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Level: Celtic Folly back home search
Author(s): Inchdix
total rating:8.93 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
Boris 8 8 8 8
Brigidsgirl 9 9 10 9
CC 10 10 10 10
Cuqui 9 8 10 9
David 6 2 4 8
Dimpfelmoser 9 9 10 9
Engelchen Lara 9 9 10 9
eTux 10 10 8 8
Freeman Porter 10 9 9 9
G.Croft 9 9 9 8
Gerty 9 9 10 9
gfd 8 8 7 8
Kristina 8 8 9 9
Leandro 8 8 10 10
Litepulsar 9 10 10 10
Loupar 8 9 10 10
MichaelP 9 8 10 10
Momster 9 10 10 10
Monika 9 9 9 9
Moonliteshadow 8 9 10 10
Navi 10 10 9 9
Phil 9 8 10 9
Qwendo 10 9 9 8
RaiderGirl 9 9 10 10
Sash 10 10 9 10
tizerist 9 9 8 7
Tombaholic 10 9 9 8
Torry 9 8 10 9
Treeble 10 9 9 9
WebKnight 9 8 9 6
category averages
(30 reviews)		 8.97 8.67 9.17 8.90

Reviewer's comments

"Right, where do I start? Everyone has played this by now, I usually put these sort of levels aside because of their sheer complexity, and I finally got down to play this one thanks to the fully fleshed out walkthrough provided by Phil. I personally hate having to backtrack especially when you go back and forth through levels, without the certainty that you've done all that you were supposed to do. You backtrack quite a few times with the bike, too! Speaking of which, you do so many things here, you explore so many areas, yet lots of parts felt like some sort of déjà vu for me. I can't explain why, exactly, but some of the areas seem to be heavily inspired by areas in the original games -- or must have been reproduced at later levels which I've already played. Gameplaywise I guess there isn't much to complain, as you'll always be busy -- and it might not be so clear what you have to do next, or even where to start with! There was a rather random sequence involving protected goodies and I was pure luck to find that just the gem I needed was unprotected. Also remarkable are the skeletons coming out of the coffins, must have been very inovative back then. Most of reviewers dislike the Cleopal-WAD because of the mechanical scarab and the black pyramid, well, here you don't get a black pyramid, but you get a quest that's at least thrice as long as a regular one. I just don't get it how come the dry lands are so organic looking, so authentic, and most of the underwater sequences (and trust me, there are A LOT) are mere 4x1 boring corridors. Well, I can definitely say I'm glad it's over! 240 minutes, 9 secrets. 08/07" - Treeble (01-Sep-2007)

"TOMB RAIDER: CELTIC FOLLY. This is a journey through a horrificly expansive Scottish castle in order to find a mythical golden skull. That's one point for the game already, because strangely enough, the vast majority of Tomb Raider games don't have much interest in obtaining and escaping with such artifacts. So, to the actual setting then: The grounds of these massive ruins are bleak,grimey,damp,cold and unfriendly - exactly what an ancient Celtic fortress should be. The 9 or so hours I spent in the folly were enjoyable but certainly confusing,as the castle looks more or less the same throughout texture-wise, and the distances you must cover are both epic and intimidating. This is the game that Tomb Raider: The Lost Artifact should have been. The design of the 5 levels is absolutely top-drawer. You will probably feel hopelessly lost numerous times in these vast open spaces, which I feel is an element of Tomb Raider which has kept it alive all these years. In other words, the level layout is near-perfect. While I did get through the game, I didn't feel that I had 'mastered' it. It's simply too big for that. One grand hallway leads into another, and while I visually remember stand-out points, I couldn't tell you what level half of them were in. This is in some ways due to the traipsing between levels that you must do, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of confused desperation! One thing I must mention is that the door from level 1 through to level 2 is open once you go through it, then it closes itself. However, once you come back to the first level via a different route, you can see from a fair distance away that its still open from this side. How is that? This also happens on the level 2/3 entrance. The ambient sound is the same throughout, save for the last hour, and if you combine this with the repetitive textures, it can start to grate a few hours in. It simply doesn't change at all, and the first 4 stages do not have an individual feel from each other. I will counter this however by saying that the feel of an ancient Highland castle has been caught,bagged up,studied,and dropped into the level editor by the hands of a genius. He's mastered it totally. The green of the moss covered bricks and the size of the numerous lakes and flooded chambers are almost perfectly placed. The enemies are well placed and relevant to the setting too. All in all, a classic. 9/1" - tizerist (11-Aug-2007)

“Whoa! What an adventure! We've all seen castles before (or rather after...) but this is quite unique - a huge Celtic castle complex with all you could (or couldn't) usually expect to come with it - and I enjoyed my 3.5 hours in here thoroughly though I have some gripes. But first thing's first - if you're an explorer and love castle settings this is the best you could wish for - as you get almost everything the title could hold in itself - from small yet nicely made rooms in the castle including a library a few chapels sewers and so on to huge halls churches water-filled caves and valleys to explore. The vast areas might suggest that this could get a bit confusing but at times I found the relatively smaller inside rooms even more confusing due to lack of helpful cameras. I found quite a few more flaws in the game - flare bug in part 4 the electricity flipmap after the beetles in part 3 resetting itself after reloading the game (so be sure to get out of there and then save or have an earlier savegame) the need to place only 1 of 2 pillars in part 3 (so you can carry 1 to level 4 where you can spare yourself getting both pillars) and some minor texture bugs in the first levels and lack of lighting thorough the game. That surely is a lot but I didn't let that put myself off from playing and got out of here with the golden skull riding past the sentry guns to the end. Found 7 secrets probably there were even more but couldn't figure out how to get some of them. What shall I say - highly enjoyable and recommendable - a classic among custom levels!” – eTux (04-Jun-2004)

“This was an excellent set of levels! It's almost too much to do in one review but I'll give it a shot. The puzzles and fun start right off the bat here and don't quit. I found exploring the different areas really fun since you can go off in so many directions and find crazy different landscapes and textures. The secrets were about half and half some I found very easily and some I fear I would not have found if I hadn't peeked at the walkthrough (the one at the beginning of level 5 which is actually in level 3 or something was especially great I felt like I had really accomplished something when I finally picked up that revolver lol!) Some of the puzzles were really cool too...the room after you place the pillar was tough...but what to do with that skull (I'm guessing that was the treasure Lara was after??? And the fact that there are two ways to end the level were cool although I couldn't let myself take the easy way out...I had to ride through those damn machine guns a few more times! Now the only question is...will the adventure continue...Thanks for some great fun Inch!” – Brigidsgirl (20-Apr-2004)

“Part 1 (8/9/7/8) starts you off straight away with some VERY long swims (save before you attempt them). After this we get to some very tightly timed underwater doors. We also get some impressive jumps high up in large rooms. All this whilst fighting skellies SAS and crocodiles - good combat. A nice level then. Oh and one last thing: this level seemed unique in that the first secret gave you access to the second later on! A quick tip here: don't bother with the second gem that catches fire because you'll find another later on and so don't need to bother with that one. I'll finish on a couple of bad points and say that firstly the waterfalls didn't seem to have any sound and secondly these levels were horrible to install. I completed part 1 in 1 hour and 20 minutes and found 2 secrets. Part 2 (7/8/8/8) features more large caverns and the same enemies as part 1. However I felt there to be far more running and swimming around vast empty places this time. It still has its share of exciting moments though but they're just few and far between. There was also an annoying moment whereby you seem to have triggered the entrance into the next area so jump in and swim all the way over only to find a second set of locked doors and find yourself having to swim climb and jump all the way back to where you just were! It all took me about 40 minutes and I found 2 secrets. Part 3 (8/8/7/8) I preferred to the previous as it has more things to accomplish and more places to go. Be warned though because like before it features some very long swims that you'll need some very deep breaths for! I thought this level could have used a few more cameras but they weren't too greatly missed because they levels fairly 'tight' and easy to explore. Fights are just skellies this time but still good. I completed this episode in 1 hour and 30 minutes and found 1 secret (a crossbow which when combined with explosives was very useful for the skellies). Part 4 (7/7/5/8) has a rather dreadful lack of cameras so much so that they'll be times when you have no idea at all what's going on. There's also some misleading stuff with the placement of items. For instance when you place 2 gems expecting them to open a nearby door they won't! There's quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on this level and it all gets rather confusing. Still at least the graphics get very nice. I completed it in 1 hour and 30 minutes and found 2 secrets. Part 5 (8/9/7/8) is much better than the previous and a pretty darn good ending to the series (especially the final bike ride). Lots of things to collect here and it’s good fun finding them. Fights are good here too: loads of SAS (great fun to run them over!) and a few skellies and crocs. One last point about this level though: ignore the final camera sequence because unless you collect all of this part's secrets (3) you won't be able to continue afterwards. This all took me 45 minutes and I found 1 secret. The series as a whole took 5 hours and 45 minutes and I found a total of 8 secrets. A nice little epic then but one that could have certainly used a few more cameras.” – gfd (01-Jan-2004)

“Absolutely brilliant Inchdix certainly has mastered the art of stacked rooms resulting in very convincing and realistic huge rooms huge caves dizzy heights great atmosphere excellent texturing realistic water. It's almost all a highland castle setting sort of. In LEVEL 1 there are two water rooms where you have to go through successive doors to pull levers. In the first room these doors are timed so it's tricky. I managed by saving at each switch because then you have to look for the door you opened. The second room with doors is not timed so it's a much more leisurely experience. LEVEL 2 more swimming and making your way through tunnels pushing switches again killing skeletons and SAS along the way. 2nd time through triggering 8 boulders was scary but after that you get a lovely view of your goal the winding key. LEVEL 3 again huge rooms with very well laid out routes. LEVEL 4 more switches and a very clever puzzle with corridors and doors you run around to find a crawlspace and then around again to claim the gem. The room where the floor collapses into a crater was scary not only because you have to make your way around this burning crater but also being chased by two fire wraiths just to add insult to injury. Now the level skipping happens from level 4 to 3 to 2 to 3 to get the winding key and then finally to level 5. Monika has written a very good walkthrough so there's no need to panic. [[Because I use a Mac I got stuck entering level 3 again from level 4 where the switch in the computer room did not open the grid trapdoor. The author very kindly sent me the new inch.3tom to fix this. So if any mac users need this I have it or email Inchdix. It's 1.9mb]]. LEVEL 5 You'd think at this stage the highland castle thing was wearing out but instead it just gets better. Again well planned rooms. This is where you get the motorbike. My game froze when Lara drove through the breakable wall and passed the machine guns. I saw the flyby and then the game froze but I believe I was almost finished. It was just a shame I didn't get to do the few last moves. A total of 8 hours 40 minutes play. A great level. Can't wait to do the next Inchdix level on the level index.” – CC (31-Mar-2003)

“Although I tried to play this mini game before there was always something that didn't go right with the download or with the installing. Finally found one download tucked away and out of desperation tried that and with the latest download of the 4 and 5 level it finally worked. Glad I took the trouble though as this sort of game is my game. I just loved the textures and the scenery. Although at times I got a bit weary but then there is suddenly some action or one of the beautiful flyby's Jon made. Could have used a bit more camera work and I got the flare bug in level 4 I am not complaining one bit. You can see that Jon took great care to make something very worth while. In my opinion he succeeded big time. 19-03-2003” – Gerty (23-Mar-2003)

“Now what can I possibly write about these levels Cheryl's review doesn't leave many options as she covered all the puzzles traps etc. The only thing I can say is about the atmosphere. As you might have guessed by the title all five parts look the same meaning the textures are Scottish everywhere all of the parts are a bit darkish but just right only it's repeated and gets a little boring to the eye because the game play is exactly the opposite. A castle waterfalls inside areas following outside areas crocodiles SAS guards skeletons a variety of puzzles are what the player will find. Practically everything even timed underwater doors at first spike traps as you go further deep into the game at some point you can backtrack to another level. You will get excited at times frustrated maybe more but all is part of a good series. I am sure if you decide to play this adventure it will keep you busy for a week so do try it it is worth every minute.” – Kristina (02-Dec-2002)

“These set of levels aren't for the fainthearted and if it wasn't for certain hints in the forums (thanks to everyone who contributed to the Celtic Folly threads!) I don't think I would have made it but I did. Oddly enough apart from that I seemed to find the flow of things just perfect for me. Hence the downrated gameplay because sometimes that elusive switch or hidden door remained too elusive which can lead to constant frustration and the way you had to do things was downright devious but brought a smile to my face and I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere is excellent though there could have been a few more hints in cut scenes and a bit more varied sound. For a review there's a lot of ground to cover here so forgive me if I don't review this level by level there's just far too much to remember *grin*. I found a good learning curve in the progression of the five levels and it certainly is Celtic in flavour as Dimpfelmoser has already mentioned which made me like it for that alone. From lots of dark twisty passageways huge underground caverns water mazes and beautiful waterfalls to a cathedral lovely outdoor ruins and plenty of vertigo-inducing jumps you certainly won't be bored here there's always something to do. I recommend searching every nook and cranny and keep track of the well-hidden doors grates and anything that look like it might open later chances it will. Though the gameplay is quite linear you do have to go back and forth between levels which can be confusing at times. You'll also feel quite sorry for Lara who has to cover a heck of a lot of distance *grin*. Also secrets are very well placed not too hard to find and some of them are weapons so keep your eyes peeled. The puzzles I was very impressed with tricky but not tearing-your-hair out kind though they come pretty close lol like the timed run to a secret only to have some spiked boulders squish you or some were nice and gentle just to give you a quick rest before the next hectic bit. A hint: make sure you have the mechanical scarab and it's wind up key when you enter level 5 you won't be able to progress without it. But don't fret if you haven't you can make your way back to the other levels and check for newly opened areas! Items are quite important for you to be able to progress so don't leave an area till you are sure you've explored thoroughly. As with the objects and secrets once again the placement of traps was very sneaky and devious and quite clever I thought the way Lara sometimes expired had me laughing my posterior off. The enemies were ideally placed and in Level 5 thoroughly enjoyed using the motorbike to squish the annoying SAS troops unfortunately I didn't get all secrets so I didn't make it to the bonus room. I really really enjoyed the whole series of Celtic Folly and would definitely recommend it if you've enjoyed Jon's other work you won't be disappointed.” – Litepulsar (08-Nov-2002)

“These 5 levels kept my Lara busy nicely. A very good atmosphere above all the external worlds and interiors were designed well textures lighting everything simply did fit in :) Lara has to jump here very often between the levels and she has to solve numerous puzzles find puzzle pieces overcome devious traps and above all she must swim a lot. The puzzles were after my taste. There were also many switches and levers to operate. The secrets were a quest by themselves because Lara had to explore separate areas to find all 15 of them :) The opponents occurred only later predominantly skeletons and wraiths above all the fire spirit kept my Lara on her toes. Afterwards also guards and a few crocodiles appeared. The sound was maybe a little too few. But otherwise I can only say – simply play it :) However you will need a lot of patience and brains...” – Engelchen Lara (18-Sep-2002)

“Again a great level based on mysteries which really was not easy. Because Lara enters 5 enormous level complexes whereby she has to collect many artifacts going back and forth between them. Many switches are to be operated and sometimes you do not know what it triggers. She finds also the golden Skull. The level is graphically very affectionately designed including different color effects. Lara must run much swim a motorcycle to drive and some opponents to kill. The designer apparently liked wraiths but if you are smart you can evade them easily. Opponents were not too many and not too few. Suitable and surprising mostly. Lara can also use different ways which are of advantage. My Lara found all 15 secrets. She is also proud about that because they were really well hidden. Very many traps Lara has to overcome Lara which are also really well designed. The sound was somewhat poor but got better later in the level. The atmosphere was unique for me because five such gigantic levels to design that well had me terribly impressed. It also got never boring because Lara had always something to do and the 15 secrets already made up for it. This game requires also a little patience. It is very diverse. Very recommendable!” – Navi (17-Sep-2002)

“Others have noticed that I tend to rate and review only those levels that I like and that I'm usually quite generous with the numbers I toss out. There's certainly something to be said for submitting reviews for extraordinarily BAD levels if only to warn other gamers away. But as a dexterity-challenged raider with little free time on his hands I normally don't tackle levels that haven't already gained wide acclaim in the forum. All that being said I finally (in August of 2002) downloaded and endured the grueling experience of installing Celtic Folly. All I can say is what the heck took me so long? This is an utterly enchanting series of interlocking levels that took the better part of a week to complete even with the timeouts necessary to scour the forum for clues to beg others (including the author) for help and finally to resort to a walkthrough provided by a Samaritan angel. Everything about these levels is nigh about perfect the atmosphere the ambient sounds the maddening way in which a pickup in one level is necessary to progress in another (and not necessarily the next level in chronological sequence) and the almost childlike joy of seeing new areas opened up as you painstakingly make your way from one level to the other. I haven't tried any of the Hidden Garden series so those are high on my list to play next. More from Inchdix please.” – Phil (03-Sep-2002)

“This series of five levels is the most difficult I've played even more than Hidden Garden (that I've played before). The game is perfectly done and the backtracking between levels is very well built but sometimes very confusing. I've enjoyed this game except in some places where it was almost impossible to find the solution without read some posts in the forums...I've found 10 secrets and entered in the final bonus room. The graphics are beautiful. I love the ‘highland Fling’ level of TR3gold and this game is very similar. I've played this game without sound but despite of this I felt every time completely involved in the action. Maybe with the music I would have rated 11.” – Loupar (11-Aug-2002)

“Synopsis: Net gaming time – 9 hours, 20 minutes, 54 seconds. Hair lost? – hands-full. Pleasure, satisfaction, frustration, etc: - immeasurable. Another 2 hours to write the review, was it worth it? YES! This is another one of those ‘that sounds like I’ll like it’-titles from my pre-forum days. And I honestly can’t tell you if it was the 1-3 version or the 1-5 version I tried so long ago. But, if not for old forum threads (no help from anyone this time except Monika) and the fact that Inch was around to help, I would never have (and didn’t previously) completed this great level. Jon, as usual, is riding that ‘fine line’ between effortless and impenetrable. Make it too easy, you get rated down in gameplay – make it too difficult, you get rated down in gameplay. I read every thread I could get my hands on, begged for help and read the reviews over and over. I am going to get a little chatty in my review in the hopes that it will somehow assist the future raider and because I hope in some, small way, I can pay Jon back for putting me through this agony, by having to wade through my review. LOL Part 1: You start on a beautiful, lush estate. Huge castle - spread out before you (but you don’t know how huge at the moment), river flowing underneath the bridges and parapets that you have no hope of reaching. Behind you, the door you need 2 gems to open. The flyby shows you your objective. One blue gem sitting on the wooden floor of the upper realms of this structure looming above you. You are starting to get an inkling of what lies ahead – you need 2 gems! The guard at the tops spots you, starts shooting and it begins. There’s nowhere to go but, you guessed it – in the water! You desperately seek a place to climb out at and to your chagrin, find the only above water exit is one where you need a star! You know you have to go up, but how? Back in the water, and you spot 2 underwater entrances. Pick the one on the right, wrong! Closed door. Swim through the other one (this is a lung buster to be sure). Of course partially through, you meet up with – you guessed it – your favorite water baddie, a croc. This is a long maze and I found, after several attempts, it’s better to swim back out after encountering the croc, heading for bank and blasting away at it. Now before I start writing a walk-thru here, I will just say a couple of things. Explore every possibility, look everywhere and try things more than once because the situations change often in this level (as in all 5) And don’t go beating yourself up looking for that star because you will not need it yet, nor will you find it here. Your current objective is 2 blue gems. Part 2: This section is pretty much, just a pass-thru from part 1 to part 3. Relatively short and linear, but not lacking in adventure or, for that matter, frustration. A massive, water-filled cavern with a structure in the center and a couple of areas that you need to gain access to. Thanks to Monika for the tip on that structure! You will later return to this area for a fiendish, timed swim in and out of doors, pulling levers to open the next door. Ultimate goal in this area the 2nd time is retrieval of the winding key. Here is where I wanted to publicly flay Jon. Part 3: This is a HUGE portion of the game. You will spend the most time here, but not, I do not believe the most difficult. There are countless areas to explore, and important things to accomplish to enable you to progress into the future parts. You get the feeling here that Jon was just warming you up in the first two. I will reiterate, go everywhere and look everywhere as things change with the flip of a switch or the pull of a lever. In this area there are a multitude of levers to pull, crawlspaces to crawl in, climbing areas and jumping areas. One particular area comes to mind where you have dropping, flipping, dropping, drop/grab. Ahhhh the joy! You will think countless times that you are finished here and are ready to move on but you find that you have a plentitude of tasks awaiting you still. If you are not able to progress, there is a switch that you have not pressed. Towards the end of this part, you will be looking for (and eventually find) the crowbar. Your ultimate goal here is to find and retrieve the golden star, which is in an opening (one of 3) that you are not able to access until all has been completely satisfactorily. After you’ve obtained the star, there are 3 possibilities. Immediately, in the area of the star, continue on to part 5, go back to level 2, which I found later is wrong, or the correct way, on to level 4 via a quick trip in level 1 to place your star that you worked so hard to acquire. I went the wrong way, to level 2, which is where you get an essential pick up. This still worked for me but it took me longer this way, to return to level 1 to place the star. Part 4: This was for me the most difficult and frustrating part of the adventure. This is when I started looking at the reviews and pondering them, which ultimately almost made me give up. There is one review that states there are 8 rooms in this area with 8 different pick-ups so I was frustratingly running around like mad trying to find where these other 4 rooms were. But there are actually 4 areas with 2 pick-ups in each area but with further extensions of each area. You will need 2 of everything to retrieve the mechanical scarab that is leering at you from behind an enclosed area in the center of the main room. Again, look everywhere. An area that is not open beforehand, will become available with the flip of a switch or the pickup of an item. There is a lava area in this part that is created after the pushing of 2 switches. This involves a drop down into the area and jump from block to block with fire sprites chasing you to get to a small water-filled hole in the corner which you can jump into. Warning, you don’t see any water, you are jumping on faith and because there is no other way to go. Now involves some swimming in and out of some passages and finding a knot (one of 2). There is a timed swim here that I did not realize and had to go back and re-do, which opens a door to a secret. One particular thread gave reference to looking up in the area of the church and this is what gave me the most difficulty. There also is a certain sequence that the rooms should be done in, and I re-did this area twice. I’m not going to expand on this, because, I had to suffer, you should too! You will, again, be re-visiting areas in this part as, consequences of an act performed, affect different rooms, enabling further progression. Ultimately, you will need 2 blue gems, 2 stars, 2 knots and 2 music scrolls. Until all are found and used, you cannot gain access to the mechanical scarab. After retrieving your golden prize you will be exit once more to part 3 and from here you are supposed to do part 2 and retrieve the winding key, but I had already done that. In part 3, you will get back to that area where you picked out the star with your trusty crowbar and climb the wall to enter part 5. Part 5: In this part, you have to deal with guards, automatic machine guns, skeletons and the crocs. The majority of part 5 is set in an outside atmosphere, which proves to be refreshing after the dark confines of the castle. The objective here is to find a motorcycle. Now motorcycles are my downfall normally, as I do not ride them well, preferring my little 5 speeder, but I must say, once on it, I only crashed and burned a few times. But….that comes later. Again, a fair amount of swimming. This is where you need to use your hard-won mechanical scarab. And I must confess at a little irritation at the difficulty factor in achieving success in obtaining that scarab for 2 measly sets of spikes! Again, flaying, Jon. This leads to a switch to open a gate underwater leading to a crossroads (crosswaters?) with 3 ways to go. 1 leads to a secret, 1 to an area with a pole in the water and no hope of reaching it, the 3rd to an area where you can pull out onto dry land - watch out for crocs. Onwards to a nasty little sequence involving a couple of those revolving, rolling blade thingies. Quite nasty. This area took me a good amount of time, going over it again and again until finally finding that opening the again trusty threads referred to. At this point, all help failed me as I was playing long into the night, determined to finish and there was no help around but my trusty ‘search’ function for threads. As I am in danger of almost writing a walk-through here and trying to help the future player, I will try to generalize for the rest. You need to make your way into yet another part of the castle, battling some crocs, guards and skeletons (yawn, am getting used to this LOL). Again, some devious tricks, obtaining 2 gold stars and return to the beginning of part 5, the automatic guns again, placement of the stars to continue into a nice, green large area. You’ll need all your wits about you as you jump, shoot and suffer some heinous fire puzzles. Jon, you deserve more than flaying for that fire puzzle to the switch after which the crocs attack and nowhere to go but into the fire past the fire or suffer biting crocs while I shot them (needed to change my undies after that one). Had a bit of a hard time finding that knot and shame on you for the lever puzzle to get that golden skull. No words I can use here to describe that experience; so use your imagination. Finally, riding off into the sunset, so to speak with a great fly-by and the hopes of Celtic Folly 6???? In closing, I’d like to say that, having played the Hidden Garden series first, I marvel at the genius Jon has shown, coming up with that series after this one. I know this is a bit lengthy but I did ask Michael if there were any limits and he said ‘no’ so, if I can in some small way, help the future player with this review, I will have accomplished what I’ve set out to do. This series of levels, is by no means for the trepiditious (I know I just made up that word) but if you’ve got the b***s, play it! The only real negatives I have are the going from one part, back-tracking to a previous part. Without my trusty threads and reviews and of course Jon, I’d never have made it. SAVE OFTEN!!!” – Momster (23-Jul-2002)

“Part 1: This level starts off with a series of underwater mazes complete with timed doors that will have you tearing your hair out. One of them leads you on a very long and circuitous route to bring you back to the beginning of the level on top of a before unreachable bridge where you will find the second of two gems that will allow you to proceed to Part 2. This was a well-designed level that will test your complete knowledge of Lara's special moves. There is an underwater door at the end of this level plus a door that requires a star. You can leave these as you will return here later. Part 2: This level opens up into vast water filled cavern but is not as difficult as the first. It is relatively linear and the long time raider should have little difficulty in finding the exit with health still intact. Good graphics in this one. Part 3: This level is a doozy and it goes on forever. There is a lot of to and fro-ing so don’t be shy about backtracking over ground you have seen before. Again there are doors in this level that you cannot get to until later so don't panic. The end of this level is VERY CONFUSING!! for those that are about to play at the end of level 3 there are 3 exits. One takes you back to level 2. No joy there. One takes you straight to level 5 whilst the last takes you to (the right way) level 4 via a brief sojourn in level 1. (This is where you get to open the door with the star at the beginning of level 1). Part 4: This level in a word is a *&^%$#(*&!!!!* The object is to get the mechanical beetle which is plain sight behind a barred cage. Getting the thing open will require all your skills patience and not a small amount of luck. The action revolves around this central room and you will be returning here often. My advice is take it slow and look look look. I missed easy switches just because of the devious placement tactics employed. Now this next bit is VERY IMPORTANT. Once you have completed level 4 you need to return to level 3 complete a couple of new rooms and then you have to return to Level 2.... where there is an essential pickup there that you need to proceed in level 5. This came from the author himself and I'll tell ya if he hadn't told me there is NO WAY IN HELL I would have gone that way. (Certainly says something for level design). Part 5: These levels just seem to get harder and harder. I was stuck in two places for quite a while and the trick is to look real hard. Also what appears to be an impossible jump is jumpable you just need to get the timing and angle right. The escapade on the motorbike is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the ending sequence which consisted of a flyby showing you a room full of goodies that you had absolutely no hope of getting to. (Well I didn't anyway). Overall: A really good mini game that will have you going for around 6+ hours. I thought that some of the design was too confusing with alternatives not accurately depicted so that the player would find his/her way correctly. Also the overuse of wraiths was really getting on my nerves. Make the signposts of where to go more positive and this is a GREAT set of levels.” – Torry (21-Jun-2002)

“The level or minigame is well structured in every aspect.” – Boris (21-Jun-2002)

“This is a massive mini-game set in and about a Highlands castle that will keep you busy for quite a while. My net gaming time was 6.5 hours but in real time it was considerably longer. In such a long game you would expect (or hope for at least) a great variety of challenges and puzzles which is just what you get here. Lara gets to use every move she learned in her workouts in the Mansion's training areas - great fundamental TR action. The puzzles vary in difficulty from easy to bang-your-head on the monitor difficult. Like Qwendo I didn't master everything leaving some pickups and finishing with only 13 of the 15 secrets but reaching the end seemed enough in itself. Since the levels are inter-connected you may wonder at an area that seems inaccessible only to find yourself back there at a later point. Enemies are thoughtfully used to cause Lara the greatest nuisance possible. One memorable example is when Lara has to descend through a pit with a ‘hot’ bottom quickly enough to avoid being roasted by a fire sprite. The overall atmosphere is great and there are a number of terrific flybys but a few more cut scenes would have been helpful. My biggest complaint (and a personal pet peeve) is that the lighting throughout much of the level was just too flat and lacking in nuance especially in the outdoor areas. Nonetheless this epic adventure is well worth the hefty download and installation required.” – Tombaholic (21-Jun-2002)

“In Part 4 of the Celtic Folly series you are spending your time searching for 8 puzzle pieces which you need to collect the mechanical scarab but the way the author has designed this quest is fascinating. Numerous switches and doors some opening elsewhere and you have to search for them a lot. Atmosphere comes across nicely and the only element hindering the flow of the game is the flare bug that appears in the middle of the level (after the placement of the second diamond). The grenade launcher can be found as a secret and turns out to be useful to deal with the skeletons. Net gaming time about 90 minutes. Part 5 presents you with more action and automatic guns as well as firetraps combined with levers and switches. After about an hour and a speedy bike run through some caves the adventure ends. There is one place I did not master: After a bike jump you can dismount on a bridge and climb down and jump into water to pick up a few nice goodies but the way back up was a nightmare and I have given up after about an hour. All in all Celtic Folly is a great series of levels.” – Qwendo (21-Jun-2002)

“Part 1: Although the level starts out as initially quite complex there is actually not that much to it. The initial swims have to be timed exactly or Lara dies and at least one of the pick-ups there is very hard to see. Also some of the doors don't seem to open (or if they do I couldn't work out how). As it happens one of them opens in Part Three which is *very* annoying as I spent a long time in Part One trying to figure out what I had missed. There's a very annoying camera angle too at one point which makes it virtually impossible to explore. Finally Part 1 does not mesh into Part Two very well. More work could have been done here. Part 2: Initially impressive this is quite nice and I liked the idea of different routes through. It does get frustrating though as you have to go over the same ground twice to complete the level. There are not enough pick-ups by far. I like to find things. Also there's not much atmosphere - it all feels a little by rote. Finally Part 2 does not mesh into Part Three very well. Part 3: This is more like it there's more gameplay and the areas open up nicely as you progress. Still nowhere near enough pick-ups. When Lara has to seek levers to pull to open up the next door with a lever it's all a little plain and again not much atmosphere. Overall not a bad three levels but the last is by far the best. Not enough things to shoot at and kill not much atmosphere and while there are some gorgeous rooms they are ultimately pointless as there is nothing to do or find in them (there's a massive cavern in Part 1 which is very nice but as far as I could tell there was just one pickup of some shells in it...)” - David (21-Jun-2002)

“Great game! I really like it when it is like this - a mini game that will take you some time to finish. Good puzzles you have to think and try a few times to solve them. Great rooms with that oaooo feeling especially the ruins in the fifth level.” – G.Croft (21-Jun-2002)

“The atmosphere and design of these levels are great! And the textures amazing! But the gameplay is a little boring because all that you have to do is jump jump and jump... and sometimes climb. Well sometimes a trap or something... a bit of creativity would help!” - Leandro (21-Jun-2002)

“Jon has obviously put his brilliant mind and creativity to work here in creating a complete Tomb Raider series that any ‘Tomb Raider Pro’ will enjoy playing. Made up of a full 5 levels this game is unique in that you will travel back and forth between these levels which can be quite confusing if you do them in the wrong order*. Although the theme in each level is similar and obviously part of a set each level has its own look so it's easy to tell them apart. Each is difficult with clever puzzles tricky jumps timed underwater doors floor tiles that kill you instantly invisible ledges fire traps bike jumps fire and water elementals and many items to find and place to proceed in the level. There are not many enemies but you'll be glad as the levels present quite a challenge even without them. My favorite was level 4 in which you will find four main rooms each with it's own puzzle to solve and two items to pick up. With beautiful rooms clever puzzles and magnificent effects these are levels I'm not likely to forget anytime soon and plan to play again - I felt very proud when I finally finished the series (with some help from inchdix and Torry). Just expect to spend a lot of time looking around save a lot and prepare to be frustrated. *level order: 1 2 3 1 4 3 2 5” – RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002)

“One of my favorites! Long ways some large rooms all well textured with an excellent atmosphere and gameplay. Everytime you think you’re through there is still another door to open. It was pure fun to play it and if Inchdix had made use of lights (not only the room ambience) it would have been a 9/8/9/9.” - Webknight (21-Jun-2002)

“I have played the first 3 Celtic-Levels a long time ago. I just remember that they were very good but no details now I finished part 4+5. I love this kind of levels most times you are searching and exploring in big rooms with many doors to different areas with challenging puzzles and traps. In Part 4 you have to collect 4 pairs of different artifacts to go further and it’s not easy but do-able. Part 5 is a little bit harder and still nice to play it takes a long time until you find the motorbike at the end you drive out the level through some shooting machines and a long camera-sequence shows you what you miss if you don’t collect the 3 secrets. A really brilliant Mini-Game” – Freeman Porter (21-Jun-2002)

“I played the levels 1-4. I could not go on to level 5 because there was a bug in the room with the control banks when I went from level 4 into level 3. I just couldn’t leave the room because the grid would not open and that is the only way to go on. Even inchdix’ and Sash’s tips didn’t do the trick. Still I had over 6 hours interesting game playing. I liked the Highland Castle atmosphere throughout the game. The puzzles were manageable. There are plenty of switches to push. If there was such a medical term I think you could get the switchitis here. The enemies are SAS skeletons crocodiles beetles and ice and fire wraiths. The wraiths can make life for Lara very difficult. Especially in level 4 when she should watch out not to fall onto the fire floor and 2-3 fire wraiths are at her heels. Some openings are well hidden and you just have to look and look not to miss them. The underwater tunnels in level 1 are long ones and you have to go on directly otherwise your health won’t be enough to get to the air. I found 6 secrets. I just like this kind of game with searching for items and switches and not to much killing. If you like a lot of action this maybe is not your game but otherwise I can only recommend it.” – Monika (21-Jun-2002)

“If you dig the Celtic Stuff like I do you're gonna love this but you need a little time on your hands as this is not to be played in a rush. It starts quite simple and straightforward but over the hours of gameplay it becomes more complex and complicated. The Scottish style setting is extremely well done and your course will take you everywhere form claustrophobic tunnels to awesomely big areas. Battling the skeletons is so much fun that I was kinda sad when I finally got the explosives. There inevitably comes the moment when you think Oh no not again; like when you plunge into your third underwater maze and there are times when the doors and levers seem endless. But just when you think you can't take it anymore you get a nice piece of action or an encouraging flyby (my favourite was the one with the skeleton climbing out of the coffin). You have to try to memorize the position of each closed door you passed as the cause and effect in opening them might seem a bit confusing. When you arrive in the fourth level you know that this is going to take some time as it is obvious that you're gonna need at least 8 items and getting them will take you to 8 different rooms with 8 different tasks. Also you have to get the order right cause if you release the evil fire spirits before you found some water to trap them in you're dead meat. There are some clever puzzles and great chases and the diversity and inventiveness is truly admirable. Bearing in mind how big this level is it's such an achievement that it remains entertaining the whole way through and only very rarely slackens the pace. Well unfortunately as a Mac user I had to quit after part four but the five hours it took me to get to the computer room were great fun. Final note: Another reviewer complained that the respective levels don't mesh. I honestly have no idea what he is talking about.” – Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002)

“Great minigame. Not easy! I found especially difficult underwater channels and labyrinths. Too many switches and buttons to push. I was lost. But when I found the right way it was very fun. Excellent atmosphere and wonderful rooms. Camera very well placed. In part 2 I managed to get both games as Michael did too saving Lara with medipacks jumping in water and going to the left room where I was able to expel those nasty ice demons. Good challenging puzzles (like the one with switches and torches) in part 3. The ending flyby showing the room with goodies is very nice too. After this experience I want to play the series of 5 levels ‘Hidden Garden’ as soon as possible.” – Cuqui (21-Jun-2002)

“The author has certainly captured the atmosphere of a damp old castle. There are dark damp moss covered corridors and waterways. There are lots of buttons and levers which need to be pulled. You need to be sure you've pulled them all! Probably a few too many at times but a worthwhile game to play. Just when you think you've finished ..........” – Moonliteshadow (21-Jun-2002)

“One of the longest sets of levels to play for me at just over 5 hours this was one hell of a brilliant adventure. There is fantastic exploring devious timed runs and swims with some seemingly impossible water mazes great use of Lara’s moves 15 secrets plus so much more. What I loved was although the first 4 levels are spent underground each level had its own character and difference and the lighting was never dark which suited me perfectly as I am so over dark levels at the moment. The last level was set mostly above ground which came at the right time because I just needed a breath of fresh air after all the time underground. It’s almost incomprehensible how Jon filled all of these levels and time with interesting progression and puzzles galore as I never got bored once frustrated well sure but never bored. The only thing I would have liked was more camera shots of triggered doors and areas as once in a while I couldn’t tell what or where I had to go otherwise action architecture and gameplay all added up to over 5 hours of pure fun.” – Sash (21-Jun-2002)

“Well where do I start? There are so many great things to tell about these three marvelously crafted inter-linked levels set in stone & wood with huge caves and lots of water perfectly lighted and designed with a wonderful atmosphere supported with just the right amount of sounds and cameras. Now going step by step: Part 1: This part took me about 60 minutes of net gaming time to complete. It has some pretty breath-taking dives and nice jump & climb sequences very few but just the needed pick-ups to deal with the every once in awhile appearing skeleton. It is key that you watch your step and explore a lot. I found the two secrets – you should note that you need the one to get the other. Some of the climb crawl shimmy sequences were maybe a bit lengthy and I found the underwater timed doors a bit repetitive. Also when having the choice of which diamond to take I managed to get both through saving Lara with medipacks until she reaches the water. I think this was not intended by the author of the level as it helps you (or confuses you) in Part 3. Part 2: A dam and of course you immediately guess that you will have to flood it and at the end of the 30 minutes that I spent in this part you will indeed. I enjoyed the great arched bridges the wraiths that actually worked as they should but was a bit frustrated when I thought I had completed the flooding piece only to find another set of closed doors that had me off again to explore how to open these. Part 3: I spent well over an hour of net gaming time in this part alone. While I usually hate invisible ledges in this part there is one nice puzzle with these (through lighting effects) but unfortunately also one that I did not like at all. As a nice touch you get to revisit previous rooms of the other parts and apart from that there are lots and lots of levers and switches to find and push. In this part I also found two bugs where you can walk through a curtain but not back and thus get stuck (unless I missed something). And as in Part 2 I completely missed the secrets so I guess they were very well hidden. Bottomline a must play epic. Try it out!” - Michael (21-Jun-2002)
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