THE LOST TREASURE

Level by Claude Gross

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

After a lopsided flyby that gives you a glimpse of where you'll wind up at the end, begin in relative darkness. Without moving from your starting position, hit the look key and you'll see a room ahead with a gem receptacle on the far wall. Your way is blocked by an invisible barrier on either side of you. If you wish to do a little preliminary exploration that I'm sure wasn't intended by the author, you can turn around and slide backwards down the slope. Grab the edge, shimmy to your left or right and pull up when you can. The door in the west wall opens upon your approach, giving you a partial view of the coil surrounding the Lara clone in the room beyond.

Go inside and draw your pistols. A harpy is flapping its wings in the alcove to your right. As soon as it comes into view, blast away at it until it dies, and you'll do yourself a huge favor for a later stage of this level. But be sure not to approach too closely while you're filling it full of lead, for if you do the door behind it will open, releasing the harpy to fly through one of the inaccessible (to you) windows to the Lara clone inside, where it will attack the clone repeatedly and drain your own health in the process.

After disposing of the harpy, return to the dark room. Near the NE corner is a passage, but don't go in there either. You'll encounter spikes that pop out intermittently and without warning, and you'll probably be skewered before you've gone more than a few steps. Instead, do what the author intended for you to do all along, and that's to allow yourself to slide down the slope into the water far below. In the water is a closed door in the west wall and a pair of closed face doors down in a hole at the east wall. Pause for some uzi ammo on a ledge in the NE corner, then surface and pull out of the water on the east side. Go along the outer ledge, shooting the small chests along the way, and pick up a large medi-pack, some flares and some shotgun ammo from those that aren't empty. Someone has been here before you and has already raided the tomb near the south wall. Go into the opposite opening in the north wall, vault up onto tne ledge to open the facing door, and pick up the flares.

Go north into the next room. Go to the alcove in the NW corner for two stashes of grenade gun ammo, then locate the shortest pillar against the south wall and climb up onto it. Turn to face NE and take a running jump to the next block. Turn to face west, and from the back edge of the block take a standing jump to the sloped pillar ahead. Take three jumps in succession off the sloped surfaces, and you'll land on a flat surface in the darkness, awakening a skeleton on the higher ledge to your right. Wait a bit to see if it loses interest and starts wandering away, then hop up onto the ledge and run over to the jumpswitch in the north wall. Activate it for a cut scene showing the west door opening in the pool (the face doors open as well), then back flip to the sloped pillar behind you and slide down to the floor before the skeleton has a chance to do major mischief.

Turn around and exit this room. Continue forward and jump into the water, swim down into the hole near the east wall, through the opening and up the underwater slope. It's a little tricky to pull out of the hole at the top. What you need to do is get as close as you can to the west wall and pull up in that corner. Spikes start appearing in the shallow trench in the east wall as action music plays, but it's not very difficult to time a run past them. Make a hairpin turn to the right in the tight passage, and the block ahead will lower as you approach it. Turn left there and time another run across a spike trap. Just beyond that is a blade trap, so be careful. Make another hairpin turn to the right beyond the blade trap, and you'll encounter a second blade trap just before you reach the next turn.

When you emerge in the next area lined with dart guns, draw your pistols and kill the harpy at the north end of the room. Then run there down the middle of the room and the block in the NE corner will lower upon your approach. Enter for SECRET #1. Shoot the small chests on the ledge to your right for three stashes of shotgun ammo and a large medi-pack. The lower chest contains the SHOTGUN, but you pay a price for it: a bunch of beetles. However, if you dash down the north passage the beetles quickly disappear. Continue along the passage, turn left at the T-intersection, and the block to your left will lower when you reach the end. Go through the opening and turn right. The spike trap ahead now looks inert, but don't be fooled. Run across the tiles and veer to the safe area to your right just before the spikes start popping out again. Jump into the water and swim back to the pool.

Cross over to the west opening and swim inside. Looks suspiciously like an area that may need to be drained for later. Swim up the shaft and pull out. A lingering flyby ends with a door opening high up in a wall. Go to the dark area near the north wall and locate a place where you can pull up into an alcove between two pillars. Step forward and take a running jump to the next pillar south, and another running jump to the pillar against the south wall. Turn to face NE and take a running jump with a midair swerve to the right to grab the edge of the next higher pillar in the darkness. Turn to the north and take a long running jump and grab to the next pillar. Pull up, turn left and take a standing jump to the next pillar, then turn left again and take another standing jump to the next pillar. Pick up the CROWBAR when you reach the second one.

You can see the opening in the south wall, and you'll be tempted to use the sloped pillar to the west to try and jump off into the alcove next to the graffiti plugging TRO-Online. Bad decision, because you'll bounce off the low ceiling every time, no matter what you do. Instead, face NW and take a standing jump down to that pillar with the irregular surface. Don't worry, you won't slide off. From there, it's a simple matter to face SW and take a running jump (grabbing in midair to change your trajectory) down into the wall alcove.

Jump up and grab the crack to your left, and shimmy around all the way to the opening in the south wall. Pull up into the passage and go toward the reach-in switch in the far wall. Along the way you'll pass six closed face doors (the first one to your right being blocked by an invisible force field). Use the reach-in switch to open the nearest face door looking east. Run up the ramp (no, there's no devious boulder trap) and the door ahead opens upon your approach. You emerge in a large room with wall ledges at the highest tier, a suspended platform down below, and a central pool at floor level. Start with a long running jump and grab to the next ledge east. You may fail several times and come to the conclusion that it's too far to reach, but keep trying. Aim for the right corner, which is ever so slightly higher, and you should make it.

Pull up, turn right and take a running jump and grab to the suspended central ledge. Pull up, turn left and take a running jump and grab to the ledge in the east wall. Pull up for a wonderful prize, the CROSSBOW, which will come in mighty handy later in dealing with skeletons and harpies. There's nothing on the ledge in the SE corner, so turn around and jump back to the central ledge. From there, face SW and take a running jump to the dark ledge in the south wall. Turn right and take a running jump to grab the ladder. Climb down until you reach the ledge to your right, then shift over and drop down onto it. Turn around and get in position to take a running jump between the pillars of the suspended platform. Step forward and take (apparently by telekinesis, for Lara doesn't move a muscle) the PHAROS KNOT.

Jump back to the ledge, hop through the hole in the SW corner and duck under the low ceiling to run down the ramp to the east. Pick up the crossbow arrows (explosive, thankfully) and go to the ramp on the other side of the pool for a small medi-pack. Jump into the water and locate the wall opening in the SE corner. Swim inside and follow the shaft upward, then continue along the underwater passage past a closed face door until you reach a place where Lara stops and stands up in a partially filled shaft. Too bad you can't stoop down in this shallow water and move forward to pick up those UZIS that are in plain sight just beyond. They must be for later.

Jump up to grab the east wall face, and climb up a tediously long distance to the passage above. Pull up and run forward into a huge blue-tinted room. Run forward along the ledge until you reach the first of the lower pillars to your left. Jump over to it, then turn right and take a running jump and grab to the next higher pillar. Pull up and repeat for the next pillar against the east wall (that's hard to see, because the lighter top surface is hidden from view where you stand). Pull up and ready your crossbow with the explosive arrows, as your movements have alerted three nearby skeletons.

Turn right and take a running jump and grab to the next pillar in the east wall. Pull up and walk out onto the translucent bridge that spans this room from west to east. Climb the short steps, but watch out for a gap at the top. Take a standing jump and grab to the next section of the bridge. By this time the skeletons are very near. Go as far west as you can along the bridge, then turn around and draw your crossbow. If you're lucky the skeletons will be bunched together so that you can take out all three with a single arrow. Now that this threat has been eliminated, turn to face north and take a running jump to the translucent pillar, and from there step forward and vault up onto the upper tier of the translucent bridge. Follow it all the way back to the east wall, where you'll find a jumpswitch. When you activate it you'll see an extended flyby that takes you through this immense room and reveals a receptacle and an opened door at floor level. As soon as camera control is restored, reverse roll, draw your crossbow and quickly blast away a fourth skeleton that had materialized behind you.

Now you have to get down from here. Head back along the bridge toward the west wall, and jump down to the central steps. Head back east and jump over the gap. When you reach the east wall, turn left and take a standing jump down to the top of the pillar. Turn left and jump down to the next pillar, then turn left and jump to the tiled bridge. Run toward the west entrance, and just before you reach the T-shaped portal, drop off either the right or left side and grab the edge of the bridge. Just below you'll see the pillar with the receptacle on it. Pull back up onto the bridge and hop back again. This time, wait until you clear the edge before hitting the grab button. You should land on top of the pillar below (it may take a few tries). The author probably intended that you drop down onto the translucent block over at the east end, and use the bars above to monkey swing over from that direction, but this way requires a higher level of skill for you adventurous types. There's a climbable surface on the north face of this pillar. Use it to reach the floor below, and place your Pharos Knot in the receptacle (west face of this same pillar). Reverse roll and draw your shotgun to eliminate the DEMIGOD that's taking pot shots at you, then continue forward to the open doorway in the east wall that you saw in the earlier flyby.

Turn left into a plant-strewn room (you'll find some shotgun ammo on the north ledge), and go down the ramp to the west. Follow until you reach an open door down at the bottom. Go inside, draw your shotgun and wait for the harpy to appear. Kill it, then light a flare and continue down the dark passage as continuous action music starts playing.

You're in a mini-maze which is made somewhat more treacherous by numerous blade traps and one spike trap thrown in for good measure, but it's not too difficult to master. Go past the first blade trap you encounter and activate the reach-in switch you'll find around the corner. Go back the other way and time a run past the spikes. Turn right, run past two more blade traps and activate the next reach-in switch just beyond the door you opened with the first switch. Retrace your steps, go past the spikes and another blade trap, and turn right to find a water hole just beyond the door you opened with the second switch.

Jump into the water and swim along the passage. When the current grabs you and starts pulling you forward, swim in that direction with as much vigor as you can and look for an opening to your left. (If you pause to think about what you're doing, the current will suck you to a point where you can go neither forward nor backward. You'll then drown and have to reload.) Swim into the left opening and swim along the red and blue tinted passage. Turn left at the bend and pause for air at the first opening. Then continue along the passage until you reach a shaft leading upward. Follow the passage until you reach those Uzis you couldn't get to earlier, for SECRET #2. Flip turn and go back to the passage with the current. Turn left and let the current carry you to another shaft leading upward. Pull up into a low-ceilinged room with four small chests on the ledges to either side.

Shoot all the chests for the LASER SIGHT, the ORNATE HANDLE, some uzi ammo and a large medi-pack. Run down the ramp in the SE corner past the open face door at the bottom to an area you've visited before. The face door to the opposite ramp is also open, but there's a closed door up at the top. So return to the crossroads and go up the ramp past the first open face door on the east side, opposite the opening blocked by the invisible force field. You come out onto a ledge encircling a lava room, with pillars of all sizes. Take a running jump to the tallest pillar from the south ledge. Face west, and from the back edge of the pillar take a standing jump down to the next one. Try to ignore all the bubbles and that sloped block to your right. Turn to your left and jump down to the slab against the south wall. Pick up the HATHOR EFFIGY that's mighty hard to see. Turn right and continue hopping along the slabs until you reach the last one facing an alcove to the east.

Take a running jump and grab to the alcove. Pull up inside and use your crowbar to pry off what shows up as the BROKEN BEETLE in your inventory. Turn to your left and activate the jumpswitch, then jump back to the safety of the previous pillar as beetles pour out of the wall. At least you thought it was safe; those blasted beetles will follow you right through the lava. Go back around the slabs in a counterclockwise direction. When you take a standing jump and grab to the final, tallest pillar, you finally shake the beetles. Take a running jump back to the south ledge and leave this room.

Go up the ramp in the middle east (no, there are no ninjas in this level) passage where the door at the top is now open thanks to that last jumpswitch. Climb the short ladder and pull up onto a higher ledge overlooking what looks like, but isn't, the same lava room you just now navigated. Follow the same procedure described earlier. See, when you get to the end there's a new beetle and a new jumpswitch. Take the BLACK BEETLE #1 and activate the jumpswitch. As you step out to the edge of the alcove, Lara's attention is drawn to something over to her left. Never did find out what it was; must not have been important.

Make your way back to the entrance to this room, and climb down the short ladder. The far left west face door is now open, so run up the ramp, turn around and drop down into a pool with a closed face door. Pull out, drop down to the room below and raid the half dozen tombs for a bunch of crossbow arrows, some flares and a large medi-pack. (Half of them are opened from the wall side.) Along the way you'll arouse a skeleton and a harpy, so put that crossbow to good use. Locate a jumpswitch on the interior south wall near the SW corner of the room, right next to one of the small lava pools. This opens the face door in the pool, so go around the room (noting the closed door with a receptacle on either side in the east wall) and locate the ladder near the NW corner. Climb up, shift to the left and drop down onto the ledge. Jump into the water and swim into the opening in the north wall.

Skirt those strange underwater flames as best you can, and follow the passage until you get to the other end. Pull out into an extremely dark area as the action music comes to a merciful end, and get ready to break out your stockpile of flares. Turn to your right and pick up the large medi-pack in front of the two coffins that you can't get into, then hop back twice, turn left and follow the passage that starts out headed north. When you reach the T-intersection turn to your left and note the closed face door for later. Reverse roll and continue north.

Take a left turn at each of the next two crossings. When you reach the next left after that, go inside and raid the tomb you'll find there for the HORSEMAN'S GEM. You'll also alert a DEMIGOD, so ready your crossbow and wait for it to come to you so you won't lose your bearings. When you've killed it, leave this tomb alcove, turn left, then make another quick left turn at the T-intersection and raid that tomb for a small medi-pack. Reverse roll and go all the way north. Turn right and raid the tomb at the dead end for some flares and shotgun ammo. Retrace your steps and turn left in front of the previous coffin.

Continue east to the T-intersection and turn left. Turn right at the next intersection and go all the way east. Continue until you reach the dead end and raid the tomb for some more flares and shotgun ammo. Retrace your steps and take the first left you come to. There's another tomb just inside for a large medi-pack. Leave this alcove, turn left and then make another immediate left. Follow this passage until you reach an inert blade trap. Go underneath the blade trap (the passage to your right just makes a meaningless loop) and bear slightly to your left. Follow this passage underneath another inert blade trap, and you'll emerge in a larger room with a tomb at the far end. As you approach it you activate the blade trap. Reach inside for the PHAROS KNOT.

Time a run past the blade trap and draw your crossbow to deal with the approaching skeleton. Continue through the passage and run through the second active blade trap. You now have both artifacts you need to progress, but let's pause long enough to get another secret. Continue west past the blade trap and turn right. Turn left at the T-intersection and make another quick left. Continue south until you reach another T-intersection, and turn right. Turn left at the next bend and go forward into a new area that was barred earlier by the closed face door. Turn left at the bend and approach the coffin for SECRET #3 while a gauntlet of blade traps along the short passage is activated. Raid the tomb for the GRENADE GUN, some flares and some shotgun ammo, then gingerly make your way back past the blade traps. Take the first right once you leave the secret passage, look out for spikes coming out of the ceiling in one spot along the way, and you'll eventually come to the water hole from whence you first arrived.

Jump into the water and return to the pool. Pull out on the east side and safety drop to the floor below. Reverse roll and place your artifacts in the receptacles on either side of the large double doors. You get a burst of nice music as you enter yet another maze to your left. An early cut scene shows a door opening somewhere, and guess what: it's timed. You don't have much time to reach your goal, and you need to make judicious use of your flares along the way so you won't lose precious seconds bumping into walls in the dark. Here's the correct route:

Follow the passage until you reach the T-intersection. Turn right and then another quick right. Turn left at the first opportunity and follow to the next T-intersection. Turn right, then make another immediate right. Follow until the next crossing and turn right. Follow the twists and turns until you reach a major intersection, and make a hairpin turn to the right. A few more twists and turns, and you'll emerge in a slightly larger area where you dash through the open doorway on the left.

Do battle with the DEMIGOD inside. When it falls, go to the south doors and they'll open automatically. Go inside and take the BLACK BEETLE #2 off the wall, and dash back to the safety of the central pyramid as real beetles pour out of the wall. When the coast is clear, return to the south alcove and pick up the large medi-pack. The north doors are now open, so go there and awaken another DEMIGOD before you have a chance to do anything inside. Once it's dead, go back and pry BLACK BEETLE #3 off the wall, then pick up the large medi-pack. Now the doors on the right in the west wall are open. When you go inside, beetles start pouring out and another DEMIGOD materializes behind you. Kill it, then approach the pyramid to get rid of the beetles. Go back to the west opening and take BLACK BEETLE #4 from the wall to your left. You can also take the multiplying beetle from the wall straight ahead, but it adds nothing to your inventory. Pick up the large medi-pack and go to the central pyramid.

Place the four beetles in the faces of the pyramid (does the illogic of a four-faced pyramid strike you as odd, too?) and pick up the HORSEMAN'S GEM inside. Go to the east doors that are open now, pick up the large medi-pack and use the ladder to climb up a long, long way. Shift to your right when you reach the opening and drop down into the passage. Spike traps are activated as you move through the passage, so move forward one square at a time and you should be all right until you reach that room where you began this level.

Vault up onto the north ledge and place your gem in the receptacle. Both doors in the west wall are now open. Go inside and run around to the far (west) side of the central building. Combine the Ornate Handle and the Hathor Effigy to form the PORTAL GUARDIAN, and use it on the pole device in front of the face door. Reverse roll, and you'll find that the door allowing access to the room with the Lara clone is now open. Go inside and kill the DEMIGOD, then vault up onto the central dais with the Lara clone. An extended flyby takes you through the open face door beyond the receptacle for the Portal Guardian and ends the level.

Addendum by Lizard Queen:

Alternate route for the timed run in the last maze:

Follow corridor – turn right at the T-intersection.
Follow corridor – turn left (north).
Follow corridor – go straight, turn right, then right.
Follow corridor – go straight (east) but to the left of the block/wall ahead.
Follow corridor – go through the doors with plenty of time to spare…no dashing required ;)

(the trick is NOT to pass over any floor tiles with an "X" on it.)