TEMPLE IN THE SANDS

Level by Opaque79

Walkthrough by Treeble

The adventure begins as Lara slides into an open area. To your immediate right is a pack of flares, retrieve them and go north into the hole beneath the overhang. Follow the tunnel and throw the switch suspiciously placed above a trapdoor for the predictable outcome: Lara falls down a chute...

Some of these rocks are unstable. Best be careful.

Lara gets so distraught by the random boulder that she hardly notices the panther right in front of her. Deal with it and proceed towards the small sphinx, on the right side there's a pack of flares below a plant (you may need to crouch to pick them up), and nearby is a pillar. Use the sphinx leg as a stepping stone and jump to the switch above. When you throw it, a trapdoor atop a ladder shaft opens on the opposite side of the room, so drop down and run across the room, wading on the shallow water all the way to the back, then turn around to spot the ladder above.

Climb up and, from the rock jutting out of the doorway, you can reach the rope hanging in front of the sphinx. Grab it and turn towards the sphinx, swing and jump to land on its forehead (it's flat, don't worry), then hop up to the switch above and the door below the sphinx finally opens. Safely get down and inside.

Remember, these mummies can be destroyed with normal weapons.

And destroy them you shall. Unload your pistols until the mummy gets blown to smithereens. Notice the tile with the cat face in the back corner, we need a block on top of it but there's none within sight. Well, actually, there is one: behind the cat statue, push the jade block once to reveal the only SECRET in this level (ammo and a small medipack). Loop around to the left and behind the Egyptian disc ornament is a switch, throw it to open the door opposite the cat.

Shortly after crossing the door threshold, roll and run back as a boulder will roll down the slope. When you're in the clear, run upwards and through the tunnel to find yourself locked in a room with a few scorpions and a panther. Near the statues on the right hand wall are two packs of shotgun shells, collect them and go climb the pole in the next doorway to the top.

Backflip and you're on the mezzanine above the previous room. Jump over the sandy slopes to the flat ledge to your left and pull up to the crawlspace in the middle of the room, just above the mound of sand in the middle. On the other end of the crawlspace, destroy another mummy, get the small medipack from the corner, and finally approach the boulder and press Action to push it down on top of a trigger tile. Doors are open, but before going down get the shotgun shells on the ledge to your right (near the crawlspace you just went through).

Return through the now open gate and find the new open door in the corridor straight ahead, at the end push the block and voilá: it lands exactly on that tile we'd seen before. Drop down, dispatch another panther and fall through the trapdoor to an underground lake far, far below.

Approach the edge and gun down two panthers on the left side. Before jumping there, you might want to slide down to the shallow lake below and get the SHOTGUN now. It'll come in handy shortly, you'll see. Climb the flat blocks next to the waterfall, notice a closed door on the northeast corner and head to the opposite corner of the ledge, do a long running jump over the lake to the opposite side and pull up.

Into the pathway, enter the room to the left and playfully step only on the five pharaoh tiles to open the gate in the back, within which you'll find the BLUE GEM. It's that easy! The moment you pick it up, however, you are warped to a small challenge room with two giant scorpions. Put that mighty shotgun to use and once they're both dead, you're taken back to reality. Insert the gem into the receptacle nearby and pull up to the open door. Look up: a row of boulders will fall straight down on the path ahead of you, so dash to the opposite end and you'll be safe. Throw the switch at the end and drop down through the trapdoor to get back to the top of the waterfall.

Jump again to the platform where the panthers used to be and now the door in the northeast corner is open. Climb up the giant step and push another boulder down, this one will block the drain and as such the water level will rise. Get back down into the lake and swim towards the opening in the south wall — before going through, you might want to get out of the water to deal with an incoming crocodile.

Pull out of the water on the other end of the tunnel to find yourself by the temple entrance, protected by a giant scorpion. Get some flares to the southwest, then head towards the temple. Near the ornate columns in opposite sides of the room, you'll find a small medipack and some uzi clips (plus shotgun shells on the ledge to the right of the temple doors). On the northwest corner, notice there's an overhanging ladder above the temple entrance: backflip on to the slope and bounce off to grab the ladder, and climb it to the top to find a switch. It opens the temple door and also releases a second giant scorpion.

Enter the tilted hall and gun down a mummy, then go through the opening on the northeast corner. Another pair of mummies later, get the shotgun shells near the entrance and jump over the sloped edge to a flat spot in the mound of sand, then pull up and grab the crevice on the left hand wall. Shimmy all the way right and around the corner, and drop right over the jump switch to activate it and raise the trapdoor right next to it. Repeat the same path, this time shimmying until you get to said trapdoor, and do a long running jump to a ledge in the back with the switch.

Go down the ladder into the trapdoor, you reach a long room with a bridge. Run across and jump to the next part of the walkway. Push the hieroglyph block to the ground below, but don't drop yet. Jump across the high ledges to find UZIS on a solitary tile on the right hand side, then jump to the last part of the walkway and push that cat block down as well. Turn around and throw the switch behind the giant cat statue and two blocks right below you will shift positions. Your work is cut out for you: safety drop and push the cat block once, then go back up and throw that same switch to shift the blocks again, raising the cat block further so you can pull it on to its respective tile.

Run around the perimeter of the lower area for several goodies, then pull that second switch you'll come across. This time around, three different blocks shift positions, and it's with this switch you'll get the hieroglyph block in its position, near the center of the room, and the pharaoh block as well, having to raise it twice to a ledge on the wall just below the walkway. Once the three blocks are in position (you get a camera clue each time showing one of three gates opening in a corridor elsewhere), get to the same ledger as the pharaoh block and do an angled to grab the walkway above. Do a long running jump to the bridge and retrace your steps back to the tilted hall.

Loop around to the right and run through the arched tunnel. A closed gate on the right requires an item we are yet to procure, so go through the corridor of open gates and kill a crocodile before jumping into the pool. Swim to find several goodies scattered around, then go through an underwater crawlspace to find a switch in the end. Swim back and pull out of the water in the open gate. Patiently time your strides past the traps and slide down to the next area.

Duck Function Disabled

Two demigods are expecting you at the bottom, but they're very kind, ie. the second one will wait for its turn. Approach the active demigod and keep shooting, whenever it goes into a crouching position, jump over its shoulders with a flip or simply roll behind it and it'll keep trying to kneel before attacking you. Once both are done for, you are granted the right to duck again, hooray! Get a large medipack and ammo at the bottom of the slope you came in from, then retrieve the PILLAR KEY from the open alcove in the back.

You magically warp to the receptacle, thank whoever god is in charge. Unlock the door, follow the ledge to the left and drop to the safe ground at lava level. Pull up on the rocky block to the right and climb the ladder to the top. Jump over the bridge gap and run down the tunnel. Take a large medipack along the way and use it, if you deem necessary, as you have a somewhat big drop ahead of you. From the triangular edge, I personally thought it was best to squeeze through the narrowest part of the gap to land on the sloped floor next to the torch below, enduring some minimal damage in the process.

Run up the circular steps, claim the AMULET OF HORUS and the god in charge has a change of heart about you. Through the opening in the back, jump onto the block to the right and run towards the small alcove to your left in one single motion to dodge a boulder just in the nick of time. Loop around the wall and when you go around the corner, you'll trigger another boulder on the second tile upwards. Quickly make your way back to the same alcove you've just used and wait for the boulder to roll by.

At the top of the slopes, climb up a ladder, jump over the spike pit and run towards the finish line.