CASTLE MALVERNIA

Level by Peter Tedstone (StormChaser)

Thanks to Val for pointers on dealing with the sentry guns, and for providing the location of the laser sight that I had missed early on.

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Lara begins by sliding backward down a long slope to the north bank of an area divided by a canal. Look up to see the bridge high above that spans the north and south walls of the castle. There's an opening up in the east wall, but don't waste your time trying to get up there from down here; it's for later. Take a running jump across the canal and explore the crates on the south side for a large medi-pack, a small medi-pack and some uzi ammo. It's possible to reach portions of the moss-covered rocks, but to no productive purpose, so jump into the canal and swim east into the underwater passage.

Go past the first opening to your left (which leads to a dead end) and turn right at the bend. Follow the twists and turns, avoiding the spikes as you go by, and surface shortly thereafter. Pull up onto the south ledge to a burst of alert music, run forward and slide down the slope ahead. Run forward a step or two and stop. A couple of boulders come crashing down to block your path. Step up between them and keep the jump and up arrow keys depressed, and you'll soon clear them so you can continue south.

Take a standing jump up the slope and climb up the east wall until you've cleared the higher block. Shift to your right and drop down onto the block. Pull up into the opening and run forward a short distance until you reach an intersection. Going to the right leads to a spike pit, so turn left and follow the passage north toward a light at the other end. Don't get complacent, however, as you'll need to be aware of a pit near the other end that you'll have to jump over with grab. Pull up and continue to run forward across that bridge you saw earlier from down below. (You'll come to the first of many fixed camera angles you'll encounter as you make your way through this level. However, in nearly every case you can restore camera control immediately by hitting the look key.)

Enter the passage in the north wall and you'll hear another burst of action music. Draw your pistols and shoot the jackal, then continue forward until you reach an open courtyard area. There are four SAS posted here. all of whom drop something when you kill them. Keep track of where they fell and pick up some flares, the UZIS, a GATE KEY and a small medi-pack (in that order). (The fourth SAS is hiding in the SE corner.) Continue north and use the Gate Key in the closed door at the end.

Go in and run to the intersection. Turn right and kill the jackal, then continue east past another closed door requiring a key. Follow the passage until you reach a three-way intersection. Turn left and run down the passage. Don't let the dark area catch you by surprise. Jump over the spike pit near the end (triggering a boulder trap in the process) and pick up the GATE KEY. Reverse roll and run back to the intersection. Turn left and pull up into the south opening. Step forward and pick up the LASER SIGHT, then hop back down into the intersection. The west passage is a dead end, so head north back the way you came.

When you reach the closed gate to your left, use the Gate Key to open it. Run up the ramp and stop at the opening to your left. Take a running jump over the spike pit and grab the rope. Swing forward and jump off to the east ledge. You can go either right or left here, so let's go right first. Go to the south end, turn left and take a standing jump over the spike pit. Grab the higher block, pull up and turn to your left, and pull up still higher. Run forward and pick up the REVOLVER. Get back down, jump over the spike pit and continue west down into a dark sunken room. Nothing here but some uzi ammo, so after you pick it up jump back out and turn left. At the north end, make a hairpin turn to the right at the wooden barrier and climb up onto the block. Step forward and take a standing jump and grab south, then pull up for another GATE KEY. Safety drop to the floor and go to the west passage near the wooden barrier.

Hop down to the floor for some uzi ammo, then climb up onto the pillar and pull up into the hole in the north wall. Run forward down the passage over two grated holes, and when you reach the open area jump onto the block ahead for some revolver ammo. There are four SAS shooting at you from the wooden platform below, but they're beyond the range of your weaponry. Jump down to the balcony and safety drop to the higher stone ledge below. From here you can pick off the SAS. Get a small medi-pack and some uzi ammo at the north end of this ledge, then take a standing jump down to the wooden platform, losing a little health in the process. Run to the west end for a large medi-pack, the north end for some uzi ammo (the small room ahead is empty) and then proceed through the opening in the south end, after picking up two more stashes of uzi ammo along the way, for a treasure trove of four stashes of uzi ammo in the small room.

Locate the raised block near the SE corner and take a running jump to it. Four more SAS await below, so pick them off one by one. When all is quiet, hop down and retrieve a small medi-pack on a crate against the west wall. There's more uzi ammo next to a pillar near the NW corner. Go back to the crates near the SE corner, climb up onto them and jump over to the crate west for a small medi-pack. Turn to your right and take a running jump to the central structure. Light a flare so you can see the hole in the middle of it, and drop down into the water.

Swim north and turn right at the intersection. Follow the passage until you reach an air hole. Pull up into a wide passage and follow it north until you reach a closed gate. Unlock it with the Gate Key and go inside. You're greeted by a pair of jackals, so make short work of them and head south into an outside area of the castle grounds. Two more jackals spring to the attack. When you reach the far end a fifth jackal, apparently just awakened and still groggy, steps forward tentatively. After you've taken care of it, hop onto the block in the SE corner and pull up into the east opening.

Follow the passage until you reach an opening. Slide down the slope ahead to land on a ledge overlooking a dammed pond. Before jumping into the water, head over to the east end of the ledge (jumping over the gap). Turn right and take a running jump and grab to the block. Pull up and turn left to face an opening. Step forward and jump down, then climb up onto the block and from there into a higher opening. Note the ramp ahead and to your right, and run onto the block on the left side below to trigger a boulder above the ramp. Wait until the boulder stops moving, then jump over it and climb up the blocks to the left of the ramp. Pull up into the east passage above the ramp, turn right and pick up a large medi-pack, two stashes of revolver ammo and the HORSEMAN'S GEM.

Go back the way you came and jump into the water. Turn around and swim east under the castle. Follow through a narrow passage until it opens up into a wider area once again. Continue through the west opening and swim up a long way until you're able to surface for air. Pull up onto the south ledge and use the hole in the SE corner to pull up onto a higher ledge. Jump across the water to the north ledge and pick up the large medi-pack. Then jump back over and go through the south opening into a room scattered with crates. Make a hairpin turn to the right and pick up some flares in the alcove. Go through the east opening and climb up onto the crate that's blocking your way.

Walk across to the SW and angle Lara to the right. Take a running jump, avoiding the dark area ahead, and land in the west passage. If you want to see what you just escaped, hop back and grab the edge of the pit in the dark area to trigger both a boulder trap and a spike trap. Quickly pull up again and head west down the passage. Take the first left, light one of those flares, and jump over the spike pit. Continue forward to a room with bars along the far wall, and as you step inside you'll trigger a boulder that's easy to avoid. When it rolls to a stop, do around it and enter the south passage. When you turn right at the bend, run forward and dash into the opening to your right to avoid the boulder trap ahead.

Enter a room on the other side of the barred wall. Go to the west opening and slide down onto the grate below. Turn around and pull up onto the NE block for a large medi-pack. Hop down and cross over to the opposite side, and a sentry gun (not to mention some SAS) will open fire from down below and to your left if you step up to the opening. Stand two steps back from the edge and side step to your left. Two SAS are stationed on the north walkway below, and you should be able to take them out from here with your combined revolver and laser sight. Then side step once or twice back to the right, reverse roll so you'll drop down to the block below facing east, and immediately dash through the opening ahead before the sentry gun tears you to ribbons. (By the way, this is the same opening that you saw in the area where you began this level.)

You won't be passing this way again, so there's no need to worry about the sentry gun. However, if you really, really want to take it out, take an angled running jump to your left down into the canal and swim to the west end. Pull out and make sure the sentry gun is pointed in your direction by jumping up and down to attract its attention. Jump back into the water and swim along the south bank until you reach the east end. Pull up on the south side, combine your revolver with the laser sight and blast the sentry gun into oblivion. Unfortunately, you'll now have to make your way painstakingly back to this point in the walkthrough before you can continue, as there's no available shortcut.

Restore your health as necessary, then continue across the room and turn into the passage near the SE corner. Follow the passage until you reach some flares. Pick them up and turn to your right. You're facing what looks like a funnel, with no way to get across to the far side (but there's no need to).

Simply step forward and allow Lara to slide down and fall to a passage below. There's a spike pit on either side, so carefully make your way east through the passage. Jump over the spike pit ahead and continue until you reach a crawl space. It's very important that you use the left side of the crawl space, for reasons that will become apparent in a second. After the boulder scares you within an inch of your life, stand up and step forward to pick up the flares. There's nothing else of interest ahead, so turn left and pull up into the opening. Hop down and use the crawl space ahead without fear of another boulder trap. However, there are three SAS ahead, one near and two farther off, so kill them all before proceeding. As you approach the north end you can hear the whine of jackals ahead, so before pulling up to the higher passage draw weapons and jump up and down to kill two of them.

There are two more jackals ahead as you enter the north passage, so kill them as well. As you come into the outside area while action music plays, deal with the SAS on the ledge to your right. Don't pull up onto the ledge here to see if he dropped anything, however (he hasn't), or you'll draw the sustained fire of another sentry gun. However, do jump straight up here to draw its attention, then run across to the north end of the trench (hopping over the gap along the way), and pull up onto the ledge that's now beyond the range of the sentry gun. However, there are four SAS firing at you from below, so quickly shoot the nearest one on the block against the north wall, then drop and slide down to that same block. Shoot the remaining SAS and pick up the large medi-pack dropped by the first one.

Hop to the ground and run across to the other side, hugging the north wall. When you reach the NE corner you'll be in position to take out the sentry gun with your combined revolver and laser sight. Step forward and turn to your right to find another SAS standing up in the gap in the west wall. Kill him, then run forward and turn left into the east opening. Turn to your right. Ahead to the south is another SAS, so kill him before he can draw a bead on you. Head toward the closed gate you can see at the end of the south wall, and pull up into the passage to your right just before you get there. Vault up into a slightly higher passage, turn left and pick up the GATE KEY in front of the barred opening. Go back to the closed gate in the south wall and open it with the Gate Key.

Enter a new courtyard and turn right toward a small and dark sunken room. There are no pickups down there, so jump to the opening in the south wall. As you approach the other end you get a fixed camera angle from your right. Hit the look key to restore camera control and look over in that direction to see a double boulder trap just waiting for a wrong move from you. Safety drop down to the floor without fear, and turn around to note three closed gates. Pull up onto the first block to your left. However, refrain from pulling up onto the next one, as it's a spike trap. You need to get into the hole in the SE corner, and the way I did it was to stand on the first block facing NE and side flip into the hole. Pick up the GATE KEY and, facing the east wall, back flip onto the slope and slide back down to the floor.

Now, which gate do we open? If you open either of the first two (counting from your left), you'll trigger the boulder trap and die. So, against all instinct, open the gate nearest the boulders. Go inside and make a hairpin turn to the left and find some flares in the NE alcove. Then go across to the SW room for a small medi-pack. Now go the SE room and follow the east passage to alert a pair of SAS. Kill them and pick up the uzi ammo they both drop, then proceed into the north room and kill another SAS. Pick up the large medi-pack and deal with another SAS deeper inside. Go down the south passage and kill two jackals. Slide down the slope to your left onto a steaming grill and run to the other side. Pull up into a short passage to your right, shoot another jackal and pick up the uzi ammo at the end. Go back to the steaming grill and pull up onto the block at the east end (or jump up the slope to its left). Shoot another jackal and pull up into the south opening.

Use the crawl space to access a dark passage. Run forward until you reach the intersection, then turn left. There's a long spike pit ahead, so angle Lara to the right and take a standing jump with a midair curve to the right to land on a block in front of the west opening. Pull up into the opening and use the Horseman's Gem in the receptacle to your right. Run down the steps past the opened gate to end the level as Lara's theme music plays.