looks as if there has been a fight. You also get the motorcycle close to this place but you don’t get to ride it very long. This time the levels took me 50 minutes to finish and I can’t remember how long it took me to finish them the first time but it was probably around one hour… maybe… Okay it probably took me much longer to finish them the first time! Happy?” – Magnus (29-Jan-2004)

“This first level: Pandora's Cave (6/6/5/7) could have definitely used more cameras. Luckily it was a fairly small map and pretty easy to commit to memory. To be honest I didn't really like this level quite as much as Hokolo's previous (Lara's Return). Maybe it's something to do with the fact that it has far less impressive atmosphere and textures? There are also a few graphical errors which took away the sense of 'being there'. Still a pretty good romp though. I completed it in 1 hour and 30 minutes and found 2 secrets. The second level: The Lost Camp (7/7/6/7) I thought was better than the first. It still had its faults though the most obvious of which is that if you don't pull a certain lever before you enter the 'bike cage' you will be stuck with no way out! Very annoying. There's still quite a bit to do here though including a very well done ride on the aformentioned bike and you even get a sort of 'ending'. It took me 45 minutes and I found 1 secret.” – gfd (23-Dec-2003)

“This was definitely a very enjoyable double level and offered me a quality 1+ hours spent in it. Each of the levels took about 45 minutes to finish and had their own qualities. Cave of Pandora - though when I hear (or read) the word Pandora I automatically draw lines to Greek mythology - Pandora's box I do appreciate that even if the author made the level in a desert/mine/Egypt style he kept to it and could combine these 3 settings together very well. I liked the gameplay very much and at a time I thought this is the best Hokolo level I've played to date. I liked how you could see the excavation site from above and got there only later. You could reach the end of the world at some points though. Found 2 secrets. The Lost Camp - More action here occasionally you even meet a demigod or a sentry gun and at the end have a fun even if a short motorbike ride. There were too many jumpswitches/levers for my liking and even if it offers other gameplay elements those are the majority sadly. Liked the explosions and the dramatic fly-by right before Lara enters the cave. Found 2 secrets in this level too. At the end of the game I didn't understand what's the point of it though. Sure there's a story to it but it doesn't seem like Lara's stopped some evil force got a desirable artifact or anything like that she just got curious what happened at the dig site and ran through it - that's how I would explain it. A nice double level but a weak and emotionless ending.” – eTux (22-Apr-2003)

“I enjoyed both levels of The Cave of Pandora. The puzzles were not difficult per se but they were not a walk in the park either and there were enough of them to keep me interested. The game progressed well from point to point so that I was never at a loss as to where to go next. The enemies were easy to kill save for the automatic guns. The latter were easy enough to work around when necessary but enough of a pain in the neck to be entertaining. I found three secrets all during normal play. Textures were ok and the dark areas added to the game (there were more than enough flares to light up these areas). I very much liked the bike ride wishing it was longer and a little bit trickier. I did enjoy The Cave of Pandora especially the ‘twists’ (two potential ways of solving a puzzle when only one way really works)!” – Dougsan (09-Sep-2002)

“One of the best levels I have played. This level just got better and better when playing. The textures are very great and the sound and atmosphere were fine. Only the sequences of the switches are not to see. The enemies were not too many. The puzzles were in the beginning not so hard but at the end harder. I found all weapons I needed and only some ammunition for all enemies. I was playing 1:51 minutes in this game and I found three secrets. This is a fun-level. All must play this game.” – Andi Croft (10-Jul-2002)

“Another absolutely brilliant level from a wonderfully inventive creator. I cannot fault this level in any way the gameplay was superb with well over two hours play time that was well paced and never dull the locations and textures were authentic and interesting and the enjoyment factor was unbelievable. I could have wept with excitement when for the first time in having played over 130 levels I found my first movable block it just added a new fresh dimension to the game some other fantastic aspects to this level are of course the secrets quite tricky puzzles a stunning fly by showing a wraith walking through an area he had just devastated and the most insane motorbike ride I had ever seen which included driving around the circumference of a room halfway up the walls. This level started peacefully and ended peacefully but it sure is one hell of a ride in between.” - Sash (21-Jun-2002)

“A brilliant pair of levels. The first one immediately starts out setting a great atmosphere and demonstrates the author’s high attention to detail in designing the environment. It took me a few minutes to find the very first switch but once you get into the flow the gameplay is not too difficult and at times even quite linear. Impeccable texturing and lighting makes the play thoroughly enjoyable and while I do love those movable blocks it becomes a bit repetitive to find yet another puzzle piece or path to follow behind or below them. Scorpions and baddies are used very well but I found the mummies a bit out of place in the otherwise very realistic scenario. Certainly some cameras are missing to avoid the searching for the changes you trigger with the numerous switches. Part 1 ends with a wonderful final area and took me a little above an hour to complete. Part 2 welcomes you with the third secret and then a sentry gun which despite several attempts was unable to eliminate. The movable block and switches (especially then high wall ones) continue to be the main puzzle elements in a yet again absolutely brilliant and realistic camp setting. It seems you can possibly get stuck without dying when you enter the cages before having open the motorbike exit door so watch out for that. The game ends with a short but fun (almost vertical) motorbike ‘hell ride’ and a rolling ball gauntlet and you are left with wanting more after about 2 hours of net gaming time” – Michael. (21-Jun-2002)

“Wow Sash and I finally agree on a level LOL. Jokes aside this one is great. What we have come to expect from Hokolo. The start was a decent puzzle (how the hell DO I get down there?) the upper levels were fantastic textures with movable blocks but the bottom section was the old Egyptian theme again but I will let Hokolo off as it was an excavation site. One gripe get rid of those annoying mummies or at least give us something to blow them up with.” - Torry (21-Jun-2002)

“Here is a level that demonstrates the (yet to improve) capabilities of the level editor combined to a great sense of game designing! The author managed to not only build a remarkably beautiful and realistic setting but to add an incredible atmosphere of mystery and technology. Although most of the textures are from Egyptian levels the use of "modern" tiles (from TR2?) makes you wonder why the digging site was abandoned... You'll understand in the second part of the game when a semi-god monster awaits you in a devastated camp. Lots of puzzles pushable blocks previews of the rooms you'll explore later... Well with more cameras (fly by and such) the perfection in designing would be almost reached...” – Jbc21 (21-Jun-2002)

“I have one thing to say about these combined levels WOW! Superb in every way. The custom textures make this look realistic and the puzzles are brilliant although tricky at times. The first level which is based in an excavation site is my favourite and looks like a real excavation with mine carts! One little thing though the level could have been made better by altering the textures of more of the objects to suit the level more.” – TrueRaider (21-Jun-2002)

“I wasn't as happy with this level as I first thought I would be. The puzzles were difficult but passable. The camera views were either really annoying or non-existent. Other than that complaint I thought it was a good level.” – Scott (21-Jun-2002)

“After finding the deep pit at the beginning of the level and having played every other level of Hokolo's I assumed this was going to be a hard level. But after I found the first switch I was on my way and found that as long as you looked everywhere and at everything the level was fairly linear and not very hard at all. It is a very professional looking level with some great puzzles though and I loved every minute of the two hours plus that it took to get to the end. It looked like a real excavation site with the tombs that were being dug up and the artifacts that were being boxed up to be shipped to some far off museum. For some reason though the site seems strangely quiet and you'll see why in part two. A brilliant flyby shows a demigod roaming through a ravaged excavation area killing everyone in site. You see a few dead bodies lying around and scorched places on the ground where he has been. I must say it was very satisfying to kill him. Then after a brilliant bike ride and a slide/jump puzzle with boulders you make your way above ground once more having rid the site of the evil demigods. This level has something for everyone - exploring good puzzles great scenery and some exciting enemies (ninjas scorpions mummies machine guns soldiers and of course the demigods). I found four secrets and plenty of pickups especially ammo lying around. I would have liked a few more camera shots when I threw a switch and a few areas were a bit dark but otherwise I can find no faults at all with this amazing set of levels. You'll love this one!” – RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002)

“There isn't much to add what hasn't been mentioned before. It is a great level. Got me running around quite a lot as there hardly was any indication where to go next. I played the level on a Mac and a PC as the extra sound did work on the Mac but apart from that there was no sound at all. The movable blocks where not that hard to spot I could not jump on top of them so that was a dead give away. Also the mummy's could walk right through them. In both levels I could disable the sentry guns just a bit of running around to let them point in one direction sneak back and shoot them. On the Mac the wraith was very easy to kill as he got stuck at a certain point (bug). The motor ride was great. Well done Hokolo.” – Gerty (21-Jun-2002)

“Well read the other comments and you know what’s up. *LOL* I´m not a brilliant player and so there were two or three points where I got stuck and ran around and around in circles. That´s why the gameplay reaches "only" 9. But definitely a brilliant piece of work.” - WebKnight (21-Jun-2002)

“This combined two level custom level is just extraordinary! Very tricky puzzles great level design. Some real "stumpers" on this one. Had to contact the author twice just to get past a few points. Well worth the download. When you think you are done voila! The second level loads! Took me 3:14:32 to complete with 4 secrets. You are going to love these levels.” – Brat352 (21-Jun-2002)

“Wow! This is one of the best Levels I have ever played! Perfect puzzles great atmosphere etc. I love this level! I'm waiting for the next level of Hokolo!” – Sascha (21-Jun-2002)

“Good and entertaining levels with Lara in an excavation site and military camp. There are some custom items like an alarm sound retextured doors and the movable blocks. In my opinion the movable block puzzles could be more difficult though. Other puzzles and traps are very cool. The overall design is very good with some realistic places. There are a couple of illegal slopes (electrified railroad and big final room) be aware and you won´t need to reload the game. I only would like a few more cameras to show what goes on when some switches are pushed so you don´t need to run araound to find out what has changed. Worth the download.” – Heloisa (21-Jun-2002)

“This level consisting of two sections is a proper 'Desert thriller'! Beginning with the ‘Cave’ Lara must first make her way into the center of the action and it already becomes evident with which smart obstacles the designers presents the player with. The tense silence of hot desert air is time and again disturbed by ingenious shock effects e.g. rolling balls or groaning mummies. Numerous puzzle pieces were hidden intelligently and the players search skills are put to the test quite a few times (e.g. by correct pushing of crates to find hidden levers). The second part with the name ‘Lost Camp’ becomes then the actual thriller. The deceitful silence which was to be felt in the 'Cave' culminates here gradually into a horror scenario. The player becomes together with Lara eyewitness of a blood bath and the cruel fate of Lara’s enemies. It will require quick action as well as skillful planning. This level is very beautifully equipped and realistically structured. The textures and the lighting are intelligently selected. The few secrets are well hidden. The sound underlines the anyway already exciting level through custom sound effects by the designer. Again an absolute highlight among the custom levels.” – Hendrik (21-Jun-2002)

“Nicely done. The whole atmosphere inside and outside is quite good and in addition with the puzzles it gives less than an hour of good game play. The set outdoors is Egyptian like but don't expect to see pyramids some statues and sand hills. Moving further the puzzles are asking for the solution one by one. Two cartouche pieces two hands the Eye of Horus. Sometimes you find one complete others it's needed to search for the other half. The entire level is based quite often at movable blocks doors hidden behind them or an exit. The inside scene is partially filled with wagons and you can see the rails on the floor in many occasions through out it. The traps are boulders and a burning floor but not much more. Baddies are occasionally appearing and mummies as well along with small scorpions. The secrets are not very hard to get that's nice for a change it's not fun if you sweat too much for them. Leaving the first part of the level and entering to the second half the scenery slightly changes it looks more gloomy and the fight with a demigod was a nice touch to open a door. If you get stuck look for pushables or look up. A good level to spend your time with.” – Kristina (21-Jun-2002)

“Marvellous. A beautiful level with (almost) everything I’d like to see inside a custom level. It was much fun to play and the way to go was obvious but not always simple to find. (So I had to ask the author once). Maybe a little to much levers and jump switches (even where you didn’t have to jump) I’d like to seek and find a way through without all of those. Beautiful finale with an exciting motorride. Great gameplay enough enemies and objects and a good atmosphere. Looking forward to do the other levels of this author.” – Nicky (21-Jun-2002)

“30 minutes into the game I thought that this is my favorite by Hokolo as it combines the playfullness of Lara's Return with the expertise of Twiglight City. However in the mid section there is an awful lot of lever pushing which I found rather tiresome and when I finally got trapped with the motorbike because I missed that jump switch on the outside I was really cross. The setting and texturing is immaculate and I really love it when the course alternates between indoors and outdoors. I can't recall another level where the modern stuff (complete with he compulsory SAS guards) blends in so well with the ancient surroundings. The different areas and rooms interact quite beautifully and for once the little red scorpions are more than just a harmless target. The gameplay is deeply satisfying and it culminates in a action packed final; but all things considered my heart is still set on Lara's Return.” – Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002)

“Another great level from Hokolo. A variety of environments from deserts to railway stations. There are baddies which sound as tho' they should have given up smokin years ago! Two ‘unexpected’ moveable objects which uncover a new place to go just when you think you are totally stuck. I just loved the vehicle needing the difficult steering technique. Plenty of ‘obstacle courses’ and puzzles to keep your interest. An excellent game and a must to play.” – Moonliteshadow (21-Jun-2002)

“This is one of the levels which will take you some time to solve. The riddles will take a bit of thinking and looking around. You will encounter mummies and you will not be able to get rid of them at first. You have to take a close look under each crate you can find. There are also a couple of boulder firetraps and automatic machine guns. The locations are very well chosen. You should download this level if you want something to do for a couple of days. It's worth playing.” – Tombraidergirl (21-Jun-2002)
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