OPERATION GOLDEN STAR

Back to the Basics: Level 9

Level and walkthrough by Catherin B. Bendig (Tinka)

Briefing: Find the Golden Star and get out of the Catacombs.
There are 4 secrets to be found.

Lara slides down. Before jumping to the ground, have a look at the ceiling and notice a monkey swing, keep it in mind. Now go to your left and notice the first hole in front of you (in the west wall). Don't enter it now. Turn right and go along this wall to find a crawlspace in it - almost at the end - and enter it. Now turn right and follow your path. Duck down again and enter the crawlspace on your right. You find secret # 1 (1st token coin and revolver ammo). Go back out.

Beware of the mummy in the room with the mound. After leaving the crevice, go straight on (passing a pillar) to the end of the room. You should already see another crevice ahead of you (in the east wall). Before entering see a crawlspace in the wall above you, on your left side (north wall) (also observe the different texture on the ceiling which is the monkey swing), when you are close enough to the crawlspace a camera shows you a rolling ball which will kill you when entering this high crawlspace. So you have to find a lever to prevent the rolling ball falling.

Crawl into the mentioned crevice (east wall), duck down again to make your way through the next interstice on the right. Jump to the end of this alleyway and crawl to the lever (right side). When entering the crawlspace a camera shows you the rolling ball up in the crawlspace outside. Go and throw the lever, you hear a closing trapdoor. When you leave you will see a shot of the now closed trapdoor and you can now go back to the room with the mound.

On the mound itself you will find some flares. Go to where you started the level (to your left/south wall), grab the ledge and pull up, turn around and jump to the monkey swing. You should save often while using the monkey swing and make your way to the high crawlspace where the rolling ball was.

At the end of the monkey swing place yourself in front of the crawlspace, let loose for a second, then grab the ledge again and crawl into the crawlspace (by pressing the keys: ctrl+up arrow+crouch key).

In this new room see a ladder on your right and also see another monkey swing on the ceiling. Go up the ladder and enter the next room. There are two movable objects in this room and also 2 vases in the left corner. Notice also in the right corner there is an opening, later on the right wall in this corner will be climbable to get secret # 3. But first shoot the shatter vase to get the laser sight then push the movable objects onto the floor tiles with the escaping steam.
There is a rumble from the previous room so head back there and see what has happened.

The floor is burning and the far left corner ledge has extended allowing you to enter the high crawlspace. Facing the fire pit go into the left corner (south wall) to jump and grab the monkey swing, then make your way over the pit to the other side where the vase is. Jump onto the block and then to the opening (south wall). Beware of the appearing skeleton that welcomes you in the next room.

In the left corner of this room, shoot the vase to get the Pharos Pillar. Now jump to the steam emitter on the ledge and go through the window in the wall to get secret # 2 (token coin and flares). Go back out and throw the lever you see in this room, a camera shows you an underwater door, to open the door you have to throw a second lever which is in the room above, so look in the right corner (when facing the lever) and find the climbable wall to take you up to the next room. Throw the lever in here and pick up the revolver ammo then head back down to the room below.

There is now a mummy and another skeleton waiting for you so go quickly to the crawlspace and leave this room.

Back in the fire pit room the fires are off, pick up the revolver which has appeared at the bottom of the crawlspace, and then make your way back into the two movable objects room. Go right and climb onto the ledge in the corner and now you can climb the wall to secret # 3 (token coin, small medkit and flares).

Go back to the crawlspace with the rolling ball, and re-enter the room with the mound. Find the hole you have already seen earlier in the wall to your right side (west wall) and go through. Slide and jump down into the water pool below then find the underwater door you opened earlier with the levers. Swim along the corridor to a green room, then exit the water to get the 1st Horseman's Gem. Before leaving, shoot the 1st set of bones in this room (using either pistols or revolver combined with the laser sight) then leave.
Swim to the new opened door (almost ahead of you). Enter the yellow room, pick up the 2nd Horseman's Gem then shoot the 2nd set of bones you see in this room. Look in the corner before you leave for a crawlspace to climb into, then go through and use a lever inside, you will see another pool door open leading to a red room. Return to the pool and swim through the new open door to enter the red room.

Shoot the 3rd set of bones and pick up the 3rd Horseman's Gem, this opens the last underwater door which will be ahead of you as you swim out of here, so make your way out and head through that new door to enter the next room.

Swim up and climb out of the pool, then observe a closed blue door and four movable objects. First go to the four movable objects and notice a shining fire pit. Place two of the objects onto the face tiles near the pit and this will elevate a green block in the pit, move a third object onto this green block and elevate a yellow block, move the fourth object onto the yellow block and raise a blue block, go move one of the two objects onto the blue block and finally raise a red block for you to place the last object on. This opens the blue door so you can enter the blue room.

First pick up the large medkit then jump behind the pedestal to shoot the 4th set of bones (you will have to use the laser sight and revolver to do this) and then you will see a shot of a block that has to be raised to proceed through the level. Grab the 4th Horseman's Gem then run out to the pool as skeletons attack. Swim back to the previous area and climb out onto the ledge at the west side of the pool. Here you place the pillar, then enter the small room. Jump behind the pedestal with the large medkit on and shoot the 5th set of bones, you will see a block raise in a crawlspace. Now jump out and take the large medkit. Two skeletons attack but you can blow their heads off if you wish with the revolver and laser sight, and the skeletons leave you alone. Leap into the water outside and swim over to the south east ledge. Climb out and take a running jump left while grabbing, as you have to catch a ceiling ladder up in the crevice of the ceiling. Make your way over to the sneaky crawlspace and go through.

Inside the new passage, get up the block in front of you and step on the block you raised by shooting all the bones. Now turn around and see above a ladder and climb up into a maze. Go straight and in the right corner you find some flares. Turn around and go left (east). At the next cross-way, turn right, left, then left again and find some revolver ammo to your left. Pick it up, turn around and go straight on, then at the end of the wall turn right, a small medkit is on your left. Turn right again and pick up the Pharos Knot, then turn around and continue on, always turning left, until you reach an open door.

Go through the door and find yourself in a bluish area with waterfalls ahead of you. But before going up the stairs detect a crawlspace to your right, in the corner. Go in there and push the button to release 3 ropes outside. Now go up the stairs and to your right where teeth spikes are beneath a climbable wall.

Jump over the spikes and catch the wall, go up and then back flip with a twist and grab to catch the roof behind you. (keys: ctrl+alt+end)

Head over the roof towards the ropes but before you jump to them take a trip left and collect some flares. Now you can jump back to the previous roof and use all three ropes to get over to the dry fountain. There are vases you can shatter here but be prepared to run to the crawlspace, to your right when facing the fountain, as you have released two wraiths. Make your way through the crawlspace and find on the right side a button, push it so that the door behind you opens. Enter the room to get rid of the wraiths which will be killed by the statue. Go to the next button and push it in order to open the next door. There's a crawlspace ahead of you on the right. Don't go there yet. First observe on the left side above an opening. Grab the lowered wall and climb up, turn around and pick up the Pharos Knot.

Jump down from here and go to the crawlspace. After entering some nasty beetles attack you and you have to get rid of them. So, crawl through to the next room then jump left and use the lever you see there. There is an explosion and the floor is on fire killing the beetles. Jump down ahead of the lever, you'll see a crawlspace to your left, go through and left again to collect a small medkit, then make your way through the crawlspace until you come out to the water fall in the previous room.

Go left, passing a wraith statue, then as you approach the button on the wall, three wraiths will be on their way, just go back and stand next to the statue to get rid of the wraiths.

Push the button to activate the fountain and fill the empty pool at the other side of the room, then notice you can move the pillar next to the button, move this to enter a crawlspace behind and find secret # 4 (token coin and flares).

Go back out and drop to ground. Make your way over to the other waterfall and notice the now flooded pool and a closed door in the wall of the pool. Ignore this for now and head to the big double doors. Place the two Pharos Knots at the doors and go through to a new room.

First take the crowbar from next to the vases, then place the four Horseman's Gem's into the receptacles nearby. The underwater door in the big pool is open. Jump into the pool and follow the water canal to a room with another Pharos Pillar, take it, then look nearby for the Golden Star which you have been searching for the whole time. Use the crowbar to get the Golden Star. (If you don't pick up the star then teeth spikes will kill you in the last corridor and you can not escape the catacombs.) Swim back to the room where you placed all the gems. Place the Pharos Pillar in the receptacle up on the ledge ahead, and the last door will open to your right. Go through and let the elevator take you up to the final passage. Go through and head straight on to finish the level. Quest solved, great job!

In case you really wanted to leave the catacombs without the Golden Star, bad luck for you, because there's no escape without it. If you haven't picked up the Golden Star, you naughty player, then you will get killed by teeth spikes after the elevator lifts you up. Before stepping on the teeth spikes is a corridor to your left and you can now go down the corridor where a block has opened the way back to the maze you were in earlier. (Revolver ammo was placed here). Now you go through the maze again and to the big pool, and in case you don't have the crowbar yet go and get the crowbar in the room where you placed the four gems. Then go into the pool outside and back to where you found the final pillar, there is the Golden Star, so take it this time and make your way back through the pool, the maze and the final corridor. The teeth spikes are deactivated now, so run up ahead to finish the level.