ANCIENT TEMPLE

Level by Piotr Klonowski (Pedros)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Begin by stepping out of the corner of the uneven rock path and picking up the flares ahead. Continue east along the path and hop down into the hole in the far right corner. Turn left and safety drop to the bottom of a shaft. Turn right and use the crawl space to access another safety drop opportunity. Turn right, step forward and slide down the slope to a ramp leading down to a nondescript room. Run forward and into the left opening. There's nothing in the alcoves to your right and left. However, in the south wall of the north alcove is a jump switch. Activate it and then duck to leave this area. Make a hairpin turn to the left and run down the stairs.

Turn right and go through the doorway you opened with the jump switch into a dark room. You'll alert a harpy, so do your best to hop around while pouring pistol rounds into it. When it's dead, hop on the NE and SW blocks for some shotgun ammo. Use the ladder in the north wall to access a crawl space. Crawl around to the right, and when you near the opening ahead move to your left and take refuge behind the column as soon as you can stand up, as a demigod will start firing at you while you're still helpless in the crawl space. Kill him, then go across the room and through the opening in the east wall. Turn left and run past the skeleton that's coming your way. Stop to pick up the small medi-pack as you enter the next room, and you'll see another harpy off to your right.

It may be the better part of valor at this point simply to escape via one of the two pools in this area, and save these enemies for later when you have more firepower. It doesn't really matter which one you use first, but I started with the one on the left (the West Pool). Jump into the water and swim down through the hole in the bottom. Follow the passage west, turn right at the bend and continue until you can surface. Pull up into a dark corridor and note the receptacles on either side. You don't yet have either of the necessary artifacts, so pick up the large medi-pack to your right and run to the other side of the corridor for some uzi ammo. Continue around the corner and you'll come to a deep slope that prevents your further progress from this end.

Go back the other way, jump into the water and swim back to the West Pool. Pull up, run over to the the East Pool and jump in. There are two openings in this pool, but swim through the hole in the bottom, in the SE corner, first. This passage is longer than the first one, but follow it until you're able to pull up into a red-tinted hallway. Pull up into the four side alcoves for a small medi-pack and two stashes each of uzi and shotgun ammo. Continue around the bend to the left and up the ramp to do battle with another demigod in the next area. After he's dead, continue north up the ramp, but just before you get to the next opening turn around and jump up to grab the lower part of the ceiling.

Monkey swing across the room until you near the south wall, then dogleg to your left and go to the crawl space. You'd normally be expected to drop/grab here and pull up into the crawl space, but for me Lara just stood up with her head in the ceiling somewhere. Duck down and crawl through the space until you reach a larger area where you pick up the HORSEMAN'S GEM and the SHOTGUN. Crawl back around to the opening and safety drop to the floor. Run to the opening in the north end and continue down the ramp until you reach a fork in the road. Take the left fork and pick up two stashes of shotgun ammo. Go back up and make a hairpin turn to the left. Run up the ramp, pull up onto the block, pick up the uzi ammo and step forward to slide down the slope.

Return to the small pool. Since you have the Horseman's Gem in your possession, go ahead and place it in its appropriate receptacle. You need to place both artifacts in order to open a door that allows you to proceed in the level. Most gamers have trained themselves to wait until all necessary artifacts have been collected before placing any of them. However, in this case placing the gem opens a door in another room that gives you access to the Pharos Knot. Many thanks to Val for this insight. Jump into the water and follow the passage until you pull up in the West Pool. Use the shotgun to eliminate the harpy and knock the skeleton into the water, then jump into the East Pool and swim into the opening in the west wall. Follow the passage up and pull up into a deep room. Kill the harpy, then look high up on the west wall. The closed face door should now be open (because you placed the gem earlier).

If so, vault up onto the short block against the south wall, turn to the left and pull up onto the ledge in the SE corner. Turn around and take a running jump to the ledge in the SW corner. Turn and walk out to the NE corner. then take a slightly angled running jump across to the thick ledge in the north wall and pick up the UZIS and some uzi ammo. Turn to the right, walk to the east edge and take a standing jump and grab up to the ledge in the NE corner. Pull up, turn around and take a long running jump diagonally across the room to the highest ledge in the south wall. Pick up the small medi-pack, then turn to your right and take a standing jump with grab into the open doorway.

Run inside, pull up onto the block and pick up the PHAROS KNOT. Hop back down and jump back across to the previous ledge. For a neat short cut back down, walk to the NE corner of the ledge, facing NE, and take a swan dive (standing jump with shift key depressed) down into the water hole. Swim back to the East Pool, pull up and run over to jump into the West Pool. Swim through the hole in the bottom and follow the passage to the dark corridor. Pull up and light a flare. Place the Horseman's Gem and the Pharos Knot in the receptacles to your right and left. Now stand facing the south wall next to whichever receptacle you used to complete the cycle, with Lara's shoulder snug against the east or west wall as the case may be. Use the crouch key and negotiate the fairly difficult triangular crawl space. When you reach the bend, continue south past the doorway you opened with the two artifacts, and stand up when you're able.

Pull up onto the block ahead and run up the stairs. Continue along the passage and pick up the shotgun ammo along the way.
You'll soon reach a ledge overlooking a room you navigated earlier in the level. Run west to the end of the ledge and turn right. Take a standing jump to the slightly sloped ledge in the west wall and pick up the shotgun ammo. Take a standing jump over to the north ledge and pick up the large medi-pack. Turn right and run along the ledge to the slope seemingly barring your way. Angle Lara slightly to the left and take a running jump over the slope. Lara will hit another slope and start sliding down backwards. Keep the action key depressed so that Lara grabs the edge. Shimmy to the right until you can pull up, then continue east along the ledge and drop down into the opening in the NE corner. Turn to the right and take a standing jump up the slope. Pull up onto the two blocks ahead and look out over the room below to your right.

Now face south and side step all the way to the right. Angle Lara slightly to the right and light a flare. Take a standing jump forward and grab the crack in the south wall. Shimmy to the right until you reach a crawl space into which you can pull. Light another flare while in a crouched position and crawl along the passage, making a horseshoe turn to the right. When you reach a well-lit area, continue past the opening to your right and you'll soon reach a corridor where you can stand up. Run forward and slide down the slope, jumping off just before you reach the hole in the floor ahead. Pick up the uzi ammo in the two alcoves, then hop back onto the slope, facing south, and slide down backwards. Depress the action key so you'll grab the edge, then safety drop into the next room.

Immediately reverse roll while drawing your uzis, and do battle with two harpies and a demigod. When the coast is clear, head down the south passage and turn right. You'll come to a ramp with a closed face door at the bottom. Go past it to the SW corner, and jump up to grab the crawl space in the wall. Pull up into it and crawl around to a bridge where another harpy is tossing bolts at you in your helpless position. Draw your uzis as soon as you can stand up, and kill it. In the next room following the path of the bridge is a pit with a closed door on the other side. Hop down into the shallow pit on the west side of the bridge in the first room, and locate the low-placed jump switch. Activate it to open that door, and pick up the uzi ammo and the large medi-pack before climbing back up to the bridge.

Turn to your left, walk up to the edge of the pit and take a running jump and grab to the open doorway. Pull up and use the crawl space inside to access an opening where you can stand up. Jump up to grab the ceiling, and monkey swing along the textured ceiling until you reach a crawl space in the east wall. Once again Lara will assume a standing position within the crawl space, with her head stuck in the concrete above, so hit the crouch key and crawl around to the right until you reach some stairs. You'll find absolutely nothing to do or pick up in the room ahead, but run around quite thoroughly anyway, as I suspect that somewhere here is the trigger that opens the face door at the bottom of the ramp you saw earlier.

Crawl back out and safety drop to the floor. Head to the south end of the room and turn left. Locate the ramp and, sure enough, the face door at the bottom is now open. Go down there and use yet another crawl space to access a room with closed double doors to your left and a throne of some kind to your right. Go past the throne into a room where a harpy waits. Kill it, then pull up onto the central block. There are two closed face doors ahead to the north, and crawl spaces in the walls to your right and your left. Turn left and take a standing jump and grab to the west crawl space. Pull inside, crawl to your right past the closed face door, and stand up. Use the west crawl space to access a ramped area with a jump switch in the wall. Activate it and go back to the previous room. Back flip onto the central block and turn around.

Take a standing jump and grab to the crawl space in the east wall. Pull up inside and crawl to your left, where you'll find a similar ramped passage with a jump switch at the end. Activate it and return to the previous room. The face doors beyond the north crawl space are now open, so Take a standing jump and grab there, pull inside and crawl to an open area with two more jump switches. Activate them both and return to the previous room. Go back through the south opening, around the throne, and find that the double doors are now open. Go inside and run up the ramp to end the level.