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The Quest of Gold (Gold Edition) by TC14

Bene 10 10 10 10
DJ Full 10 10 10 10
eRIC 10 10 10 9
Gerty 10 10 10 9
Jack& 10 10 10 10
jawi 10 9 10 9
Jay 10 10 10 10
JoeTheCrazyGamer 10 10 10 10
Jorge22 9 10 10 10
Juno Jim 10 10 10 10
LionGirl_90 10 10 10 10
manarch2 9 9 9 9
MegaGamer 10 10 10 10
MichaelP 9 9 9 9
Mman 9 10 10 9
OverRaider 10 10 10 10
Petaludas 10 10 10 10
Phil 10 10 10 10
requiemsoul 10 10 10 10
Roli 10 10 10 10
Ryan 10 10 10 10
Samu 10 9 10 9
Shandroid 10 10 10 10
TimJ 10 10 10 9
TombRaiderTim 10 10 10 9
Torry 9 10 9 10
Treeble 9 10 10 10
 
release date: 09-Jun-2008
# of downloads: 330

average rating: 9.80
review count: 27
 
review this level

file size: 377.59 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
tc14trle@gmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"Please refer to the individual releases for my thoughts. tl;dr: Definitely a full set of masterpieces, but keep the walkthroughs at hand for your own sake. All of the levels are massive and revolve around lenghty fetch quests that will have you exploring them fully and some more. 22 hours, 70 secrets. 10/21" - Treeble (10-Oct-2021)
"2nd era of covid quarantine here in Greece! Dont know if the community exists but im still here playing although a bit late(most of trles are 10years before,so akward.. About QOG ,not many things to talk, comments below give you the main idea and i can agree that THIS IS THE BEST TRLE i ever played..i have played many trle and many of the best or famous.. What i found here in TC14 levels is the gameplay that i was looking for..didnt find nowhere so close..my previous trle was King's arthur project btw The best thing is that as the game and levels progress it is getting even better,quite unsusual, u dont get bored and u want keep playing more and more.. Some things and puzzles will blow your mind such as:epic places to light your torch, SWIMMING ON THE WATER SURFACE WITH THE TORCH, diagonical climb, running on swallow water and many more.. I would like to pick my best level here but i cant..maybe Poseidon's domain is the one but i feel also so proud finishing without walkthrough :Mystic experience , Nuclear hazard, Aboard the damned ship, Caves of midas, Gold mine! U like classic raiding?u like greek levels?u like Coyote creek style?u like Korea-lab-tr5 style?u like jungle?Here u can find anything. First time i put 10/10 to everything in a trle, i know, im fanboying right now but cant quite expess my feeling cause i just finished it.most secrets were quite easy to be honest and the 2nd bonus level was not my taste,lets say! Ty Tc14 ,my best wishes and im hoping for curse of gold whenever it comes,maybe when i will become dad" - Petaludas (23-Nov-2020)
"This is so far the Best Level I played (and theres alot of them) It honestly feals like a complete game Core Design could come out with. Deserves to be in the hall of fame. Very Strongly Recommended 40/40." - JoeTheCrazyGamer (29-Mar-2020)
"A huge adventure of 23 levels, if you include the bonus levels that had me occupied for an in game time of 30 hours. (Much, much longer in real time). I will not go into this level by level as they have already been reviewed but as a whole this is a magnificent raid, taking the player back to the glory days of tomb raiding and the author uses just about every object, enemy, puzzle and challenge that was represented in the original four games. Some of the sequences are extremely challenging incorporating tight timed runs or run, jumps over collapsible tiles so this is definitely for the mature, competent raider. It is quite complex and without the aid of the walk through I believe many would give up so get that walk through out early folks as you are going to need it." - Torry (27-Sep-2019)
"A really well designed whole. The game's attractiveness remains when it comes to challenging tasks and when dies wants to try again and again. Much fun to play and it went many days before I got through this. The game was impressive from start to finish. I really liked a lot." - LionGirl_90 (14-Nov-2018)
"Wow, I thought I commented on this one, it must've been the Un-Gold (silver?) edition... This one here is one of unique cases ("one of unique"? hmm...) of a compilation worth much more than particular levels - a TRLE equivalent of photosynthesis when two photosystems support each for much greater glucose yield than they would yield separately. This game is particularly recommendable for experience of almost every kind of TR nostalgia accessible in our custom world - all in one game, wrapped in loose but still consistent storyline, practically bugfixed and confusionless considering such a long duration... Am I clear? Four tens and goodbye!" - DJ Full (06-Apr-2017)
"This is a truly phenomenal achievement. I had played and reviewed the various segments upon their initial release, but when I finally bit the bullet and played them all at one time I found everything to be as new and fresh as if I were seeing it all for the first time. A Guess The Screenshot champ I never will be. I spent a full month making my way through, playing other levels in the meantime, and my game clock registered just under 35 hours when all was said and done. (Or, strictly speaking, a day and 11 hours, as the clock restarts after 24 hours.) Dutchy's 95-page walkthrough is almost as noteworthy an achievement as the levels themselves. Rarely did I have to stop and ask myself what he meant by this or by that, and his meticulous descriptions enabled me to conquer every single sequence (and there were some real doozies here) save one, and I needed his help with a diabolical rope swing about halfway through the game. No purpose would be served by trying to describe each individual level, a number of which would be deserving of Hall of Fame honors as stand-alone releases. But considered as a whole, this must rank as one of the three or four top amateur works of all time. Would you believe it, I had nearly 1,000 flares in my inventory at the end, and if I had resisted temptation and refrained from using them along the way in places where they weren't really necessary, I probably would have surpassed that magic figure. The tasks are certainly daunting in every level, but they're fair to the player if you know ahead of time what needs to be done (hence my reliance on the walkthrough). Highest recommendations." - Phil (18-Dec-2016)
"Finally finished this HUGE adventure. 24 levels and four locations. Two bonus levels if you are lucky. Encompassing Canada, Korea, Martinique and Greece and packed full of dangerous traps and ingenious puzzles, this truly was an amazing experience I will never forget! To be put together by one builder is no mean feat either so kudos for that!" - Ryan (11-May-2016)
"Hard to get started with a review of such a huge game. In hindsight, it was really a fantastic adventure and I never got utterly bored in the 15+ hours it took me, so that is quite an achievement in itself, in that the builder managed to provide a large gameplay variety. Perhaps there are a few parts that are seen before similarily in other levels, and a few levels or passages that have slower and a bit dull gameplay, but in the whole this was a pleasing experience from start to finish nevertheless, with some high and some low moments. The work that has been put into the creation of enemies, objects and textures is appreciated, which creates a very unique look and feel of the whole set. There are a few general problems to comment about though - missing textures on objects, invisible collison in front of doors, rather flat lighting (that gets better as the game moves on) and texture mistakes - that appear in almost all levels, so the overall presentation is not uttermost clean, but those issues are somewhat understandable in a game of those dimensions. In this Gold Edition, there are also two bonus levels included I will comment on (for detailed reviews on the single levels I refer to the levels of the classic version):
Nuclear Base (10-9-9-8) - 30 minutes: This level was the definite highlight of the Korean sections and gameplaywise one of my favourite levels of the series. It's for sure a quite challenging one, with many harder jumps and timed runs you won't find that often in the "normal" levels, but as it is a bonus level the builder is free to romp a bit with a few creative and demanding tasks and for me this clicked perfectly. The bulldozer ride was another favourite of mine, as well as the scenarios of "epic" enemy fights with soldiers against mutants. The atmosphere is very well done too with a nice use of the colour green, and the transformation of the hub room is excellent. The lighting has the usual problems in flatness and the looks are a bit monotonous, but they are still quite convincing.
Escape from the Carribean Depths (7-9-9-9) - 25 minutes: A sweet revisit to the now flooded settings of Ship Graveyard. The diver suit Lara wears is very cool and there's a lot of work put into animations and enemy/object design. This level is nearly totally exploration based with a hunt for quite a few items, I found it rather interesting until the major backtrack to the receptacles for the globes which was pretty pointless. On the other side, the timed "run" where you have to take back-hops is very fun. There's a potential bug with which the mines in the very first area might not be antitriggered when you return but you can thankfully bypass them staying very close on the walls.

Total ratings for the various sections: Canada: 7-8-8-8
Korea: 8-9-9-8
Martinique: 8-9-10-9
Greece: 9-9-9-8

On the whole, the whole game might be a little better than the sum of its parts (and I'll treat the bonus levels as a great addition) - that's why I'll slightly raise my score versus the overall average rating. A truly epic masterpiece and one of the essential games in the history of TRLE, thank you, Thibault, very much for it!" - manarch2 (05-Oct-2015)
"This was a very fun custom series. It is true that players can engage in hours of fun raiding a bunch of stuff, like bases and mines. These levels were gorgeous! That had to be the biggest strength in this game. I am absolutely speechless right now! This custom level is perfect! If you can handle a big challenge, this custom level was made for you, as this is very challenging! Great job!" - MegaGamer (03-Apr-2014)
"As unbelievable as it can be I had never finished the Quest of Gold before two days ago. I've seen the creation of these levels, discussed with TC 14 all along when he was building them, helped him for little things and actually never completed it because of a bug that'd have forced me to replay the second bonus level. Finally, I did replay this level and discovered the last levels in Greece. And man, how good this was! I hadn't played a TC 14 level for years and I just dived into his typical gameplay and level building once again with an intense joy. I won't review the levels one by one nor each region as the first ones are far away in my memory. Let's just say that in each of these you can find a typical TC use of an object. Something purely logical but that only he can think about like burning an animal skin to open a door in the indian levels. TC 14 got he's particular way to build his world with a lot of disparate objects that do not match each other at first glance but finally gives its style to the level series. And you will often realise that everything is gameplay-thought. A small plant can be there more for a gameplay perspective than for decoration. Finishing the levelseries with the Greece was just the best idea. MIDAS could not have been something else than the end of the Quest of GOLD. If the first level seems like a refreshing and peaceful filler after the Carribbeans, TC 14 deliver us a perfect levelset for the ending with four interconnected levels in a pure Saint-Francis spirit or, should I say, an improved great incredible *add a superlative* Saint-Francis. You got to find Ten Keys in 8 rooms and 2 levels dedicated to a greek divinity. As tedious as pushblock puzzles can be, I really loved Sysiphos nontheless. The idea with the mythologic legend that leads the gameplay is just brilliant. Poseidon was great too with all the puzzles with water level but a bit more already-done-before. I really loved the ideas behind Prometheus, Artemis and Hermes. Caves of Midas were a great finish. A gigantic pool of molten gold was the perfect setting. I really think that TC has build a masterpiece worth of the Hall of Fame. Even if I have played the first levels years ago I still have pictures of them in my mind of how I suffered in or liked some passages. Mystic Experiment, Nuclear Hazard, The Flying Dutchman, Voodoo Magic in Martinique, all these levels left a strong mark in my gamer carrier. This is due to the fact that TC managed to capture the very essence of classic Tomb Raider. Even in his biggest levels were you could have a bit of backtracking you won't have to be lost for hours with no ideas were to go. The gameplay is always dynamic and fun with about one hour of time for each level. TC 14 focuses more on gameplay (and no one will blame him for that) than on scenery. You will often come across cubic rooms. If texturing is of quality, it isn't flawless and you will be able to notice some wrongly placed textures. I've also seen that some textures themselves were of poor quality with clear jpg compression artifacts. I'm lovering the lighting & textures score of 1 for I'd love to play Curse of Gold in prettier environments. And I'm already waiting impatiently for Curse of Gold." - TimJ (01-Apr-2014)
"This is one of the most huge and ambitious epics in TRLE history (even though the maps were released in a more humble episodic format). It's also the set that put TC14 on the map for me as one of my favourite designers, and he has yet to disappoint. Not only is this strong gameplay wise, but TC14 has a unique style that takes familiar themes and gives them a fresh atmosphere, as well as a great sense of mystery where appropriate (like original events and object uses that are just there to make the setting more imaginative). There are four parts, and they cover a range of themes from entirely new to nostalgic older ones. They are each distinct enough that covering them separately feels like the only way to do them justice:
Canadian Levels:
This section as a whole feels like a pseudo-reimagining of The Golden Mask. The first couple of levels have some signs of being made when TC14 was less experienced; they don't have any glaring issues (outside of one ridiculously hidden crawlspace in the hub of the second level with no clues given), but they don't feel as inspired as what follows. They work but they don't provide the sort of eye-catching start a set like Quest of Gold deserves. The atmosphere and style starts to pick up the third level, which has an interesting structure of taking a "element challenges" style and arranging it in a linear way that adds to the feeling of descending into a lost ruin. Portal of the Great Spirit feels like the point where TC14's style finally starts to fully form though, as the challenge picks up a lot and there's a cool foreshadowed layout where you work your down and up giant vertical tower-like areas, and the visuals become a lot more colourful and start to make creative use of textures in ways other sets don't. This continues through the next three levels, that take on a more non-linear structure as you can do them in any order. The Hidden Forest feels a bit shorter and simpler compared to the other two, but the vertical main room and use of a pretty rare texture set does at least give it something that stands out. The last level is a giant Floating Islands style level that feels like a better finale than the actual final level does; it's a contender for the longest level in the pack, and it's extremely complex. However, it has a nice progression to keep things somewhat manageable that starts very linear and then opens up into a complex sprawl when you've got familiar with the general layout. Maybe I missed something but the puzzle involving an invisible path was visually original but felt a bit too slow as the only tactic seemed to be to walk the whole way.
Korean Levels:
Unfortunately the first base map that starts this set is probably the weakest part of the pack, with it falling to the standard temptation to fill base maps with vent crawling, backtracking and similar. There's still some flourish (like a small narrative element), but not enough to make up for the flow issues overall. General Contamination still has some of these issues but has a much more original design and a completely unique idea involving a timed radioactive area at one point, although something about the way it's done makes the collision of everything annoying, but it's at least not too demanding. I also had an issue with an enemy who drops an essential item getting stuck in the wrong place and forcing me to redo a section as a result, but I may have just got really unlucky. The ending of this level is also very original, and is an interesting way to handle a secret level split as well. Nuclear Hazard is probably the strongest base map here, and is only let down by one rope jump that's probably the single most infuriating jump in the whole set (to the point I just used a glitch to bypass the rope altogether in this playthrough). Beyond that annoyance it's full of nice ideas (including an amusing vehicle concept) and has the best flow of the base maps. Hidden Palace is a major shift in theme to a Back to Basics Asia style, and begins with a small section skipped if you did the secret level; I'd recommend you take the normal way out of General Contamination first before loading a save to do Nuclear Hazard so you don't miss anything. This level does a great job contrasting with the base maps and giving the feeling of being in a serene lost Asian ruin (despite the constant dangers), and has a great sense of interconnectedness, with the main hub looking into almost every part of the level. The follow-up level, Tears of a Lost Dynasty, is one I reviewed relatively recently when playing BTB 2006, and seems relatively unchanged outside some tweaks here and there; it's a great level and a nice continuation, I was a little disappointed that the section at the end with only a couple of textures was exactly the same though. The final level here, Wrath of the Dragon, is another theme shift with more of a Xian style, but with some interesting recolouring and completely new objects (maybe the first ones in QOG so far) to make it feel fresh. After some comparatively confined intro tasks the centrepiece is a dramatic and striking lava room to work your way around. The only issue I had is that I found the placement of one secret in the main room unfortunate as it actually made a small crack that makes up the intended route far more vague than it needed to be by being so obvious to find (and making me think that's all there is to the section it was located). There's a nice boss encounter at the end, although the arena felt a bit too small and made the fireballs of the boss frustrating to avoid. The thing I love about this section is the feeling of slowly descending into something, and you really feel like you're uncovering ancient ruins lost deep underground, and this, along with Martinique (which has a similar feeling) is a contender for my favourite section.
Martinique Levels:
This is the most original of the four sets; it uses various familiar textures but arranges them in a way that feels completely new. In some sense it's based on the "shipwreck" theme, but it's a lot more original than that (although it feels similar to the shipwreck level in TR4 Gold Fading Light, so I wonder if one inspired the other to some degree). The first level here is a mix of caves and shipwreck areas, it's organic enough to feel different from the usual use of the theme and there's an interesting use of a level transition to flood the map without flipmap issues. Oddly enough I had the issue that one item wasn't well hidden enough; it was just randomly lying around and I didn't find it without the walkthrough because it's so uncharacteristic of the gameplay so far. The second map here is a major shift into a Voodoo temple, but it feels like something entirely new with the careful use of old textures and humid green fog, and there's a nice sense of contrast between cramped rooms and giant centrepiece areas. It also makes use of mystical moments like strange underwater flames to create the feeling that this place is magical. There's also some new enemy types I haven't seen elsewhere, and this is where the enemy difficulty ups a bit in general as Demigods are everywhere. The next level is where you go further into the temple to find the titular Flying Dutchman in a huge lost cave. This is another level that uses a mix of organic and man-made components to create an original theme, and the ship itself adds another twist to things. The start could be designed better though as there's a part where you can get stuck if you go down a slope rather than backtracking to the start due to the use of collapsing tiles. There's also an annoying fixed camera on a dark monkey swing. Aboard the Damned Ship is the "horror" level in the pack, with gameplay being comparatively cut down (although there are still plenty of things to do) to establish a creepy atmosphere, helped by the ambient track. Coming after a bunch of complex levels it feels like a nice break in the pacing, although one pushblock is way too obscure. Considering Nuclear Hazard I feel the secret level here could have had a more creative means of access than just finding all the secrets, but that's not really a problem. The twist in it is that Lara is in a diving suit and has infinite air but can only walk on land unless you roll or backstep; it can be irritating but the level is relatively short so overall it works as something original (especially as it's optional anyway), and there's some creative uses of this mechanic. There's also an amusing surprise at the secret here. Like I said on Korea this is another contender for my favourite part, and is the freshest feeling overall (perhaps a sign of the fact it was actually the last part made).
Saint Francis Levels
Despite being the final part this actually feels like the most humble part of the set, as the level count is lower and the theme is a nostalgic TR1 Greco-Roman one (although new textures are used). The first part here is a level focused around the Guide, and is probably one of the more sophisticated implementations of that object. It's actually one of the easiest levels in QOG after the first couple, but it works well enough as an intro, and the easiness was probably necessary for the Guide to work right. The main level, Hall of Legends, is more like three levels in one as the splits were obviously done for technical reasons. Myth of Sisyphe is one of the cleverest block puzzle implementations I've seen, and despite a lot of pushing the creative design balances it out, along with a genius ending where everything comes together to invoke the myth. Poseidon's Domain is a complex Cistern-inspired level, with one of the most multi-layered flooding/draining puzzles I've seen, and it ends with a nice boss encounter too. The main part of Hall of Legends itself is a hunt for the remaining eight keys (there's a lot of them to get here) in challenges themed off various legends/gods (ala St Francis' Folly) to access the final level. There's a lot of variety in the challenges, although a couple felt lacking in links to their associated legends to me (namely Apollo, which seemed to be a standard pushable puzzle), others were very creative though, such as Prometheus. Having to keep backtracking to switch the rooms around felt unnecessary though, but maybe there's a technical reason for it. The final level, Caves of Midas, has an impressive intro after putting all the keys in, but it feels slightly lacking as a finale; there's a lot of tricky jumping and some super-boosted Demigods, but it's quite short overall and lacks any final "wow" beyond the initial reveal. It also has a really conspicuous stuck moment as jumping to the "wrong" place after a set of collapsing tiles lets you go back yet also prevents you from ever being able to get certain other items. The ending is nice enough but something feels missing after such an epic adventure.
One thing I haven't mentioned is the use of cutscenes between sections to link them story-wise, and it works well, as well as making interesting use of Lara's standard movements in a way I don't think I've seen before. The overall Gameplay is very difficult and complex, but puzzle- wise there's consistent help given to the player if you pay attention; unless it's the goal of the level, if something is out of reach the solution to getting it rarely ever requires you to wonder too far, and in the more open levels finding what to do can usually be worked out simply by thinking about what you [i]haven't[/i] done yet. The set is also very generous with flares and items, and the flares have a boosted duration. The levels also unravel in clever ways that frequently have you visit rooms on multiple levels. There's a fair share of brutal platforming and trap sequences though and it's not for beginners. It has a lot of creative uses of objects and general variety, including things that have barely been done elsewhere. Unfortunately there's a few too many bits of forced damage, irritating sequences and overly obtuse moments for me to give it a full ten despite all the great design. Visually the main issue is that a lot of objects don't have their brightness adjusted to the rooms they're in and are overly bright/dark, it's unfortunate as I really like how it looks otherwise. There are occasional other visual flaws but they're minor given the size of the set. In some ways it reminds me of a variant of Luis Martin's style, with the strong use of colour, giant unravelling levels and dramatic gameplay-focused structures. This isn't a set to be taken lightly (it took almost 23 hours despite the fact I've played through before), but it's a contender for my favourite TRLE set overall and one of the largest accomplishments out there. I just hope the sequel is still coming out." - Mman (21-Feb-2014)
"The first thing you can notice looking at the list of levels may be that the game is HUGE. It’s definitely the longest custom level I’ve ever played. It took me nearly 30 hours to complete (maybe that’s the reason for only 15 reviews?), what in fact was about a year (yeah, I’m not very fast). It’s really difficult to keep up the high level of entertainment throughout such a long game, but the author did it and that’s something one can envy. And that is why I’d give an 11 for ‘Gameplay & Puzzles’ if I could… Canadian levels are my favourite ones. The classic TR feeling, present in the whole game, here reaches its peak. I personally am a huge fan of TR2 Gold and I just love ‘Great Spirit’ levels and ‘The Mystic Experience’, because one can feel ‘Golden Mask’ in every inch of it. Though ‘Indian Sanctuary’ is a bit boring the rest stand out really good. The architecture, the atmosphere and (what’s the strongest side of the ‘Quest of Gold’) the gameplay couldn’t be better. My personal favourite, apart from ‘Mystic Experience’ is ‘The Mineral City’. Both are perfectly constructed, everything seems to be planned and the gameplay is so well organised like builder knew from the very beginning, how he wishes the level to proceed. If somebody considers playing this game, they could give it go, just to admire the first eight levels. Korean levels start off pretty badly – exploring the base is really boring – the rooms are tiny, so I feel all claustrophobic. What’s more, the natural environment outside the base is really flat and ugly. But after these levels (ok, ok, the bonus was good, I admit) the oriental levels came and I just loved every bit of them. They have a unique atmosphere and great gameplay. Lighting and texturing are great and the use of objects is its strong side as well. My mind was totally blown away by the ‘Wrath of the Dragon’ level, since it is the ‘Mystic Experience’ type of level – everything seems to be planned ahead, everything seems to have a purpose. The atmosphere is quite ‘malicious’ and that’s what I love about it too – reminds me of TR2 Floating Islands level. It is a quite good example of ‘how to create incredible atmosphere with a few simple steps’. Second best set of levels from the whole game. Martinique levels bring in a little breeze of freshness, taking the player to another exotic environment. Although they can be called good from a distance, but I personally like only two levels of it – ‘Voodoo Magic in Martinique’ and ‘The Flying Dutchman’. The rest I find rather bland and though I don’t dislike them, I’m not fond of them. ‘The Ship Graveyard’ has great architecture, but the gameplay consists mainly of finding switches and pickups, nothing more to do there. ‘Aboard the Damned Ship’ is well constructed (apart from terrible ballroom, which has a hemisphere shaped bottom, don’t ask me why), but the number of passages can be frustrating at times. Gameplay is creative, but I missed the epic ending, present in other sets. I must admit though, that I love the maze, in which you can unexpectedly go back. The bonus level is somewhat annoying, when you have to move Lara around in a heavy underwater suit. I know it was author’s intention to differ the bonus from regular levels, but I just don’t like that kind of level. I was really glad, when I finally managed to end it and I would not wish to play it again. Greece levels are a little bit different from the others. Also in the means of scale. The architecture is really impressive and the gameplay keeps the high standard of the previous instalments. Greece theme has been used many times, but Thibault managed to make something special out of it and it works very well. The first level is childishly easy, but it’s a nice change after previous levels. It is also a sort of introduction to the further ones. When you get to the Hall of Legends, maybe you won’t be amazed by the lighting, but you surely will be amazed by the gameplay, which is really interesting and creative. It’s based on puzzles which are related to Greek myths. My personal favourite is the bit with Prometheus – you have to shoot the eagles which want to harm him, otherwise you… die. That’s something nobody has ever created before. The others are as good as this one, like the ‘Myth of Sisyphe’, where you have to bring a rollingball to the top of a tower. This is something you cannot describe, you have to play it yourself. Finally, the ‘Caves of Midas’ level which is a masterpiece not only in terms of gameplay, but also in terms of atmosphere. All the jumps you have to make are pure pleasure. And when you finally get the Hand of Midas, you are fully satisfied with the game, but you also feel a little bit sad, that the adventure has ended. To sum up, I’d like to recommend this game to everyone. It’s great, it’s brilliant, it’s hilarious and I just can’t wait for the upcoming ‘Curse of Gold’ – the sequel to ‘Quest of Gold’. I think TC14 should get an Academy Award statue for it. Made of gold of course…" - jawi (05-Jul-2013)
"EXCELENT!!! This adventure became one of my top 5 levels of all time!!! It took me 27 hours 27 minutes of net gameplay and found 63/70 secrets. completed twice and played two bonus levels as well. I liked every second of playing this MASTERPIECE. There are many different locations and every single one is fantastic with great atmosphere, very well hidden secrets, very good sound choise, absolute perfection. There are many hard tasks where experience and skill are very needed, many interesting puzzles, objects and enemies was placed perfectly. Highest recommendation. absolute 10/10/10/10" - OverRaider (24-Dec-2012)
"Superb!, Stunning! Perfect! A masterpiece!...My favorite Tomb Raider ever." - requiemsoul (20-Jan-2012)
"All I have to say is WOO HOO I finished this enormous set of amazing levels in a month's time..yay me! I cannot see how anyone could not give this level set perfect 10s all around. It is totally amazing. There are a few minor problems, like camera issues and potentially fatal places, but they are so few and far between that they could never reduce that perfect score. I have had this download on my computer for months and months because I felt like I was never ready to tackle it. I am so very happy I finally did, as it was wonderful. The puzzles were top notch and pretty much everything else. Now I can't wait for the next adventure Curse of Gold!!" - Shandroid (29-May-2009)
"This is a game I encourage all raider fans to play, this is a no miss game, you must play it to experience such a great adventure. To start with, there were countless puzzles in each level to keep you thinking and exploring, you dont have room to make mistakes. The way the game is lighted makes the atomosphere intense, the enemies you will ecounter are of a vast variety so to keep you alert at all times. The game itself has a good storyline to it and it includes a level based on the infamous Floating Islands from TR2. The only small flaw on this game is that the textures could do with a little tweaking here and there but overall its a great game to play. It took me over 40 hours of game playing to complete it." - TombRaiderTim (03-May-2009)
"What an experience this is. I have already played and enjoyed the entire series (apart from bonus levels), but playing it straight through really brings home the magnitude of the undertaking - a magnum opus indeed. Some of the earlier levels have been tweaked a bit but mostly it remains unchanged and it's good to be reminded just what a splendid work it is - hours and hours of first class raiding. Even if you don't feel like playing it all in one go, why not keep in on hand for when the new levels dry up as they do from time to time. An outstanding achievement." - Jay (22-Sep-2008)
"This compilation is a tour de force by any definition and it brought me to a new appreciation of TC's skill(s) at devising devious, maddening traps and timed runs. If a trap with spikes and hammer works, well then, why not add an almost impossible turn/angled run at the end just to spice things up?..just an example of gameplay that had me almost ready to call it quits.If memory serves, that particular jump only took, ummmmm, maybe 50 tries. He is also a master of the timed run that needs ONE second to be shaved before a successful completion but thanks to Dutchy and Gerty's great walkthrough I found more than once the exact movement to make it possible. There were times when I promised myself that there was NO way I would give this a 10 in gameplay but to be fair it's not a builder's fault(well, not entirely*wink*) if a Raider can't quite manage to get through a tough sequence. As for stretched textures, I guess I just didn't see them as everything looked perfect to me. I was one of the players that could not get the games to play after the 4th or 5th game so I was happy to have a chance to finally play the whole series. Thank you, TC, for the individual levels and the enormous effort in combining them into one mammoth Raiding experience lasting many, many hours..... unforgettable in many ways and done so very, very well." - Bene (22-Sep-2008)
"It took me more than 40 hours of net gaming time to play the totality of this great game. This is a titan work that offers many different and interesting places to raid , tasks to perform , and riddles to overcome. There are many great ideas , what impresses me the most is the use of some objects , to create interesting situations of gameplay for the player, to test his agility and/or thinking skills. The author has also created interesting gameplay by the way of the possibilities of the New Exe. I notice a few bugs in the Korean levels (I remember solid ground moving near water at the bottom of the big cave in Voodoo Magic, and I could swim in a Waste area of General Contamination, I had to reload a savegame to get back on my feet :] ). I only played the St Francis levels before this Gold Version and I noticed that the great push in Myth of Sisyphe is now different. The 1st Bonus level Nuclear Hazard is probably the most"Japanese" type of level ever created by a French author , while the second Escape from the Caribbean depths is very original with some humour and not hard. Don't miss it ! Creativity is the word that sticks out for me when all things have been considered about this game. All departments (puzzles , secrets, flybys , atmosphere) are very strong , plus you get some impressive cut-scenes, and long periods of exhilarating and dense game play. Can you ask for more ? Yes more please ! :]" - eRIC (21-Sep-2008)
"Such a huge game, 24 levels in total, it will take you ages to play even if, as I did, you already played some of them before. Having said that and the more than occasional frustrating moment apart, it will be all worth it since it's so well done and varied, you can find most of what Tomb Raider is about here. I must say the settings are, in my opinion, not astonishingly beautiful, more like really well done. The same can be said about the, many times a bit unfair, gameplay because it consists of so many (well done) traps of all sorts and you can truly become confused as in, say, the mazy Mystic Experience level. Of course, it's impossible to downrate this huge experience in any way, so here go my tens with just a 9 in gameplay for the excessive, in my viewpoint, overall difficulty level and somewhat confusing gameplay at times. All in all, a job very well done that is highly recommended for all those who have a lot of spare time and the obviously required tomb raiding skills." - Jorge22 (18-Sep-2008)
"I don't think I can add much to what's already been said - what a great game !!! This game had every combination of trap & puzzle, and then some. One timed run, I just couldn't make, but a savegame sved me... Not too many baddies, plenty of cool weapons to blow them away. I was a little conservative on the weapons, though. This was the longest game I've ever played - it became part of my daily routine... Great Game TC 14, congratulations !!!" - Juno Jim (30-Aug-2008)
"This very unusual for me to write a review after extensive beta testing and retesting to check the walkthrough, but after 14 days I have to say I had my fill. The levels are somewhat altered, saying that Thibault made minute changes and added bonus levels. Testing it on the MAC I had no chance to play the bonus levels, so checking the walkthrough I had a chance to do just that. One thing I learned through this experience, Thibault excused himself over and over again for the textures, as there are quite a lot that still are not right, he just doesn't see that anymore and I believe him, LOL." - Gerty (21-Aug-2008)
"I will admit that I have not replayed the whole series, but as that is likely not to happen in a long time and as I am reliably informed that differences vs the original game are not too dramatic, I chose to only play the bonus levels individually and score the whoole adventure based on the overall average scores of my previous reviews for the other levels, as I would usually do.
Nuclear Hazard (9/8/10/9, 50 min., 3 secrets): Some very tricky jumps in this one indeed. Nice use of the torch with the sprinklers, a cool fight scene with guards and those aquamen, a neat double timed run and a fun ride with a car of sorts including transport in an elevator were the highlights for me here. It is all very 'green' and simply oozes atmosphere.
Escape from the Caribbean Depths (8/10/9/9, 30 min., 1 secret): Wow - what a technical achievement this is - with Lara in her diving suit, including limited ability to move around and then leveraging that within the gameplay, like for the timed run and the jump to the high crack in the wall. Very well done! The gameplay as such is a revisit of the slightly modified area from 'The Ship Graveyard' with plenty of things to collect and a dramatic encounter with a dragon and some giant underwater scorpions.
Overall, the Quest of Gold series is a mind-boggling achievement for an individual level builder that is really far superior than the early TR commercial releases. Getting this 'for free' is something we all should be eternally greatful for!" - MichaelP (17-Aug-2008)
"The BEST level what I ever played... Now I finished with this great and huge level, my playtime is 1 day and 3 hour (!!!) Hmmm where I can start? Oh yes! Canada! :-) There is a forest, gold mines, and other great stuffs :-D Eneimes are yetis, bears, big birds from TR2 Gold.. We have guardians and snowmobile too. :-) Isn't linear levels, hard to find the good way... :-) The Mystic Experience level is my love... :-)) So hard and so great and so nice :-)) The second part are the Korean levels. VCI feeling, but the second level here is a little bad (the nuclear base..) because there is a lot of way, and hard to find the real way... :-) My fav here is the Palace level, very realistic. The enemies are soldiers, guards, killable monkeys :-D Great puzzles, easyer levels than the first one. The third part is the Marcitique levels, TR2 feeling totally :D The best part in the QoD... I think. :-) Some annoying sharks here, and human enemies... The final one is the St Francis levels :-) In the start we need to find 2 keys, a bit hard... :-) And than collect 8 more keys... ;-) No to hard.. And the final-final level is the Caves of Midas... Sort, but great level :-D All in one: THE BEST... Very hard, very long, and very playable! Nice envirovements, nice gameplay... RECOMMEND for everyone!!" - Roli (03-Aug-2008)
"I must admit that I really enjoyed this huge game even if I have played all the original The Guest of Gold levels once before. The levels this game includes are mainly quite similar to the original levels so I won't describe them very closely because I've already given reviews for the previous parts. The changes between older versions and this newer version are mainly improvements in environment such as better lighting, high resolution textures and weather effects in some levels. Few levels had also some changes in gameplay and some new areas to explore. Bonus levels were also very fun to play through and they are set in nuclear base and Martinique where you have to use the yellow swim suit from TR5. All in all I enjoyed playing this great game much and the gameplay consists of almost every kind of tasks which can be made with level editor. Every level has also totally different type of surroundings to explore which is also a big plus and makes the playing experience interesting. I recommend this game especially for those people who haven't played many of the earlier TQoG levels before but it's surely a fun experience for those who have already played the entire series. Good work." - Samu (26-Jun-2008)
"Well i must admit that i never ever played such a georgeous magnific TR game in my whole life ..... this is the KING off all TR games the NO 1 from distance .. i know Titak level Himalayan Mystery and TR search HQ emergency was very good ones ....BUT MAN .. THIS ONE I FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE POSTED HERE !!! i must admit that this piece off art took me allmoust 2 weeks to finish and this only with some help from walkthrough cos without could took me a whole year to finish it i think ... to comparation the official TR :Aniversary from Cristal Dinamics cost me 50 bucks and even cannot stay in the shadow off this game wich worth 1000 bucks in comparation ....... the guys from cristal dinamics could take some lessons from TC (Thibault Chatelus) how to build a perfect game ........well this game have all the stuff wich u can imagine spike trapps / timed runs / rotary slicers / burners / pole jumps /rope cross combined twisted jumps all the stuff u could imagine ...... this game is like a Rolls at cars ... albeit could be too hard one for normal players cos sometimes the gameplay touch the border off frustration but this game is for dedicated hardcore riders i think..... is very HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE GAME AND THIS 10 MARKS IS TOO LOW FOR IT I WOULD GIVE 15 IN THE LINE IFF I CAN ...I CANNOT DESCRIBE ALL THE LEVELS HERE COS IS TOO MANNY OFF THEM OVER 20 I THINK , BUT MAN .........I WOULD BE NOT SURPRISED ....BUT VERY SURPRISED !! IFF THIS ONE WOULD GET ANYTHING BELOW 10 IN THE LINE FROM ALL REVIEWERS .... TC IFF I COULD MET U IN LIFE I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO HONOUR U WITH 300 $ FOR THIS MARVELOUS GAME I CANNOT WAIT TO PLAY UR NEXT LEVELS I WISH U TO HAVE HAPPINESS AND HEALT TO COULD BUILD FURTHER NO 1 GAMES LIKE THIS .......GUYS .... MY ADVICE ... DOWNLOAD AND PLAY THIS GAME - IS THE BEST OFF THE BEST FROM ALL LEVELS POSTED HERE - AND U WILL NEVER FORGET IT BELIVE ME ... CHEERS" - Jack& (26-Jun-2008)