THE CASTLE OF THE MALEFICENT MASK

Levels by Trinh

Expanded walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, using the helpful outline provided years ago (and reproduced below) by Monika Pietsch.

 

THE CASTLE

Lara slides down two pitch-black slopes to a short passage facing the rear end of a ram statute.  Run around the statute and up the short flight of stairs to a hallway.  You have a number of options at this point, but for purposes of this walkthrough let's start by turning right and following the hallway in a counterclockwise direction, past an opening to your right where you can see a central fountain.  Continue along the hallway and down some stairs into a torch-lit room with many pillar supports.  There are many objects in this room that will shatter when you shoot them.  However, the only ones that contain anything are a jug near the south wall that provides some shotgun ammo and a coffin near the north wall that hides a large medi-pack.  At some point all this gunfire will attract the attention of a tinman, so keep shooting the blue gem on his chest until he stumbles and dies with a clatter.  

Step into the SW alcove (after having shattered the vase) and pull up west into a crawl space.  Follow until you're able to stand up in a small room with a floor lever.  Push it to open a door elsewhere.  Return to the previous room via the crawl space and locate a stairway across the room in the SE corner.  Follow the stairs and turn left into a larger room with a sunken pool.  You can't do anything in the pool yet, so turn left and find the opening in the dark NE corner.  Go up the stairs to your left (note the closed door in the alcove), shoot the vase in the NW acove at the landing, and pull the block back once.  Don't go down the east stairs yet, but instead retrace your steps all the way back to where you began the level.  From there, continue east past the room with the ram statue and turn right to enter a new area.

You hear a burst of warning music as you step down onto the threshold, so watch out for the spiked floor ahead. Hop left into the room to the east (the vase on the ledge to your right is empty).  The coffin on the east ledge contains some shotgun ammo; the other containers are empty. Activate the jump switch in the north face of the north pillar to open a door elsewhere.  Go into the next room south and kill the tinman who follows you inside.  Shoot the vase in the west alcove and push the block forward once.  You can see flames erupting around a pedestal ahead and to your right in the new room.  Push and pull the block onto a companion tile north to extinguish the fire, then go to the pedestal and pick up the LASER SIGHT. If you push the block twice in one continuous motion instead of once, so that it doesn't rest on the trigger tile, the flames may not ignite. You may see a second moveable block in the south wall; ignore it for now.

There's a SE passage in the previous room, but let's save that for a little later. Exit this area (don't forget the spikes) and follow the hallway back to the room where you killed the first tinman.  Go down the steps at the SE opening and turn left into the pool area.  Go to the dark NE opening to find that the door in the alcove is now open.  Pull up inside and head up the ramp to your left.  You can hear the sound of a door opening as you approach the SHOTGUN in the north alcove.  Continue east and turn right at the intersection.  If you go left down the ramp ahead, you'll simply return to an area you've already explored.  Locate the ladder and climb up to a higher level.  When you pull up you'll hear eerie music that signals danger ahead.  Turn left for some flares, then walk further into the alcove to trigger some invisible boulders.  You're safe where you now stand, but you need to get over to the west side of this room, so save your game and jump forward when you think the coast is clear.  If you guess wrong, simply reload and try again.  The pillar halfway across the room will provide shelter where you can catch your breath and save again.  Note the monkey bars in the ceiling. 

When you jump safely into the west opening, the boulders stop rolling back and forth.  Go back into the previous room and go up to the south wall between the pillar and the SW ramp.  Stand in the corner formed by the pillar and the wall, facing slightly NW, and take a standing jump to the slope.  Depending on your angle, you may need to slide ever so slightly before jumping off to grab the ceiling.  Monkey swing north until you're halfway across the room, then turn left and go right up to the opening.  Release and immediately grab again, then pull up and run forward into SECRET #1.  Pick up the revolver ammo and the uzi ammo in the far corners of the room, then lower Lara down through the crack in the wall and drop down to the boulder room. 

Run forward into the next room.  The door to your left is blocked by an iron grate, so that leaves you with two choices.  Actually one choice, as the north passage leads to a closed door and a cartouche receptacle which you can't use yet.  So head through the west opening and drop down to the ramp below.  You'll awaken a skeleton, but if you quickly jump across to the east ledge the skeleton won't attempt to follow. At least, he won't attempt to follow until you push the floor lever in the corner to open a nearby gate in the SW corner.  Turn around quickly and use your shotgun to blast the skeleton into the water.  Then pick up the nearby TORCH and jump over the water to the ramp where you awakened the skeleton (the E opening leads to a ramp with a closed iron grate at the bottom, and the opened SW gate leads to an area you're not yet ready to explore).   Go up the ramp and turn left (east) into the previous room, continue east into the boulder room and throw the torch into the hole in the east wall.  Climb down, pick up the torch and take it with you all the way back to the beginning of the level and beyond.

Go north, turn right and head north down the ramp.  Turn left in the next room and go through the west opening into the room where you picked up the laser sight.  Drop your torch for the moment and pull or push the block onto the south trigger tile.  The flames will re-appear around the pedestal, and you can use them to light your torch (don't step up onto the platform, however).  Move the block off the trigger tile so you won't forget the second moveable block behind it, then take your lighted torch and leave via the SE opening and go up the SE ramp in the next room.  You'll return to the small room with the ladder.  Continue down the stairs and ramp and hop down to the landing below.  Run forward into the pool area and leave your torch here for safekeeping.  Reverse roll and run up the stairs to your left, then run down the stairs to your right.  When you emerge through the opening you'll trigger a flyby showing swinging chains and two awakened skeletons.

Drop your torch in a safe place and deal with the skeletons.  Then go to the pillar near the SW corner of this room and locate a button in the south face.  Push it to lower a rope over the deadly water, then make your way to a point between the swinging chains and hop to the NE alcove.  There's an opening below in the east wall, and one way to reach it is by taking a curved running jump to the right from the alcove and using the action key to glide safely inside the passage.  Or you can hang drop from the north edge, grab the crevice immediately below and shimmy to the left until you can drop down safely into the portal. This is the more reliable and probably the intended method.  Crawl under the low ceiling and push the button in the wall.  Reverse roll and take a standing jump and grab to the opening above.  Pull up into SECRET #2 and locate the nearby uzi ammo and shotgun ammo.  Drop back down and find that the formerly deadly water is now quite harmless.

Jump into the water and swim over to the west wall.  Locate the opening near the SW corner and allow the cuurent to pull Lara up the ramp west (the underwater door opens as you approach it) and into the pool area where you left your torch.  Pull out NW and take an angled standing jump up to the north ledge.  Turn right and run past your torch and up the stairs, then down the stairs, until you return to the room with the swinging chains.  Go to the ledge beyond the chains and time a running jump and grab to the rope.  Turn around and jump north into the alcove for a small medi-pack.  Jump back to the rope, wait until the flames subside, then swing over to the pillar and release to land on it.  Quickly hop back before the flames return and grab the edge.  Pull up into a corner, where you'll be safe.  Wait for the flames to subside again, then take a running jump south and grab the edge of the pillar.  Pull up and run forward to awaken another skeleton.  Get around it while drawing your shotgun, so you can blast it into the pool.  Then pull down the wall switch to cause a bridge to materialize over the pool where you left your torch.  Pull back the SW block twice to open up a corridor.  However, when you run forward a flame blower activates to bar further progress from this direction. You can't get there from the other direction, either, so just forget about the large medi-pack you can see in the distance.

The flames on the burner pillar are now off, but you can't get back by using the rope.  So simply jump into the water and go through the opening in the west wall, where the current will carry you back to the other pool.  Pull out NW, jump to the north ledge and retrieve your torch.  Use the bridge to get over to the south ledge, and continue through the SE opening into the next room.  Entering the SW passage causes one of two iron grates there to open, but it just takes you back to previously explored territory.  Light the wall torches in the SE and SE corners, causing the CARTOUCHE PIECE 1 to materialize on the pedestal.  Pick it up, then pull down the wall switch in the NW corner to open the second iron grate you saw earlier.  You no longer need your torch, so leave it behind and go to where you opened the iron grate.  Deal with the tinman, then enter the west room and open the central trap door facing north. 

When you drop down into the hole you hear that familiar burst of warning music, so look down the slope and note the presently dormant burner tiles.  If you look up you can see the brass ball hanging from a hole in the ceiling.  Position Lara at the center of the slope, draw your pistols and save your game.  Take a standing jump forward, firing away for dear life, and when you land jump over the first burner tile.  If you were fortunate enough to hit the brass ball, the iron grate ahead will open, so take another jump off the second slope into the opening.  Save your game again so you won't have to repeat this difficult move later.  Turn left and enter a small room with a central pool and a slumbering skeleton that awakens upon your entry.  Blast it into the water and then pull the switch in the south alcove.       

Jump into the water and swim up the west ramp.  Swim down at the end into a slight depression and pick up the REVOLVER at the bottom, then swim straight up the shaft and follow until you reach a ledge where you can pull out into a garden area.  There are two exits here, one NE and the other NW, but they're connected by a passage just inside.  Go through the NW opening and find a closed door to your left.  Turn around and go through the connecting east passage and turn left.  Return to the familiar hallway and turn left into the room with the pool and central fountain.  Go left and up the stairs into the west opening and turn either right or left.  You come to another ram statue, so proceed west into the next hallway and turn left.  Go up the stairs south (the wider stairs to your left are for later) and find yourself on a balcony overlooking the garden area.

Go to the left corner and take a long running jump slightly SE to land inside the opening.  Hop down into the east trench and approach the floor lever to your left.  You'll alert a harpy, so kill it before pushing the floor lever.  This opens an iron grate elsewhere.  Reverse roll and run to the south end of the trench.  Pull up into the last opening on your right and take a running jump slightly SW into the second opening near the south wall.  From there, take another running jump slightly NW into the opening near the west wall where you can see a protruding button.  Push the button to open the golden door below, and if you don't mind losing a little health you can save time by safety dropping to the floor from here.  Exit the garden area via the NW doorway and turn left into the new opening for SECRET #3.  Pick up the UZIS and a stash of uzi ammo, then exit and go up the connecting passage east and turn left. 

Keep making left turns as described in the previous paragraph until you reach the pool room with the fountain, but this time turn right there and go east up the stairs.  Turn left in the hallway and follow past the room with the ram statue.  Turn right at the end of the hallway and remember the spike trap.  Go to the south room and up the SE ramp, follow to the ladder and climb up to the boulder room.  Cross over to the next room with the large central column.  Look for the crawl space high up in the SW corner and back up to the SE corner until you can see a dangling brass ball through the opening.  Combine your revolver with the laser sight and shoot the brass ball to open the iron grate in the south wall.  Go inside and kill the tinman, then take CARTOUCHE PIECE 2 from the pedestal.  Exit this room and go down the opposite north passage.  Combine the two pieces to form the BA CARTOUCHE, and use it in the receptacle.

The door opens silently behind you, so enter the east room to have Lara's attention directed to her right.  The mirror there shows where the spike tiles are located, so avoid them while making your way clockwise to the other side of the room.  Jump over the spike trap and pick up the large medi-pack near the north wall, then jump back in the other direction and pull up into the opening in the north wall for SECRET #4.  Pick up the crossbow arrows and the small medi-pack, then lower Lara through the opening and drop down into the mirror room.  Stand in front of the timed wall switch and save your game.  Your goal is to pull down the switch and then make your way as quickly as possible past the gauntlet of spike tikes to the hidden doorway in the east wall before the timed door shuts.

There's no rest for you once you make it successfully, however, as you must then slide down a long slope while jumping to avoid randomly scattered burner tiles along the way.  When you reach the bottom, take a deep breath and save your game again.  Enter the north passage and follow the ramp to a ladder.  Climb up the ladder and pull up to trigger a flyby of an immense room with two tinmen prancing about on horses.  Step forward, jump to the hard-to-see gray block, pull up to the central platform and engage them in battle. When peace has been restored, pick up the HORSEMAN'S GEM dropped by one of the tinmen.    

There are a number of places where you can safety drop from the central platform to ledges or slopes that will bring you to the uneven floor without suffering loss of health.  Once down, go to near the middle of the north wall, turn around and locate a narrow passage leading south, go there and make a hairpin turn to the right once inside to locate a jump switch.  Activate it for a cut scene showing an iron grate opening in front of a second gem.  To get back up, go to the SE corner and pull up to the column there by facing east, standing as far to your right as possible and using only the up arrow and the action key.  Turn to your left and take a standing jump and grab to the sloped pillar north.  Shimmy as far right as possible, then pull up, slide nearly all the way down the other side, and jump off with a curve to the right to land on the lower pillar against the east wall.  Take a running jump NW and pull up onto the same block you jumped to earlier.  Pull up to the central platform and go across to the west side.  Take a running jump to the lower balcony and locate the ladder in the north wall.

Climb the ladder and back flip to a higher story. Negotiate your way along the ledges and columns (it's not difficult if you don't get careless about it) to the east end.  Enter the opening there and take the second HORSEMAN'S GEM from the pedestal.  A quick way back down is to hop backwards over the edge, hitting the action key after you've cleared the edge so that you glide into the first story level.  Or, you can simply go back the way you came, along the ledges and past the columns.  In any event, get back to the ladder on the west side and go to the hallway at the first floor level.  Turn left and the iron grate will open in front of you.  Follow the south passage up the ramp, turn right and find yourself at the pool room with the fountain.  

Enter the pool room and turn right to go up the west stairs.  Go around the central structure on either side and make a horseshoe turn to the left.  Go up the wide stairs you bypassed earlier.  The iron grate at the top is now open, so step into the new room east and alert two harpies. Kill them, then have a look around.  The north door requires two gems, and the south door requires two stars (which are apparently for a continuation level, as you won't find them here).  Since you now have both gems in your possession, use them to open the north door. Go inside, turn right and run down the passage, and you'll be taken to the next level.

THE EXIT

Continue forward along the passage and turn left into the first room.  The vase on the south ledge is empty, but the coffin contains grenade gun ammo.  When you shoot the vase near the SW corner two wraiths are released, so exit this room east, turn left and then right, and in the far left corner of the next room is a bird statue.  Stand next to it until the wraiths self destruct (the containers here are empty save one that hides a small medi-pack), then return to the previous room and pick up the GATE KEY.  Go back to the room with the bird statue (noting the closed iron grate to your right as you enter) and pull out the block from the west wall.  Push it aside and enter the short passage for some revolver ammo and the UZIS.  Return the block to its original position in the wall and the nearby iron grate opens.

Go there and enter a room where the CROSSBOW rests on a central pedestal.  Shoot the coffin on the south wall for some crossbow arrows (the other containers are empty), then push the large button in the east wall to open an iron grate elsewhere.  Exit this room, go west down the connecting hallway and turn right to find a small room with two Poseidon statues and a closed wooden trap door in the floor.  Go west into the large room with the central pool.  Run around the pool (the opening in the south wall leads to a closed iron grate) and step up west past the archways into a small anteroom.  Exit through the NW opening where you opened the iron grate earlier and follow the passage until you reach a flooded underground torch-lit chamber with a sloped central pillar and ledges scattered around the periphery.

Don't waste precious time right now with the central pillar.  Simply jump into the water and locate the underwater opening near the middle of the south wall.  Swim inside and note the bird statue dead ahead.  Enter that alcove and look up to find a pull-down lever.  When you activate it a block protrudes onto one of the ledges in the previous area.  Swim back there and pull up onto the NE ledge. It's doubtful that the builder intended the following shortcut, as it's much more reliable than trying to navigate the sloped pillar, the intermittent flame blower below and the monkey swing up in the ceiling.  In any event, turn around and take a running jump and grab to the longer ledge in the north wall.  Pull up, run to the other end of the ledge, face left and take a running jump and grab to the flat pillar.  For an even shorter cut, you could jump up here to grab the ceiling, monkey swing west and turn to your left when you reach the end, release and grab the raised block, and pull up to continue. Pull up and take a running jump to the ledge in the south wall.  Turn right and take a running jump and grab to the ledge in the SW corner.  Pull up, turn right and take a running jump and grab to the raised block  Pull up and take a running jump and grab to the higher pillar in the NW corner.  When you pull up two wraiths are released, so jump into the water and swim back to that bird statue south you saw earlier.  Wait patiently until the wraiths explode against the statue, then painstakingly make your way back to the NW pillar as described above (or, if you wish a little variety, try it the intended way this time).

Enter the next room through the west opening and take the GUARDIAN KEY from the pedestal.  Exit this room and jump into the water.  Swim across the chamber and pull up either NE or SE.  Pull up from there onto the west ledge and exit this area back to the large pool and beyond.  Continue east past the room with the Poseidon statues and turn right into the passage where you opened the iron grate earlier.  In the room where you took the crossbow from the central pedestal, stand on the east edge of the pedestal, where the light is splashing down through the grated opening, facing east.  Jump up to grab the fiendishly hidden crawl space and pull up inside.  Crawl along the long passage, and as the approach the end you'll trigger a flyby through an outside area guarded by SAS. 

Lower Lara though the opening and draw weapons immediately upon landing.  Turn left to take out the nearby SAS, then if you wish you can use your combined laser sight and revolver (or crossbow) to eliminate two more SAS, one patrolling the east wall and the other trying to shoot at you from directly below. When you're done, go down to the north end of the ledge and turn right to face the sloped pillar.  Take a running jump toward it to clear the edge, and without sliding take a rolling jump.  You'll land near the bottom of the slope, facing backwards, so slide and grab the edge.  Pull up and take a rolling back flip and grab the burner tile.  Shimmy to your right around two corners and pull up in a corner.  Take a standing jump and grab to the east ledge.  When you pull up an SAS will come charging out toward you, so kill him and take the uzi ammo he drops.  Go where he came from and find a small medi-pack on a corner ledge.

Go back to where you pulled up and take a standing jump south over the concrete ramp. Pull up onto the east ledge and locate the shotgun ammo dropped by one of the SAS you killed earlier.  Go back the way you came and take a standing jump onto the lower end of the concrete ramp (where it's stable).  Hop down into the little alley, hang from the west end where you pulled up earlier and release to drop onto a slope.  Slide down into a lower area and turn left to enter a small room.  Push the floor lever to open the iron grate to your left as well as the one across the way in the west wall at the lake area.  Before leaving, push the block in the central pillar north to turn off the flames in the burner tile outside.  Exit west and turn to your right.  Run NW across the courtyard and enter the opening in the west wall near the banks of a small lake.  Go up the stairs and push the button to your right when you near the top.  The trap door lowers, giving you access to the room with the two Poseidon statues.

You still have unfinished business in the previous area, however.  Go back down the stairs and survey the lake area.  There's an underwater opening in the north wall with a closed face door at the end, which is obviously for later.  Jump into the water, swim NE to the other side and pull up onto the lowest section of the north ledge.  Turn left and stand in front of the wheel.  Look ahead and to your left and note the stairs beyond the west opening.  Pull the wheel about seven times, turn slightly to your left and take a standing jump over the wheel, followed by a running jump SW to clear the gap, dash up the stairs and turn to your right, using jumps along the way to eat up the distance faster, and use the sprint key to get past the lowering door.  You should get there in plenty of time, but try using the end key as you reach the door if the opening is too small for you to run through.

You'll slide down into a room with two flameblower tiles.  The east opening leads to another room with a closed wooden trap door in the floor.  Pull up onto a corner of the south burner tile and turn around in place.  When the flames subside, take a running jump and grab to the higher north flame blower tile.  Shimmy around two corners and pull up into a corner on the north side.  Turn around and take a standing jump and grab to the north ledge and pull up into a new outside area.  Draw weapons and wait for four SAS to come to you.  After killing them, pick up the uzi ammo dropped by one of them.  Go into the covered area west (the opening just to the right of it is presently blocked by a face door) and note the closed iron grate in the west wall.  Turn left and push the floor lever in the south alcove.  Hop back quickly twice, so that you're out of the alcove, then watch the spike ball come tumbling down and sink right down through the floor.  Re-enter the alcove and pull up into a higher passage just beyond the floor lever.  Immediately hop back down and take two more hops back as a second spike ball comes tumbling down.  When it, too, sinks into the floor, pull back up into the upper passage, turn around and take a running jump north into SECRET #5.  Pick up the large medi-pack and the grenade gun ammo, then drop back down into the alcove.

Go back outside and find that the west opening is now clear.  Enter, run up the steps and turn left to face a new area.  When you step onto the central ramp you'll trigger a spike ball that rolls back and forth over an artifact at the bottom of the trench.  Go back outside and kill the two pursuing SAS, then pause to kill a third SAS perched high up on the north wall.  Return to the spike ball trench and use one of the ledges on either side to get to the south side of the trench.  Save your game.  When the spike starts rolling back down away from you, run down to the bottom of the trench, quickly pick up the HYPOSTYLE KEY, then start back flipping like mad to avoid the returning spike ball.  Turn around at the top of the trench and go into the south passage and pick up the crossbow arrows to your right.  Reverse roll and head for the parallel north passage.  The iron grate is now conveniently open, so go back outside and return to the open doorway in the west wall.  While still in the opening, before you get to the steps, turn around and locate the overhead crawl space.  Pull up into it and turn left.  Crawl to the north end, where you'll find a TORCH.  Turn around to face south before picking it up, then toss it toward the opening.  Repeat, and the torch should now be in front of the opening.  Toss it down into the passage, then go down yourself and pick it up.  Take it outside and toss it somewhere so you'll remember where you left it.

Go counterclockwise around the periphery of the courtyard and hop up the mounds of dirt near the east wall.  When you reach the highest point, a square moss-covered flat spot, face north and take a standing jump just to the left of the highest free-standing pillar.  From here you should be able to take a slightly angled standing jump and grab that pillar.  Pull up and take a running jump north to the upper ledge where you shot an SAS earlier. When you land you alert two harpies, so turn around and deal with them.  Run along the ledge until you reach a closed face door at the south end.  Use the Hypostyle Key to open the face door, then go inside to face your next challenge.

As you turn right, you're about to enter a very unusual maze.  This maze has three levels, and you're beginning at the middle level.  I could find no pickups on this level.  Pull up to the third level when you're able, and you'll find some grenade gun ammo at the NE corner, and some crossbow arrows SE.  On the first (bottom) level I found some flares SW and a small medi-pack NE.  There's a side room near the NW corner of the bottom level, but the trick to finding it is to get as close as you can to the NW corner, pull up briefly to the second level, step forward a bit and drop back down again.  Once you get there, take the TRIDENT from the pedestal.  Get back up to the second level and find the exit at the east end. I made a brief detour through the third level to get there, but I'm not sure that was necessary.  If you're not stark raving mad from claustrophobia by this time, go around to the north end of the ledge, take a running jump to the free-standing pillar and hop down to the ground.

Go to where you left your torch, pick it up and take it with you to the south end of this area, where you pulled up earlier.  Drop the torch down the hole (stand at the edge and draw a weapon), then safety drop to the room with the two flame blower tiles and pick up your torch.  Go to the smaller east room and light the torch from the flaming torch on the wall.  Turn around and light the nearby bowl on the stand, and the trap door in the middle of the floor opens.  Jump into the water and swim down the tunnel until you see a face door that obligingly opens as you near it.  Swim forward and pull up onto the bank of the lake. 

Go to the west wall.  There's a climbable surface on the north face of the protruding ledge.  Use it to get up to the sloped ramp, then turn left and take a running jump over the top of the sloped pillar.  You can either employ the flip turn trick you used earlier, or simply slide down and jump off at the bottom of the slope to grab the now dormant burner tile.  Pull up, turn left and take a running jump to the north ledge.  Go to the other end, hang from the edge until Lara's feet find the climbing surface, and shift left until you're directly opposite the free-standing pillar in the lake.  (Jump when you're about two blocks to the right of a light gray patch on the wall, and about two blocks above it.) 

Turn around and take a running jump down to the north ledge.  Turn to your left and draw weapons to take out the SAS who comes out to challenge you.  Enter the short passage and use your Gate Key to open the door.  Run down the ramp and you'll soon come to a large room with an electrified pool down below.  There's no readily discernible way to progress, but there are invisible platforms spanning the electrified pool.  Here's the way to navigate the ghostly gauntlet.  As you step forward, you see three vertical strips in the far wall.  You're now lined up with the middle one.  Step forward to the edge, then side step to the right until you're lined up with the strip on the far right.  Hop back and take a standing jump forward to land safely on the first invisible platform.   Walk forward as far as you can go, still lined up with the far right strip, and take a running jump and grab forward to the next invisible platform.  Pull up and walk forward as far as you can.  Angle to the right so that you're facing the doorway in the north wall, then take a standing jump and grab to the last invisible platform.  Pull up and take a standing jump to the ledge in front of the north doorway.

Go inside and you'll hear the sound of giant cigar cutters all around you.  What's more, a wraith is alerted, so quickly side flip past the cutters until you locate a side room with a bird statue (near the middle portion of this area).  Once the wraith is gone, you can explore this maze-like area for a small medi-pack, some uzi ammo SE, and a room where you'll find a pedestal with a second GUARDIAN KEY.  Go back to the electrified pool south and cross over, using the invisible platforms described earlier.  Exit to the ledge above the lake and dive into the water. Pull out onto the south bank and turn right.  Go through the iron grate you opened earlier and run up the stairs.  You've already lowered the trap door at the end, so pull up into the room with the Poseidon statues. Both of these statues seem to have complete staffs, so you'll need to look elsewhere to place your trident.

Exit this room west and go up the stairs to your right just in front of the pool.  Kill the harpy awaiting you in the room at the top of the stairs, and locate the receptacles in the east wall.  Insert the two Guardian Keys to open the doors in the east wall and provide access to two pushpieces.  Save your game before proceeding due to the buggy forthcoming pushpiece puzzle. Pull out the SE piece (the one to your right) one square at a time.  In other words, don't pull it out in one continuous motion, but pause after each square.  Place this piece on the tile in the southernmost row with a diamond design.  Then go to the NE opening and move the second piece, in the same fashion, to the upper left tile (the one with the triangle design).  If the iron grate in the SW corner still doesn't open, try pulling each piece away, then replacing each one in turn onto the target tile.  When the iron grate opens, go inside the passage and push the button to open another iron grate elsewhere.

Go back out, dive into the pool below, walk out south and enter the SW opening.  The iron grate at the end of the passage is now open, so go inside and take the second TRIDENT from the pedestal.  Go back out to the pool area, run up the stairs north and return to the pushpiece puzzle room.  Step out onto the ledge overlooking the pool and go to the south end.  Face west, with your back against the wall, and jump up to grab the monkey bars.  Monkey swing west, turn right at the wall and continue toward the opening.  You'll alert a harpy before you get there, so quickly turn left, release to drop down safely inside the west open area, and draw weapons to eliminate the harpy.  Approach the two Poseidon statues west and insert your two Tridents to open the iron grate in the west wall. 

Step inside and turn right to enter a sun-spashed room with a central pedestal.  Take the GOLDEN VRAEUS and note the stained glass window in the north alcove.  Shoot it, vault up into the alcove and hop down into a short alley.  Turn left and open the trap door near the west wall.  Hop down into the hole and you'll slide down to the exit trigger.

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The Castle of the Maleficent Mask

Trinh

This is an unauthorised walkthrough by Monika Pietsch.
It has all the important pick-ups and items mentioned.
It will not contain all pick-ups, all enemies and maybe not all the secrets.
This walkthrough is meant as a guideline to get you to the end of the level, even so there might be other ways too.

Walkthrough

1.The Castle

Lara enters a room with a fountain and 4 staircases leading to openings.

Let Lara start from the east side.

East side

Turn from looking at the fountain and go to the right. Shoot vases and a box with a large medi-pack. Look for a crawlspace behind a vase. Go up and push a switch. It opens a door. Leave the room and on the grey stairs kill a metal soldier. Go past a pool and through the opened door up the wide staircase. Shoot a vase and pull a movable block. Go back past the ram on the left and enter the next area. Watch out for spikes. Find a wall switch and pull it. It will open a golden door. Shoot some vases and a box with shotgun ammo. When you enter the room with a pedestal kill a metal soldier. Shoot a vase and push a movable block and you will see the Lasersight on a pedestal on fire. Push the block onto the square opposite the pedestal and the fire will go out. Take the Lasersight.
Go back to the side with the pool and the golden door there is open now. Go up and in and take the Shotgun. Leave through another door. Use the ladder there to climb up. Pick up some flares. In this big grey room are invisible boulders. Make you way across. Near the door there is a monkey bar. Jump up and enter an opening. You find some ammo and a Secret.
In the next room you see on the left side a mesh door and next to it a slit up in the wall with a dangling ball, to the right side you see a receptacle for a cartouche.
Go down the middle. Eliminate a skeleton, push a switch and pick up the Torch.
Leave through the open door. Go back to the room where you took the Lasersight.
Move the block till the fire goes back on and light the torch.
Go to the pool again. Deposit the burning Torch there.
Go past the pool and up the stairs and down and you come to a place with electrified water, swinging chains and skeletons.
Jump to the right to find a button. Then go to the other side using a crevice. Push a button and the water will change. Turn and look up and get a Secret there.
Avoiding the swinging chains jump over to the rope. Turn and swing into the opening to get a small medi-pack. Now make you way over a burning block to a switch.
Watch out for the skeleton, eliminate it and pull the switch. This will put up an invisible block over the pool. (You can leave the movable block. There is a flame going on. Lara has to dash through starting to burn, pick up a large medi-pack and fall into the water. There is nothing else there, so it is not really worth it.)
Jump into the water and swim to the left and through an opening. You come out in the pool. Get out of the pool and pick up the burning Torch.
Go over the invisible block, light the 2 torches on the wall and take the 1/2 Cartouche from the pedestal.
Leave the Torch there. When you leave the room a metal soldier appears. Kill him.
Go to the left. Open a trapdoor and go down. Draw the pistols and shoot at the dangling ball while sliding/jumping down and also jump over the fires. This will open the door.
Pull a switch and avoid a skeleton. The water will take you to a garden area.
On the way there look down and get the Revolver.

South side
You come out in a garden, which is on the south side.
Go to the west side.

West side

There are wide stairs going up on either side to a closed door.
(behind it are 2 receptacles for Horseman’s Gem and 2 receptacles for Golden Stars)
Go up the smaller staircase on the left side, which leads to a balcony.
Go to the left side and jump over with a long running jump. You find a switch. Pull it. Make your way over to the other side and find a button switch. Kill a Golden Bird in between.
Drop down into the garden and a golden door is open. Take the UZI, ammo and a Secret.

East side

Now go back to the east side and left.
Use the ladder and cross the grey room. The boulders have stopped.
Look for the slit in the wall and use Revolver and Lasersight to shoot the dangling ball.
This will open the mesh door. Watch out for a metal soldier. Kill him and then take the 1/2 Cartouche piece. Now you have both and you can go to the receptacle.
Use the cartouche and a door opens.
You enter a mirror room with a timed door and spikes on the floor.
First make you way to the left side and collect a Secret in a crawlspace.
Then pull the switch and dash to the timed door. Watch out, behind it is a slope and fires.
When you are safely down there use a ladder to climb up.
You enter a room with a central platform and 2 Horsemen riding on it.
You have to kill them to get a Horseman’s Gem. (At least the one who drops the gem.
Was pretty hard to do and Lara had almost no health left, when it was over.)

Drop down and find a wall switch (north). This will open a mesh door with a Horseman’s Gem behind it.
Climb back up from the east. Now cross the central platform and jump over.
Use the ladder to go up and back flip. Then make your way to the opposite side towards the Horseman’s Gem. Take the Horseman’s Gem.
Make your way back to where the ladder is and there go to the left.
A door opens and lets Lara out into the fountain area.

Go to the west side and up the wide stairs. Use the 2 Horseman’s Gem. Maybe you have to kill 2 Golden Birds if you haven’t done it before.
Going through the door ends the level.


2. The Exit

When you enter the first room to the left and shoot the box 2 white wraith appear.
Run to the next room (there is a mesh door on the right) and in the corner next to a vase is a Bird Statue. After the 2 wraith have disappeared go back and take the
Gate Key. Go back to the room with the Bird Statue. Collect a small medi-pack.
Then pull a movable block. Find the UZI and some ammo. Push the block back into its original place and the mesh door will open. Go inside and take the Crossbow from the pedestal. Push a tile button switch. This opens another mesh door. Notice the trapdoor in the room with the 2 Neptune. Go past the pool and through a door on the right.
You see a room with water and blocks. Jump into the water. On the left side is an opening. You see a Bird Statue and above it is an underwater ceiling switch. Pull it. This will raise a block.
Get out of the water and jump towards the sloped block. Get up and jump forward to grab the monkey bar. Swing over to the other side and drop onto the newly raised block. When you enter the next room 2 white wraiths appear. Get into the water and swim to the Bird Statue. After that make your way back to the opening and collect a
Guardian Key. Go back to the room where you took the Crossbow of the pedestal.
In the light above is a crawlspace hidden. Go up there.
Lara comes to an outdoor area. You have to kill first one and then another 2 SAS.
Jump over the sloped block to the block on fire. Jump up and kill a SAS. Collect a small medi-pack. Find some ammo. Then go to the lower entrance. Push a switch. This opens the door out of this room and the door across in the other building.
Push a movable block. This will stop the fire on the block.
Have a look behind the door opposite and push a button to open the trapdoor in the Neptune room.
Now jump to the left side and from there over to the clog wheel. Pull it about 6 times and dash over to the other side and up the stairs and through a timed door.
(twist roll near the door)

Down there get onto the higher block with fire and jump towards the blue opening.
You enter another outdoor area. First you have to kill 4 SAS.
In the grey building in the left you see a switch. Push it and jump back and side flip to avoid a spiky ball. Trigger another spiky ball. Climb up and collect a large medi-pack and a Secret. The switch opened a door with a face on it. Go there.
Try and kill 2 SAS before you climb into the crawlspace above the entrance.
In the crawlspace you find a Torch. Take it with you. Now you see a spiky ball, which starts rolling forward and backward.
Go over to the other side of the room. Get from there the Hypostyle Key.
Run forward, pick it up and back flip out of reach of the rolling spiky ball.

Just deposit the Torch for the time being. Climb up at the north side. Kill a SAS and 2 Golden Birds. Use the Hypostyle Key and enter the labyrinth. The labyrinth is on 3 levels.
You start from the east on the middle level. Keep going towards west.
On the upper level northeast there are grenades. On the bottom level east north is a small medi-pack. On the bottom level west north is a room with a pedestal and a Trident on it.
Take the 1. Trident and make your way back towards east to find the exit.
Go and take up the Torch. Go to the hole near the fire. Drop the Torch, go down and use the Torch on the burning torch and light the burner.
This will open the trap door right there.
Jump into the water and swim till you reach the first outdoor area.
Use the climbable wall and jump over to the sloped block. From the block where there had been the fire jump to the left. Drop and grab and use the climbable wall till you reach the high block in the water. Back flip and take a running jump over.
Kill a SAS. Use the Gate Key. You come to a pool with electrified water.
Use the invisible blocks to cross over.
Start with a running jump at the 3.square from the left side. Take a standing jump and then a running jump and so on.
You enter a corridor with rotating knifes. A white wraith appears. Start to the right side and to the left. Find a room with a Bird Statue. Pick up some goodies.
More to the left side you find the 2. Guardian Key. Go through the rotating knifes back to the pool and cross it again.
When you are above the pool outside dive into it.
Use the exit on the right side, going up to the trapdoor.

Go up the stairs to the left. Up there you might have to kill a Golden Bird.
Use the 2 Guardian Keys. In each room is a tower. Pull them out onto the first square.
Pull/push the towers one square at the time.
The first tower you pull on the line where it came out of the room (2.row) and then to the left (4.row).
The second tower you pull to the left (1.row) and then pull it straight ahead (4.row on the side). Watch out, when the mesh door is open stop. Go inside and push a switch. This opens another mesh door down by the pool. Go and collect the 2. Trident.
Go back up the stairs and use the monkey bar on the left side to cross over.
Kill a Golden Bird. Use the 2 Tridents on the Neptune statues. In the next room you can take a Golden Vraeus from a pedestal.
Shoot the coloured window. In the corridor behind it is a trapdoor. Open it and going down ends the level.

Keep savegame for level 3.