| Reviewer's comments |
"If it weren't for the bugs I encountered
(one of which prevented me completing the
game properly), and the encroaching
darkness which rather spoilt my enjoyment,
then this would have been a perfectly
playable and fairly challenging level set.
The architecture and textures are
impressive and the custom sounds are
certainly well placed (although confined
to the third level), also the gameplay
contains many nice moments in the form of
torch puzzles, trigger tile puzzles and
challenging jumps/traps, but I had to dock
a point for the bugs I encountered: I had
to exploit a glitch in the rising sands
area as the platform never rose and I
seemingly messed up the door puzzle near
the end as the door to the dragon area
never opened, even after backtracking a
few times, so I had to quit there. A
shame, as overall it had real potential." - Ryan (24-Dec-2018) |
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| "Again, can't give an approved to the gameplay section 'cause I wasn't able to finish the game. In the readme file alerts about a bug in the room with the rising sands, fixed in subsequent versions, but in my game that bug persisted so I got totally stucked in that room an I had to abandone. When starting the level I though it could be a good game, but later the darkness and the black screens supposedly to create a "better ambience" were not good for the gameplay, and even when I found enough flares, that slowed down a lot the exploration and ruined the game. I liked a lot the excellent architecture, the good atmosphere and the nice use of objects and cameras, but it's not enough to create an entertaining level." - Jose (26-May-2016) |
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| "Here's a five-part game that was released more than a decade ago. The first three levels have borne up fairly well over time, and I had a good time playing those, assisted by one of Michael's rare walkthroughs. However, most of the fourth level must be played in pitch blackness, and to make matters worse the flare bug kicks in about halfway through. At that point I said to hell with it and tweaked the script.dat file to play any level, and moved on to the last level where I found it to be much the same in the darkness department. I also didn't have the metallic scarab that I'd picked up earlier, so I had to enable the flycheat to get past a gauntlet of spikes in order to continue. And the final passage with the spikeballs and spike traps bordered on the sadistic, so I hit the finish trigger with a great deal of relief and joy. If I'm allowed to make a suggestion, I'd say play the first three levels and then move on to something else unless you have a masochistic bent." - Phil (27-Mar-2012) |
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| "Given the ginormous hype and controversy the release of this level caused back in the day, I have steered away from it. Visually, these levels are stunning, but they're not without flaws (there are cracks and texture flickers in quite a few levels); plus the fourth level features the flare bug in a dark maze, and for that I have reduced my ratings a little. The inventory also has butt meshes for the ammo types you'll not find in the adventure. Cliff Tomb At Akhetaton (10 minutes): the series start in a nice outside lake (where two canopic jars are sneakily hidden) and ends shortly after you enter the tomb itself. Uskh-t ni Tuti (20 minutes, 2 secrets): a level that blends some sethtomb and some karnak areas. Some of the traps felt more like trial and error than anything else, and there's a very distinct darkness to certain areas which makes you wonder just how many flares you can actually spend (the readme says you have to be very cheap regarding flares and medipacks). Tell el Amarna (35 minutes): set outside in the desert for most of the time, in this level you have a series of barracks hosting a lever to open the next one until you eventually open the way to a tomb entrance, but curiously you can just jump over that last gate. Going through all the effort of exploring the rather wide area with the barracks you are rewarded with the rocket launcher though, so it's worth doing it the correct way. Heri usekh-t ni Tuti (55 minutes, 1 secret): so, about a month later I come back to this levelset (I had installed the level from a backupped version which didn't include the wad for this level) and I was utterly underwhelmed. This particular level has two mazes (one being underwater which hosts more than just one artifact piece, so make sure you explore it thoroughly) and the other one is a dark one. It would be ok, because you are given a torch to explore it, but being given a camera clue to one room that I didn't need to visit until much later in the level I went there and triggered the flare bug. Oh the joy of exploring a pitch black maze under such a condition. I have to say I was glad when it was over. Burial Chambers of Sekhemkare (20 minutes, 2 secrets): fortunately this level made up for the previous. It's a rather short level and fast paced as you collect the ankh and the golden mask before making your exit. Lots of traps and two dragons are there to make your life a little more challenging. The squishing walls did not hurt Lara, which is a good thing because just before the level end one of them can actually push you out of the way of a spiked boulder. Bottomline, I'm glad I have played these levels and even though they didn't live up to the hype I remember of those days, they were still fun (except for the fourth level which was a let down to me). 140 minutes, 5 secrets. 01/09" - Treeble (20-Jan-2009) |
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| "I wont be able to give separate reviews on each of the levels as I've done before cause my memory is simply too blurry on this one and I've played far too much levels in between by now already. The gameplay and the whole settings of the area were nice with different nice touches and I liked that the levels followed some storyline to give this 2 hour adventure some sense. The first levels are rather short and the real puzzles start only once you return back inside from the outside level. A thing I didn't like at all was the darkness. Sure I guess the real tombs Lara would raid would be this dark but it's not the kind of touch of reality I like in Tomb raider levels so can't rate that category higher. Also untextured parts appeared now and then too. There are some other bugs but the author's makes you aware of those in the readme. I would probably write something more if I could remember something but overall an exciting series which I enjoyed rather much." - eTux (07-May-2003) |
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| "What a hard level at least I thought so and dark so dark that I had to play it after the sun is well set and this time of year that is pretty late. I was very much puzzled at the beginning as near the crowbar was a torch laying in the water and Lara just wouldn't grab it. Not to worry as there are places you need to the torch and it will be there (or near it) and although once I had one and had it lit I dragged it with me as far as I could. Saved me lighting flares as well. With every torch puzzle there is a torch to find. I specially liked to see in the third level of this mini game a box of Tomb Raider on one of the desk. Funny things people remember LOL. Enemies sometimes it looked like a shoot them level and what is a croc doing with a shark in that lake in the beginning? Puzzles are fun but not easy and there are numerous traps. Some areas got me very confused very maze like so all in all a hard level. Had to look in the different posts a lot till almost at the end of this game I saw there was a walkthrough. Oh well no harm done and I rather play without a walkthrough anyway. 21-04-2003" - Gerty (28-Apr-2003) |
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| "This level series starts out with two very remarkable things. It has the longest ever readme file (but do read it as there is lots of interesting information) and apparently it was built within about a month which leads me to believe that Jonathan pretty much spent day and night on it at the time. Cliff Tomb at Akhetaton (7/7/10/9 20 min. 1/1 secrets): It starts out with a very impressive setting supported by great music you explore a small piece of the Nile surrounded by high cliffs. Once you get underground you place two canopic jars and encounter a lot of darkness but appropriately so as there is no daylight anywhere. Instead torches are nicely used to offer you some light and flares are adequately provided. Uskh-t ni Tuti (7/8/9/9 30 min. 2/3 secrets): A few smaller puzzles to master here and again good music and a scenic flyby. You encounter the giant rotating blades here and again torches will be helpful to give you some light. I thought the caves were nicely done even though I got stuck in an illegal slope once or twice. Watchout at the raising sand area as you can get stuck here and might need a savegame. Enemies are skeletons beetles and mummies but they can all easily be avoided. A cartouche helps your progression and a Hand is needed later in the series. Tell el Amarna (7/7/9/9 40 min. no secrets): Back outside you are treated with a short jeep ride and a mountain plateau area which is impressively built. Especially the two flybys were ingenious in the way the made use of the horizon graphics for effect. Unfortunately those were the only cameras you had and as you need to pull a series of levers it is a bit annoying to search the whole area for the door that has opened. You collect a Golden Beetle and Key and an artifact and there are way too many guards (about 35+) and a few dogs and scorpions to kill. Back into the underground you deal with skeletons and burners and darts. Heri usekh-t ni Tuti (9/8/8/7 60 min. 1/2 secrets): Definitely the strongest part in the series. Quite a few nice ideas for gameplay here and good action passages as well. Spiked stars burners and many spikes (some unmarked) to avoid. You need to find the Portal Guardian a canopic jar and a hand. There is a small underwater maze and a rather cleverly constructed two-level maze above. And yes it is a bit frustrating in there because of the darkness (again use the torch to help) and especially because of the lack of cutscenes showing you what the jump switches did but the area isn't that big and it's all manageable. I did encounter the flare bug but only for a short while so it wasn't too bad. Burial Chambers of Sekhemkare (8/7/8/8 30 min. 1/2 secrets): The short finale to the series has you again searching for two canopic jars before you encounter two very deadly dragons as the kind of big final battle. The locusts drain on your health so you have to move quickly. After that a last gauntlet to master and you emerge outside. Bottomline Jonathan did not meet his goal of becoming the leader in the Top50 but personally I thought this was a fabulous series which told a great story and gave a great feeling of real raiding and accomplishment. Too bad that he seems to have left the scene now - I would gladly play a sequel anytime." - Michael (07-Mar-2003) |
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| "Though not without its problems Jonathan has come up with an amazing set of levels here that tell a great story along the way and are built and textured very well. I played the newest version so didn't find any impossible puzzles but some of them were pretty difficult even in this version. Both the dark and size of the levels become your enemies and make it hard to find necessary objects and openings and often I found it difficult to remember my way because of the many mazelike areas. The places I remember getting stuck were: not seeing the canopic jars in the lake in the beginning and the door that opens when you walk over a trigger tile but closes if you step any further. The first three levels were fairly easy the fourth was the longest with some confusing parts and the fifth was hard because there were two! fire/locust breathing dragons to get by and it took a lot of reloading and health packs. I was a little disappointed at the end - Lara is about to exit the tomb and see sunlight again but the level ends before she gets there. I keep reading about custom music and a readme that's supposed to come with the download but mine had neither and the secret bug must not have been fixed. Near the end I had five secrets but at the very end after the corridor with the spikes/squishing block/spiked boulder my stats said I had 102 out of 70!" - RaiderGirl (16-Jan-2003) |
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| "Fantastic and hard series of levels. A little dark and confusing sometimes but well done. Brilliant puzzles and challenging jumps. I enjoyed this great adventure." - Cuqui (18-Nov-2002) |
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| "What a frustrating and enjoyable raid! The atmosphere is really threatening sometimes with some nasty traps and enemies. Sometimes very easy sometimes very challenging. It is hard to survive although the dragons at the end were not really a threat. A lot of realistic darkness for those spooky underground areas but there is enough torches lying on the ground. It is so realistic that I thought I had missed some torch puzzles found also a useless canopic jar at the end of level 4. No real criticism here except for a couple of very annoying illegal slopes where Lara was trapped and hacked by skeletons. More difficult than The Last Revelation but at the end Lara escapes with both the amulet and a custom artifact the death mask of Sekhemkare. I do not regret to have played it in spite of the frustration it is different of all the other Egyptian levels even the best ones which are often beautiful but predictable and not that spooky. Here at Akhetaton you never know what's coming next." - eRIC (26-Sep-2002) |
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| "I enjoyed these levels quite a lot but certain things got in the way of my enjoyment. For example for my taste it was WAY too dark (except for level 3) and in many places very difficult. A few areas are also very 'labyrinthal' and confusing so if you hate mazes you're going to get frustrated in a hurry at times. Also the flare bug appeared (why does this always seem to appear when you need flares the most!) The locusts also became a real problem for me at one point and I almost gave up altogether. Speaking of enemies there were just too many for my liking. Good points though: New weapons clever puzzles and lots of challenging jumps. I'd recommend that you download it if only for the 'uniqueness' of the overall atmosphere." - Bex (22-Aug-2002) |
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| "I was a bit wary to give this a try as I remembered long threads in various forums so I thought there would be plenty of opportunities to get stuck. But now that all the bugs have been fixed it was only in the fourth part that progression came to a grinding halt. And till then it hadn't always been easy but was by and large a very thrilling and enjoyable adventure. After I learned about the poles you had to set on fire I got lost once more and then a little help from the author send me on my way again. This is a great and fantastic adventure in many respects with a very gripping atmosphere tough situations extremely tricky jumps unorthodox puzzles challenging chases and an overall inventiveness that would justify a position in the Top 50. However enjoyable though the gameplay is most of the time there are far too many mazelike elements to be found here. Apart from the very traditional mazes underwater and over ground it's easy to get lost anyplace else somewhere in the long corridors and confusing staircases. The other flaw for me was the fire spitting dragon and the accompanying swarms of locusts you get for a grand finale. I really hate them I have to say especially if you have to spend a lot of time running searching exploring while the indestructible vermin is constantly nibbeling away at you. It just kills the fun completely. However this is just a small part at the end of the level and with 19 small and seven big medi packs in your possession you should be able to cope. It all starts out in a beautifully textured canyon with a nice lake that holds the entry to a more sinister and rather dark environment. You'll drive the jeep come to a unique desert setting with lots of sandy huts and even more SAS guards there is an extremely unhealthy drop many long slides a lot of scary enemies (yeah only use the explosives when absolutely necessary) and far too many deadly spikes for my liking. A few textures are missing but let's not be prissy here. All in all it's a level that holds very great promise I think and I really hope the author continues building." - Dimpfelmoser (30-Jul-2002) |
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| "I played the version of this before all the bugs were fixed and either I am very tolerant or I just didn't really find any of them too much of a bother to really even speak about as they didn't interfere with my total enjoyment of the level one little bit. Taking place over five levels all of these quite short except for the fourth which took nearly an hour this was a brilliant adventure full of puzzles sometimes very cryptic action with most of the enemies found and some of the hardest if not the hardest jumps I have come across. If however you are not a fan of dark levels which I have to say I am not really then this 145 minute one could be a drag for you because four of the five levels are very darkly set but just as I was getting already a little tired of the darkness in the second level the third brought me out into the wonderful sunlight where I got to play the whole level before I was thrown back into the horrible murky blackness of the fourth and fifth levels. Although I found the lighting a bit ominously heavy sometimes really my only complaint was to do with the last level I never really got to enjoy it very much because of the constant wave after wave of locust swarms attacking me so I was constantly running for my life and as this version had less medipacks the swarms were not only annoying but very deadly this also meant I never really got a chance to look for the last 2 secrets so I ended with only 5 of the 8. This really is a beautifully professional looking level with great distorting fly bys and so much going for it game wise so definitely check it out just make sure to play it in the dark the darker the better and be careful with your health." - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "This is quite an adventure! You start off leaving your jeep behind get underground tomb exploring and as you move along you come out into the open and into a camp full of bad guys. You finish them off and down underground again to a tomb full of traps puzzles and enemies of various kinds. For the final battle make sure you have a lot of medipacks and train up your shooting finger and you sprint. You find many artifacts along the way that are just that - artifacts even though you could think they were puzzle-pieces. It is a dark level but since you get many torches (as well as flares) it's ok." - G.Croft (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "These levels are fun. There now that's stated. Now let's begin reviewing. I could talk about these levels for a long long time but I think it would be more fun if you get to discover them for yourself. The first thing you notice when starting the game is the wonderful title-flyby. It doesn't move but it's still fascinating. When you start playing you see another quite good flyby. Unfortunately this is one of the few flybys in the actual game that is good. In most of the other flybys the camera will fly through walls and Lara may even get killed since it's still possible to control her during them. Well that's just a minor issue. The worst thing about these levels is that they're so incredibly dark! Not all the time but a big part of the time. There's a big amount of flares (several hundreds) but it gets annoying to light flares all the time. Sometimes there are even torches which are good since you only have to light them once but instead you can't climb while carrying them. The texturing in this level is good but in some places the textures are misplaced or missing. The puzzles are fun with challenging jumps spiked boulders and a lot more. There are also many enemies especially in one place (I can't remember what the name of the level was). If you decide to play this level try to find as many medi-packs as you can since you'll need them in the end. About the end the last secret was quite fun. If you get to it it will count as one secret but if you repeatedly press "Escape" you will get more secrets. So I'm proud to say that I ended the levels in a little over two hours and found almost 200 secrets." - Magnus (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Overall this was a very good series of levels. The Author's help was required on several occasions as the posts in the Forum show. Burning waving banners was very difficult as you had to jump with the torch a quick flash of burning and no immediate effect. A quick search however revealed the result. In Tell el Amarna was a jeep with no real purpose except to start a flyby to a man on a nearby hill. I spent a lot of time driving round looking for an inaccessible place. We did find a room by driving through a slit you couldn't even crawl through but found nothing to do in there. A set of jumps before reaching the final level was very challenging. The F5 key was used many many times to get through. The final level was intriguing. Everything awful was there: skeletons beetles spike balls and the dreaded locusts. The locusts unfortunately were a total drain on health packs and I had to use savegame editor to get more health as it wasn't just 1 or 2 attacks but a plague of them. I enjoyed playing the levels but even more so because of the International co-operation involved in getting to the end." - Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "I'm sure this level was a lot of work - but it wasn't my kind of level anyway. First of all it was much too dark throughout and you need a lot of flares respectively in order to save flares you have to explore an area with the help of a flare and then do it again without. Then you meet nearly every kind of enemy that come with the level editor - you can like that or not. I don't. To my opinion the difficulty level is too hard even unfair in some places. When I only think of that dark cave running and slipping looking for the further way three attacking skeletons on my heels all the time - o dear! But the level is okay for hardcore gamers." - Sheevah (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "This level was supposed to be an epic but I think it turned out to be a saga. Before you play this game make sure you have downloaded the final version and that you read the readme file that comes with it. You will encounter all sorts of puzzles some of which are very hard due to the lack of clues as to what you have to do for example; who would think of burning the pole that holds up a banner. I did like what I think as one of the most difficult jump puzzles of all the jumps have to be pixel perfect and timed exactly. I think you will see enough enemies of different stature to last you a life time from beetles to the giant serpent that spits fire accompanied by swarm after swarm of locusts. The rolling long spiked balls were evil and even the sight of them made me cringe. I do wish that every item you picked up that serves no purpose in the game would be a secret to save on confusion. I thought some of the custom sounds were very good like the flushing toilet and near the end of the game when you place the second canopic jar the wall comes down with an almighty sound. The music that starts when you do the difficult series of jumps was cool. I made sure I had the sound up quite loud to get a better feel of presence. The camera work was very good but could have been used in some areas to give a clue as to what is to do. As I say with most levels you must play this level in a dark room to be able to see in those very dark areas plus you get to enjoy as much of the excellent texture work that has been done. I also had to use the savegame editor to finish the level. I will definitely play another level of Jonathan's but I think I will wait until the bugs have been ironed out. Oh and by the way Jon I spotted that Tomb raider game box in Tell el Amarna. LOL." - Jason (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Warning! Prepare yourselves for a hard made adventure. If you want a challenge go for it keep in mind though that you are going to come along in front of some tough situations. Starting within the water Lara has to perform some usual actions like shoot a crocodile or two but also find puzzle items which are in the dark waters. Once you get to the underwater tunnels though the flow has taking its course. The surroundings are too dark most of the time and the theme is evolving in them. Flare and torches are stuttered carefully within the rooms in some cases a torch might be part of a puzzle and a brilliant thought from the author. But that particular puzzle doesn't exactly give you a hint for its solution and you find yourself wondering what has gone wrong. Passages are often enough and the player goes back and forth between levels. A little confusing having so many things in the inventory and not a clue where to put them or in some cases they aren't useful at all. The best touch besides a new puzzle is the names of the items in the inventory the author has changed them in his own way the changes have taken over the load screen as well. The scenery although convincing enough at first has its faults. Lara is able to go on rocks and looking ahead a black part of the horizon is revealed some trees in a level are up enough from the ground. The textures in green and red colour mostly are distorted in some hallways and rarely stretched. A nice touch is a room with raising blocks that are clear to pass only if you follow a certain route. Fire and water is generously spread especially pass the third level. A room with gondolas is expecting you after a rolling ball chase but not an ordinary one Lara must tap her boots and keep running if she wants to survive. Now in that room is where a great frustration comes right after you collect a puzzle piece and come back to it a nasty flare bug prevents you from seeing anything in the underwater tunnels therefore it is necessary to spent a lot of flares by dropping and lighting them until you surface. Unfortunately that bug insists on appearing in the next room as well and giving you more trouble as you must find your way in the dark again to the upper room. The enemies encountered are skeletons and demons among with dragons near the end. The weapons given to you are different from the usual a kalashnikofv and one the author calls SMAW it's like a grenade launcher are giving originality. Also soldiers are used a lot but they keep disappearing and appearing from time to time as you walk by them. Flyby is used also many times but you may have a problem with it in the third level it seems to get stuck when you enter and exit the room which you will find the items called golden Shell and Golden Key. Just keep going pressing the look key and it stops. Apart from things that went wrong these levels are really worth playing the thrill right about the end of the fifth level is rising the player has to think and act fast. The music is bound with the action in a way that keeps the interest alive. For those of you that are concerned about the bugs or so usually the author provides an update version of his levels or some files by the time some others have played the first one. So be sure to play these levels in your spare time." - Kristina (21-Jun-2002) |
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