Scarabinth
By Will Gell
Walkthrough downloaded from author's site


After exploring The Trench, Lara finds herself in "Scarabinth" -- A labyrinth that according to legend contains the secret entrance to the Caves of Amun which again according to legend houses the sacred Amulet of Amun. Lara must find her way through Scarabinth and solve its traps and puzzles before finally finding the long lost Jewel Key that opens the door leading to the Caves of Amun.

Secrets 4. Pick Ups 39. Puzzle Items 9

The level begins with Lara sliding down the entrance and dropping into the main hall. Have a look around. Turn around and shoot the two chests behind you and pick up the shotgun and crossbow ammo. Go down through the middle doorway at the end of the hall. A huge closed doorway is before you with a sort of keyhole to its right on the wall. Up on the wall to your right is another closed doorway. To your left are two more chests. Shoot them and pick up the flares and laser sight. The big double door is you objective in this level. You need to find The Jewel Key to open this door and exit the level.

Go back to the main hall and stand in front of the left hand door. Notice that the right hand opens. This door is timed and you need to be very quick. Stand hard up against the left door and do a side flip to the right and as soon as Lara lands run forward and through the door. Lara is now in a kind of anti chamber with a sarcophagus in the middle of the room. On the far wall a Scarab Beetle awaits removal! First open the sarcophagus by standing to the side with the small black handles and pressing action. Lara picks out the crowbar and a big medi pack. Now go up to the beetle on the wall and use the crowbar to prise it off. Watch out!!! There`s a swarm of Scarab Beetles pouring out of the wall so it`s time to get out of there! Run back to the door which should now be open again and do a flip to the right to the other door. Remember the Scarabs will be following so you don`t have time to hang around. Open the door with the crowbar and into the next room. Jump up and pull up onto the block in front of you. Look below and note the floor in front of you looks like it may be a spike trap. Want to test it? Also look below the block on the opposite side of the entrance. Drop down and pick up the shotgun ammo. Climb back up onto the block and jump up and grab the monkey swing above. Make your way across the monkey swing and enter the maze…..

At the entrance to the maze shoot the chest and pick up the flares. As you walk on a skeleton will appear up from the ground. DON`T shoot! What this boney chap will do is lead you to the exit of the maze. However, as soon as he`s done that he`ll turn on you so be warned! You can choose to follow him and then go back for the maze pick ups or ignore him and go off and explore the maze. Just remember that whatever you do the skeleton will make his way to the exit regardless and then come looking for you. So you better find that crossbow quick! There are several chests in the maze hiding the Crossbow, The Shotgun, The Revolver, Flares, Revolver ammo and Crossbow ammo. As for finding your way through the maze following the left hand wall will bring you to the exit first and following the right hand wall will bring you to a door you need to open with the crowbar. See the image below for guidance. [Go to the author's site for a map of the maze at this point in the walkthrough.]

Chest 1 - Flares.

Chest 2 - Revolver

Chest 3 – Crossbow

Chest 4 – Revolver Ammo

Chest 5 – Shotgun

Chest 6 – Explosive Crossbow ammo.

7. Door leading to secret no.1


Find your way to the door marked 7 above and open it with the crowbar. Go down into the room and then climb down the ladder in the pit and drop to the floor. There are three skeletons down here. One will wake up when you approach. Assuming you`ve got the crossbow and explosive ammo take him out. Look around the room and you should find Secret No.1 The Uzi`s and some Uzi ammo. Activating the secret wakes up the other two skeletons so watch out they`re more than likely right behind you!. Deal with the skeletons using the explosive crossbow ammo and then go back to the ladder. Jump up and grab the ladder and climb out of the pit and back into the maze. Find your way out of the maze and blow up the skeleton if you haven`t already done so.

On exiting the maze Lara finds herself facing a pit with three flames and a tall pillar. The gap is too wide to jump and the pillar too high to jump up onto. Look to your right and below. On the wall below where Lara enters this room there is a jump switch hidden in the dark. Hang and drop over the switch and catch it on the way down. When Lara pulls the switch the tall pillar lowers. If you turn quickly you`ll see it lower. The flames are still alight and cannot be put out. Run and jump over the flames to one side of the pillar. When you do this Scarab Beetles come up through the floor so be quick. Jump up and pull up onto the pillar and go on through doorway.

There are two swinging blades to watch for as you walk onwards. Then a slide down with jumps over spikes that spring up as you approach. To pass the blades wait for the second hit of the blades and run forward. The slide over the spikes is fairly easy and just needs a simple jump as Lara slides down.

Continue on until Lara is at the edge of a very big drop with water at the bottom. Walk right up to the edge and take one jump back. Then do a running jump over the hole to the left hand corner and retrieve Secret No. 2 Uzi Ammo. Take the plunge but be careful there is a ledge that Lara can land on fatally.

Screeeeaammmm…..SPLASH!

Swim and get out of the water. Lara is now in a huge cavern of sorts with a huge wall blocking the way to the far end. Don`t waste time exploring this place there is nothing of interest. As you climb out of the water go right and climb up onto the walls on the side of the cavern. Make your way along this wall like structure. At the end you need to do a couple of jumps into little flat areas in order to get Lara into the right position to jump and then slide down to the other side of the big wall. Now you will be outside what looks like a kind of ruined fort. As you approach this trouble appears.. A very nasty big guard with a staff that shoots blue bolts at you. The best weapon to use against this fellow is the revolver. Save you explosive crossbow ammo as you`ll need it later. Flip from side to side as you shoot at him. This guy is not too difficult to kill even with the pistols.

Once you`ve seen him off have a look beyond the ruin at the water channel. Note there doors at either end. Go back and enter the ruined fort. If you look closely you`ll see a jump switch high on the rear wall facing the entrance. It`s too high to reach. Note the sloping block at the entrance. Face the wall opposite (The wall texture here is different. Worn looking) and do a back flip onto the sloping block. Immediately jump and grab the ledge and pull up. Make your way around to above the jump switch. Before you drop for the switch jump further back over to a hidden area and find the shotgun again which will give you extra ammo. (This was left here by mistake but I left it in as a kind of unofficial secret!) Now do the drop and pull the lever. This will open the underwater door furthest from the ruin. Stay out of the water and head to this open door. To it`s right there is a raised area with a gold platform. Yup! That`s right! Stand on it and the other door opens. But it`s timed! Simply sprint and dive into the water and swim through and find Secret No.3 A virtual treasure trove consisting of shotgun ammo, uzi ammo, crossbow ammo and a big medi pack. Back into the water and swim out into the water channel.

Keep swimming and arrive beneath a fountain in an ornate pool. Surface and climb out. A flyby camera kicks in and gives you a sweeping view of the heart of Scarabinth.

There`s nothing to be found around the pool amongst the plants. Go through to the main pool. Note there are three exits. As you approach the big pool a Harpy (A weird gold flying creature) flies out from the righthand doorway. These things shoot nasty bolts at you so start shooting and jumping. Once he`s done you can go off and explore a bit. The room to your left contains a small black pyramid with four doors leading off to other areas. The room straight ahead leads to a passage that`s blocked by a spiked walkway. The right hand room where the Harpy came from leads to a set of stairs leading up. Head to this room and up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs you`ll find an opening and another set of stairs. Go through the opening into a room with three sarcophagi and a fire. As you enter this another Harpy attacks you from the right. Once you killed the Harpy go round and open the sarcophagi in turn and retrieve the items inside each. There should be crossbow ammo, shotgun ammo and most importantly a little winding key.

Head back out and up the next set of stairs and into another room. This room contains two chests and two thrones. Shoot the chests and pick up the flares and the revolver ammo.

Now head back out and down the stairs to the main room with the big pool. You need to go to the room with the little black pyramid. Just for fun take a run at the pool and do a swallow dive into it, swim across and out. Enter the pyramid room.

This is the main puzzle of the level. The pyramid has four sockets that will take four Scarab Beetles. The broken one you collected earlier is a red herring and of no use. Each of the four doors (two either side of the pyramid) leads down tunnels to a puzzle. Each puzzle will reward you with a beetle when you solve the puzzle. It doesn`t matter which you do first.

The Three Flames Puzzle

This room has a central ledge and has a floor covered with Scarab Beetle textures facing in different directions. The Beetle is on the far wall.

Jump to the ledge in the middle of the room. Look behind you. A flame has appeared blocking your exit. From one of the lower parts of the middle ledge jump and grab to the ledge below the beetle on the far wall. Again look behind you. Two flames now block your way on the middle ledge. Pry off the Scarab Beetle and watch out here come the scarabs out of the wall! But how do you get back with those flames there? Quickly go to the edge and look at the floor. There will be one beetle pointing in the direction of the exit. Land on it and the right hand flame on the middle ledge will go out. (More beetles appear so be quick) Pull up and look over into the next floor area. Again look for a beetle pointing towards the door. Jump down and step on it to put out the flame at the door. (Again more beetles come out from the floor) Go to the end of the ledge below the door and pull up and get out back to the pyramid room.

The Sloping Blocks Puzzle

This room has several sloping blocks. There is a wall blocking your view at the entrance. Walk to the right and face the rightmost sloping block. You can do a standing jump and grab onto the rear of the block. Pull up and slide down and about halfway down press and hold the jump key. Lara will jump herself on and off the block to the left of the first block and onto the block behind the wall. This is the tricky bit. When Lara lands on this long sloping block let go the jump key and let her slide to the bottom of it. Then do a jump and grab to the cavity in the wall opposite. You may need to turn a little in mid air to get Lara to grab the cavity. Pull up into the cavity and then jump up and grab the crack above. Shimmy around the corner and follow the crack until Lara is directly over the next sloping block. Let go and press and hold the jump key. Keep the jump key pressed and Lara jumps her way to the ledge with the beetle. After retrieving the beetle jump up on the block to Laras right and then jump up and grab the crack above. This crack is a deliberately hard to see to confuse you! Shimmy all the way back till Lara is above the ledge at the entrance and then drop down and go back to the pyramid room.

The Ten Doors Puzzle

This room looks daunting. But actually it`s very simple once you realise what`s happening. There are four doors either side of the room and two doors facing you on the far wall. Head to the right of these two doors to the alcove to the right. When you stand on the little platform look back at the first door on the left as you entered. It should be open. Go through this door and look around again to see another door has opened. (This time top right) Enter this door and another door opens In fact two! All you have to do is keep entering the open doors and eventually the right hand door facing the entrance will open revealing the beetle. However, watch your step. Look at the floor, There are squares with grey circles on them. If you stand on these circles doors can close again so be careful not to stand on these circles and you`ll get the beetle easily. Just watch you don`t enter the left hand door facing the entrance. It has a fire trap. Once you have the beetle get out back through the tunnels and back to the pyramid room.

The Big Pyramid Puzzle

Lara enters a room that has a big grey pyramid and a closed door. The door won`t open. What now?

Go to a corner of the pyramid and jump onto the flat area by standing hard up against the slope and doing a standing jump. Do this again on the next little flat area. You need to position Lara very carefully or she goes sliding back down to the bottom again. The idea is to jump to the top of the pyramid which has a hole leading to water. Once Lara has made it down this hole swim through into a little underwater maze. Don`t panic! Just swim and make your way to the far righthand corner where Lara can climb out. Light a flare and head down the tunnel. Lara comes to a pit with steps leading down. It`s too high to climb out of and too wide to jump across. The beetle can be seen on the far wall on the other side.

To get there head back down the tunnel and look above you as you go for a ladder leading up from the roof of the tunnel. Jump up and grab and climb up. At the top follow the next tunnel to a tiny empty room. Above the door look for a jump switch. Jump up, grab and pull it. Head back down the ladder and back to the pit which has now filled with water. Swim across and grab the beetle. Run out along the passage and the door in the big pyramid room opens letting Lara back. Exit back to the pyramid room.

Lara now has all four Scarab Beetles. Go up the pyramid and place each into the sockets in turn which opens each side of the pyramid. Once all four are open walk into the centre of the pyramid and press action. The top of the pyramid lifts and in a beam of light the mechanical Scarab Beetle is revealed. Take it and head back to the room with the big pool and through the doorway leading to the spiked walkway. Call up the inventory and select and combine the Mechanical Scarab and the Winding Key. Step onto the square with the hole in the middle of the picture of a beetle and press action. Lara takes the mechanical beetle, winds it up and lets it go over down the walkway setting off the spikes. The walkway is now safe. Don`t forget to pick the beetle up again at the end. Lara now has a choice. To take the left or the right spiked walkway next. If Lara goes left she has another one after that before entering the next room. If she goes to the right spiked walkway she has another spiked walkway to go over leading to a pick up bonanza. In this room there is some crossbow ammo, shotgun ammo, uzi ammo and a big medi pack.

Lara can only use the beetle three times. If you try to use it a fourth time it explodes. So if you follow the left path you cannot go back to get the pick ups.

From the pick up room jump up and grab the jump switch which opens the door into the next room and also releases a Harpy. If you went the other way then you are already in this room but no Harpy will appear. Yet! Shoot the Harpy if you went through the door.

In this room are two low pedestals. On one lies the Jewel Key. The very object Lara has been looking for. Go and pick it up. A flyby sequence cuts in as big swirly beams of light spin around Lara and a bronze coloured statue of Lara appears on the opposite pedestal. During the camera sequence you`ll see the exit door open. If you entered the room via the left passage you`ll see another closed door. You cannot open it. That was your entrance from the other route.

Approach the newly opened door carefully. As you go through two nasties are triggered. A Harpy appears behind you and a big gaurdian in the hall in front. The Harpy will attack the Lara statue and this drains Laras health. Kill the gaurdian first by using the revolver and /or the shotgun. Remember where he fell and go back and deal with the Harpy. Be careful not to aim and shoot the Lara statue as this affects Lara. Once the Harpy is dead go back to where the guardian fell and find the Pharos Knot.

Jump and pull up out of the hall way and Lara now faces a series of jumps up a sloping passage. As long as you have plenty explosive crossbow ammo here you won`t have too much bother. If you don`t you`ll need the shotgun as there`s a whole army of skeletons between you and the end of the level plus one more big guardian. Head up the slope and jump over the pits. There are pick ups at the bottom of most of these pits. Watch out for one which has a spiked trap. Blast any skeletons that get in your way. They appear mostly in threes on the ledge above Lara so they cannot get her until she is on the same level. So blast `em away!!!

There are also two swinging blades to negotiate and the gaurdian. Again the shotgun is best used to deal with him.

At the final pit of the slope drop in and enter the crawl space to find Secret No. 4. Crossbow ammo and a big medi pack.

Once you`re at the top of the slope three more skeletons appear and one final one at the Pharos Knot receptacle.

Blast them all away if you have the ammo left. If not you`re just going to have to be quick!!

Place the Pharos Knot and the double door opens. Slide down and find yourself back where it began at the big double door down from the main room at the beginning of the level. Place the Jewel key in the keyhole and go through the open doors to end the level.