Levels listed...
TR5 - 33
TR4 - 3180
TR3 - 179
TR2 - 138
TR1 - 65
73400 reviews (20.4/level)
3584 (99.7%) walkthroughs
454 Hall of Fame levels
1252 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
03-Feb-2005 |
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# of downloads: |
205 |
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average rating: |
9.11 |
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review count: |
25 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
106.00 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
nc |
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Reviewer's comments |
"The edited textures all around give this a new flavor while retaining that familiar setting, and the lighting perfectly matches the skyline for a great setting. I'm not going to lie it felt a bit tiresome on the eyes in the first few levels though, but not necessarily dark (plenty of flares and hardly a need to use them). Gameplay didn't quite grip me on either of the two sessions I needed to get through all the nine levels in this set, despite the great quantity they tend to be on the short side lasting about 20 minutes each. There were several targets to shoot in order to proceed, at first with the shotgun but soon enough we get to the lasersight. Honestly, I doubt I'd have spotted any of said targets on my own, so as usual my thanks to the walkthrough writing staff (in this case, another one by the tireless G&D duo). Worth checking for the pretty environments, they have a certain TR4-esque feel to them. 2h20min, 7 secrets. 11/22" - Treeble (20-Nov-2022) |
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"A much better, more in scale with the 4th level of the previous part, this one takes a massive turn for the better,
proposing even better looking areas, in a very varied custom with colours ranging from tenderly beige to vibrant red
and blue.
It is connected in by rather short levels, just like the previous effort, that do make the playtime clock at 3 hours,
spread amongst 9 levels, something about 30 minutes per level.
The gameplay here takes a turn towards the harder, not by any means an expert map at all, but it does at times tip its
toes into some nicely built trap sequences, there are some nice pushable block sequences, there is one that drags
for very long but luckily does not feel too overwhelming.
The pacing instead is a bit off, some areas have so much potential yet you do not really get to explore them that
much as opposed to part 1 I will say, quite especially the levels in the temples. The direction at times is also a bit
aimless, as it over relies on the player figuring out on their own what happened by the flick of a switch, I see the
builder attempting something more complex, yet I see he was yet to know how to implement that better, really:
Good ideas spread in between many levels, with many things at times left for you to understand entirely and at times
almost nothing to do.
So while it is understandably a step up from Part 1, it also tones down the nice sense of exploring it had, despite
its shortness, its positives make up for it.
Recommended, Wolfy Regards." - Wolf7 (30-Sep-2022) |
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"The first part of the Isle of the Sun
series was enjoyable enough, although I
didn't rave about it as much in my review.
This second part is a definite
improvement. The environments and textures
throughout are stunning, particularly in
the later levels, and the lighting
throughout is brilliant, in accordance
with each level (the dim lighting of the
Night Temple in particular). Music is also
well used. Gameplay could have been less
reliant on switch pulling and tedious
pushing exercises, but it is still mostly
enjoyable despite those (I did like the
raising block puzzle in Sekhmet House) and
shouldn't cause to get stuck for long as
the paths are mostly clear. A strong,
enjoyable game." - Ryan (26-Aug-2018) |
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"The best thing in this game is it pretends to be nothing special but fails the more the further you go, slowly and surely taming you with little but enchanting bits, until the last wonderful stages had me fully gripped and will stay in my memory for longer than most levels do. Sound usage is even better than in the prequel and the night level gave me a nostalgia strike like The Way of Relic did a long time ago... Well, well done." - DJ Full (05-Apr-2017) |
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"Like the first set this is Egyptian themed, with a bigger variety of
themes within that template explored. Like the first Isle of the
Sun set it generally gets better and more impressive as it goes
along, but this one starts at a higher point, and surpasses the
best of the original quite early, and the later levels have some
especially huge sights. The later parts are where it seems Tony
Tomb fully grew into his style, which culminates in his Mu sets.
The last level has some especially impressive use of colourful
textures. This is quite a bit more challenging than Tony Tomb's
earlier sets, and has some moments that are actually quite
difficult, along with more complex navigation that still maintains
a good flow. One moment with a walk-through wall seemed a
bit obscure (though I found it), but there are at least some visual
clues if you look carefully and it's on something that looks
important. The only other issue I had is the somewhat
anticlimactic ending; it hints at some sort of frantic finale and
then just ends, so I'm guessing it was a sequel hook. While one
of the most impressive visually the final level also felt oddly
sedate (though as you're technically in friendly territory I guess it
sort of makes sense). This is an excellent level set, and an
obvious step between his comparatively more shaky earlier
levels and his two Mu masterpieces." - Mman (13-Jul-2015) |
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"And so i moved on to part 2 which is yet another enjoyable adventure by Michael. We start our adventure in a rocky Canyon and Lara has to cross the border to another country but she is not alone because she will have to fight some enemies blocking her path. This adventure also get better and better the further you come into it as in part 1. Sekhmet House is definetly the real highlight of the game with its creepy atmosphere and lots of fun gameplay. The multi-lever puzzle was interesting and fun to do. The old music was implemented very well into the levels giving a certain feel to it. Gameplay was never too hard or too easy resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Thank you Michael for making such a Classic adventure." - totizedger (13-Oct-2014) |
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"Really a very huge work from this author to build several levels with an extraordinary architecture and excelent texturization. The gameplay is often confused, 'cause you must explore very huge areas finding often dead ends and retracing your steps to look for a missed item or switch. In some levels perhaps there are too switches and buttons with no puzzles, so explore carefully all corners 'cause if you miss a small target you'll be totally stucked. Also I missed more cameras when using switches so better play this adventure reading the walkthrough. The rooms are often empty of objects of furtniture, and a big part of the game is based about gymnastics and exploration, like I said. Secrets are not difficult to find, and I liked the well implemented old musics too. If you like huge doses of exploration, this is your adventure." - Jose (29-Nov-2013) |
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"I seem to be determined to play Tony Tomb's levels in the incorrect order: after starting his Passage to Mu series with part 3, I have now started his Isle of the Sun series with part 2. It doesn't seem to matter much, since the story is simple enough to follow.
On the Border/Winding Canyon: These two opening levels are fairly short, and set in somewhat boring looking canyons. There are some baddies and beetles to shoot, a few traps to avoid, and switches to find, and not much else. The pinkish lighting is rather nice, but the plain beige rock textures are very dull.
Night Temple/Sekhmet House: These two levels look significantly better than the previous two. The custom textures in deep red, gold and blue look amazing, and are set off very well by darker, night-type lighting. Gameplay mostly involves switch hunting, a couple of nice timed runs, and some block puzzles - the one in SH is especially enjoyable. There's also the cheapest of cheap tricks, a walk-through wall. I don't know what is the point of the hammer god in NT, as you can avoid triggering him entirely.
Sunken Passage: Back to a daytime (or at least twilight) setting and beige textures, but these textures are once again beautiful customized ones. As the name implies, there's a lot of swimming in this level. Plus quite a bit of backtracking, but that doesn't matter, as distances are short.
Isle of the Sun/The Halls of Kush/Temple of Het-Hert: These three levels are interconnected, as you have to return for the second half of IotS after ToHH. The looks are quite similar, with a lot more gorgeous textures, sunny outdoor courtyards, and an overall 'Catacombs'-style look and feel to the large impressive halls. There are some new enemies, especially the giant gladiator and remodelled tinmen. Gameplay is mostly enjoyable except for some rather obscure switch-based tasks in IotS and a couple of dull pushable puzzles in ToHH.
Het House: This level features a rather interesting multi-level courtyard at the entrance of the temple, but apart from some tricky yet fun jumps, there isn't a lot to do in it. The temple itself is simple though pretty. The ending is nice, albeit a bit low-key.
Overall: Though it starts off in some rather bland environments, the rest of the levelset is a visual treat. Gameplay is mostly very enjoyable, with some great jumps, traps, timed runs and puzzles. Though there are a few dull or obscure tasks, they do not really affect the overall enjoyment. The levels are very short, and progression is smooth, so I reached the end of this levelset with a bittersweet sense of it all being over too soon. Recommended." - Mytly (27-Feb-2012) |
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"It's hard for me to believe there are still some Hall of Fame levels out there I haven't played, but that's apparently the case. This one is classic old-style Egypt, and while there are relatively few enemies that I can recall, the complexity of the gameplay made me consider myself fortunate to have a walkthrough close by while I was playing. There's nothing here that I would consider particularly innovative, but the several interlocking levels provide about three and a half hours of net gaming time that will keep you engrossed throughout. The lighting is superb as well, which is something I always appreciate. It may not be Hall of Fame quality if it were to be released today, but it's a classic that deserves a look even now. High recommendations." - Phil (18-Apr-2011) |
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"Very good game !!! Nice cut scenes, good scenery, although kind've repetitive. Lots of puzzles. Interesting enemy variations. Targets to shoot - good. lots of pushing & pulling & swimming. Got lost a few times, in the underwater maze & going between levels... Generally, a very good raid !!!" - Juno Jim (02-Sep-2009) |
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"I quite like the levels in this series, I enjoyed part 1 already but I could not finish because I could not kill the final enemy. This second part is made of many levels of short or average duration, some that you will visit a couple of times and my net gaming time is of almost 4 hours. I very like the progression in this game , at first Lara adventures herself in canyons near the Sudanese border , battling soldiers and ninjas before finding the first temples. Like in the first part , gameplay and puzzles are quite easy at first then the difficulty raises a bit along the way without never being really difficult so this adventure can be enjoyed by all. Also, the setting rather dark in the first levels , turn to be brighter later on , just as the architecture becomes more impressive and texturing more appealing. Outside the fluent progression, there are many other things I have appreciated here, like the fact there are a couple of very peaceful levels , or the tasks at hand , the fun timed runs , the jumps , the puzzle with raising and pushing blocks , etc..., tasks which are never too much mind-boggling. There was a puzzle with many flipmaps that completely fooled me though. The author has made a complete adventure, and has made a good job so that objects and textures fit compeltely and harmoniously the place and the stoyline. Quite recommanded." - eRIC (20-Aug-2007) |
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"Wow, what a great adventure. This is tomb raiding at its best and I really
regard this game as one of the best custom TR games I've played thus
far. Level designing is very professional including plenty of good looking
and different kind of areas. This game has large outdoor areas, indoor
areas like ancient tombs and temples and also nature areas like desert
and canyons. I think that one of the biggest reasons for the success of
this game is the variation of the environment because it makes this game
very interesting and unforgettable. This game has also many audio tracks
any other level doesn't have which is also one of the reasons this game is
so interesting. Only minus side I found is that there are few slightly
tedious push block puzzles in this game but everything else is almost
perfect. It would be truly great to see third part for this series in future." - Samu (13-Mar-2007) |
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"Another gem from Tony tomb! In this second part of the sun serie, there are more levels (allthough short ones) and a longer experience than the first part. This adventure is packed with the authors standard features; Nice and easy gameplay, extremly well placed textures (which in my opinion is more art than ordinary textures) and the perfect atmospheric music!
The gameplay is much better in this part than in the first but what really shines is the textures and the overall music and atmosphere! My favorite part was the last stage with the complex map layout and the beautiful envoirement. Even if the author concentrates on his Mu serie these days (Just as good as these levels!) I would really like to see a third part of the sun! A great adventure that should not be missed." - QRS (11-Dec-2005) |
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"We have the goddess statue we took from the Palace of Light and now must return it to the Isle of the Sun. This sequel has nine parts. What an achievement! Again we are looking at excellently designed, textured and lighted levels with great atmosphere, and great music. It starts out reasonable enough, but becomes harder as we progress through the levels. There is a feeling of moving smothly from one area to the next, and a sense of continuation from approaching nighttime in Part 1, and here in Part 2 through
the night , the early dawn and finishing up in broad daylight. Excellently done.
On the Border: It's fairly dark already and Lara has lit a campfire. She has the statue and prepares to make her way through the rocks. Lots of climbing for Lara to do, shimmying, jumping, crawling, spike traps, and finding a scroll telling us of the danger ahead. There are ninjas and gunmen about, and doors to open, as we seem to be in the ruins of a temple in the rocks. I would have been stuck here forever if I didn't read about the moveable block, it blends so well in the rock wall. But instead of getting into a temple, we've just opened up a way through the...
Winding Canyon: Almost immediately we must pay attention to this dangerous route, sliding down to jump across a gap in the rock, only to trigger a boulder, all the time being shot at by more ninjas and gunmen. Here again
are more doors in the rocky walls to open, some interesting jumping and avoiding spike traps, being careful not to loose our footing. Lara will be back here later on, but for now we can go into the...
Night Temple: Very spooky atmosphere, and the resident ahmets are awake and in fine form; as is Sekhmet, when he laughs at our attempts to get to the artifact. He has laid devious challenging traps to stop us entering the building. Challenges right from the start, shooting a vase while sliding, to raise a trapdoor, spikes and fire emitters. I loved the timed run over some of these fire emitters with its twists and turns and climbs. Here too are well placedskeletons. Eventually I found out why that fixed camera was pointing at the wall! It was good fun pushing those blocks to find switches and opening up the whole place to claim the Hathor head. And I wasn't sure whether to laugh or worry about the large devil that showed up to hammer Lara because he's afraid of water! A short trip back to Winding Canyon brings us on to...
Sekhmet House: This guy sure doesn't like visitors. Although it's still very dark this 'house' is built around a courtyard with a pool, so at least we are in the open air. Here are more terrific jumps over fire emitters, spikes, boulder traps, and an excellent timed run. And here the skellies are guards, dressed in armour. Sekhmet teases Lara by showing her the sky gems, but as she approaches they disappear. Here is one of those great block pushing puzzles where we have to get three blocks up three tiers above to eventually raise one of them high enough to push into the top room and claim the gems. For me this was trial and error but I loved working it out myself.
Sunken Passage. The name speaks for itself. We leave Sekhmet's House via water tunnels and emerge inside another temple building at dawn. Take a look at that sky. So things are starting to brighten up. Well, the weather is anyway. Gameplay remains as challenging as before, only this time water is involved, like the pillars in a water room with fire emitters on top that we have to cross. And naturally, there are crocs here, as well as skeletons.
Isle of the Sun, sees us making our way up through an enormous temple, opening up passageways in a slightly confusing, almost maze like, set of rooms, climbing and jumping about high up where harpys attack, and low down on the ground where those colourful knights run around. Here too is a great timed run high up hopping over ledges and also crawling through an opening. All this to get a pyramid key that enables us to get into the...
Halls of Kush. And an enormous hall at that. This is a huge open air complex that has Lara high up on ledges again, looking for switches (a sneaky one to be used more than once), some swimming, swinging blades, fire emitters, a
short timed run, a very interesting monkeyswing past blades, circular blades, and meeting the resident giant gladiator. We meet his brother later on ccupying a smaller indoor room. These guys can be killed with the revolver. After about seven shots just stand there and watch them fall. Otherwise you could be firing at them forever. Or just try and ignore them if you have enough medipacks. We find a hand that lets us into the...
Temple of Het-Hert. Here is where we use all that shotgun ammo - plenty of knights and hopping about. There's a pretty obvious pot pushing puzzle, and we get to do some interesting running, jumping and rope swinging across high platforms. For one awful moment, when I saw an 'eye' tile to crack, I thought there was a bull here. Instead the tile is smashed by a rolling boulder - excellent to watch. We find a scroll, play the harp, place a sun disc and finally enter the...
House of Het, a lovely temple, basking in the daylight sunshine. Here we find the Kush artifact. So can finally return the Sun Goddess to her rightful place. In grateful thanks she gives Lara a gift and a promise in writing to
protect her as she escapes the island.
I would recommend playing Part 1 first, to get the overall feel of these levels, and to see how it all flows so freely from one part to the next. What an achievement!" - CC (30-Aug-2005) |
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"Michael's releases seem to get bigger and bigger. This set of nine levels is the sequel to the first set of Isle of the Sun levels and offers and impressive 3+ hours of net gaming that will have you fully entertained from start to finish.
On the Border/Winding Canyon/Night Temple (7/8/9/9, 20+10+20+10 min., 1+1+1+0 secrets): The rocky canyons look great and you need to make your way forward with some nice action (jumps, swims, crawls), fight off a few wasps, ninjas and guards and avoid the occasional spike trap. Later the levels turn into a very Karnak like look with skeletons and ahmets. Gameplay highlights are a few target shoots, nice boulder traps, vase shooting while sliding and rather interestingly designed timed runs.
Sekhmet House/Sunken Passage (9/8/9/9, 40+15 min., 1+1 secret): The middle part features the best gameplay with plenty of boulders, burners, spikes, more target shooting, a great timed run for the guardian key and a complex multi-lever, multi-level block puzzle which is great fun. Skeletons and Harpies are your enemies and in the Sunken passage you meet a few crocodiles, need to search for a few underwater levers and collapse a few walls and change a few water levels.
Isle of the Sun/The Halls of Kush/Temple of Het-Hert/Het House (8/8/9/10, 20+20+20+10+15 min., 0+0+1+1+0 secrets): The levels get brighter and brighter and the archiecture gets bigger, more open and the nice custom textures that have become a trademark of Michael's are more frequently applied. I really enjoyed the running and jumping around the ledges and the trick where you use a lever multiple times to achieve different things is nicely designed, but a few more cameras here could have avoided confusion. Again a timed run for a guardian key that is fun and more blades, burners, swinging axes and slicer dicers to keep the adrenalin up. The soldiers have very cool animations and the big Roman warriors are always impressive. Pushing four vases to their obvious tiles (and do that even twice) was a bit tedious but not too bad. At the end the story nicely concludes with the placement of the Sun Goddess and a scroll with the nice words and the Amulet.
Overall, a very nice series, fast paced, very good looking and not too hard. Don't miss it!" - Michael (14-Mar-2005) |
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"A superbly designed level in nine parts. Here the author has further developed his ability to create gorgeous settings while exhibiting taste and consistency. The entire level looks like all the sections relate to each other, yet many are unique settings - this is difficult to do, and rare in custom TRs. Settings such as 'Night Temple' and 'Het House' make the editor look like it is a better design tool than it really is. Gameplay is fluid and energetic, but not necessarily easy - Lara has to keep her eyes open, not only to enjoy the settings, but to look for the many subtle clues. There are many enemies at first, growing fewer but more dangerous as you progress, until there are no opponents. There is no 'boss' fight at the end, rather this one concludes with a sense of serenity and accomplishment. As far as I'm concerned, this one belongs in the Hall of Fame." - Duncan (22-Feb-2005) |
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"If, like me, you have been eagerly awaiting this sequel, you will be pleased to know that it's even better than part one.
On the Border: Night-time in the desert, how romantic. Just try not to set yourself alight by running straight into the camp fire as I did. Sigh. You soon come in out of the night air however, to do some serious jumping, crawling and generally avoiding traps inside a fortress like structure. You also need to watch out for several chaps with big guns and a ninja or two along the way, not to mention those enormous flying bugs.
Winding Canyon: Ouch, shot and bouldered at the same time - life certainly isn't boring. Finding the route isn't always immediately apparent and I enjoyed the jumping about, even if those blasted ninjas did keep shooting at my bum whilst I was climbing up things.
Night Temple: There's a nice timed run in this part - not too tight, but interesting. There are plenty of skeletons and ahmets about so you'll be glad of all the shotgun ammo you've been finding. There are some lovely rooms to admire, particularly the one with the block puzzle. After a brief return to Winding Canyon (and more ninjas), you jump and climb your way to -
Sekhmet House: After a warm welcome from a harpy, you can settle down to some exploring. There are skellies here, but by this time you should have some explosive crossbow ammo, so all you have to worry about is the boulders, spikes and fire emitters. There really are some excellent traps to get through, some of them quite challenging and all most enjoyable, plus another nice timed run and an elaborate block puzzle.
Sunken Passage: Yes, there is a bit of swimming to be done here, but there are also quite a few rooms to explore above the water line, quite a few of them with resident skeletons. I shotgunned one of them into the water, after which he was running around on the bottom swiping at me with his sword whenever I swam past. It looked really funny. After placing the portal guardian and negotiating a water maze, you get through to the next section.
Isle of the Sun: When you get a harpy and a gladiator attacking at the same time you can end up doing an awful lot of reloading, believe me. I got very stuck in this part as there is a sneaky lever that has to be used more than once. Another enjoyable, not too hard timed run gets you a guardian key and access to
The Halls of Kush: Aaaaaargh, this is where you find out why you've been acquiring so much shotgun ammo - Titans. As if they weren't sufficiently life threatening, there are also a lot of blades of various descriptions waiting to slice you to bits. There a hand of Orion to find here and plenty of jumping around on high ledges. There's also the opportunity to place one of the two night sky gems that I had honestly forgotten I had. Teflon memory strikes again.
Temple of Het-Hert: There are some particularly lovely textures in this temple, which I hope you manage to admire as there are some extremely aggressive enemies too so you may be a bit busy. I really liked the imaginative use of a boulder to smash a series of panels; it looked great. There's a scroll to obtain here and the final room where you place it is really superb. You make a brief return to Isle of the Sun to place the golden sun you just picked up and then on to the next part.
Het House: Another really lovely area and it's nice and peaceful - no enemies, but plenty of exploring to do and some nice jumps to achieve to find another golden sun, use your second night sky gem and find the final sun talisman to end this highly enjoyable set of levels.
" - Jay (22-Feb-2005) |
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"Starting quite easy this mini game will have you scratching your head before long. Everything is in it what a Tomb Raiding game should have. I loved some of the placing of the enemies, some of them did made me jump in my chair a couple of times and also some made me laugh out loud. Specially one ninja in the Winding Canyon bit. I thought that was hilarious. In here you have timed runs, is this the new fab, timed runs over quite a distance? Nice jumping, luckily not frustrating hard. Gathering all kinds of Artifact so you can travel from level to level. I loved some of the re-textured enemies and when their shields drop down with a clank - that was great to watch. Overall the textures were a sight for sore eyes and there was definitively a WOW moment entering the last level. 07-02-2005" - Gerty (21-Feb-2005) |
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"In my opinion this is Michael's best game, so far of course. It's a full and enjoyable adventure that has good puzzles, secrets that are hidden but not impossible to find, enemies that are hard to kill but not in the entire game and every level's setting is well thought of plus beautiful. The gameplay has a nice flow, I don't think people can get stuck if observant but at the same time it doesn't seem like it's too easy. Even though it wasn't possible, as the author explains in his notes, to connect part I with part II script-wise, there's still a feeling of continuation to the story in-game. The items the players will be looking for are the Sun Goddess, a hand, the portal guardian just to name a few. As for enemies well prepare to meet the hard to kill Ares in the last levels but earlier, you get ninjas, soldiers. The most atmospheric level for me was 'Night Temple', it was spooky and the trick to let the player get close to the desired artifacts but can't reach them yet was a nice touch. The timed runs in this game were designed well, not too hard for medium players, not too easy for experienced one; well maybe one was easy enough. Two levels have a second part but all of them are not very long. I guess that's the only 'bad' thing in this game, too many levels that were quite short but I guess this was due to the editor's limitations. The ending rapped up the story but left a window opened as well for the sequel. I found seven secrets and I recommend this great game." - Kristina (15-Feb-2005) |
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"Great level to play, looks terrific. I had a great time playing, the only thing that really bothered me was that nerve wrecking music later in the level, sorry but that's NO TR music, you have to put the sound down to stay sane and then you don't hear any sound FX. You have to gather various objects to get on in the game there is some nice jumping involved, the puzzles weren't too hard, but the level itself was puzzle enough as you had to explore several side ways to get things done, Found 7 Secrets." - Dutchy (14-Feb-2005) |
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"Well, maybe atmosphere wise I liked Michael's earlier offerings a bit more, but this level set surely is his best so far. The 9 levels mostly are short and simple, thus for me summing in approximately 2.5 hours of gamplay, but the not so long duration and fast progress only adds to the fun factor in this case, and so makes this a highly enjoyable and recommendable set to play. Maybe with every new level it sometimes felt like more of the same every time, so some diversity would help, but generally the tasks were good enough to keep my interest, so no real problem. Maybe just something for the builder to ponder about.
On the border - forget your passport! Lara likes to cross borders in style, even if requires some human guard sacrifices. Overall not much to do - but serves well as an intro to the rest of the series - sometimes due to the fights I wished I could've kept all the ammo from part 1, but you soon accumulate enough anyway and there are plenty of medipacks so it's not a biggy!
Winding canyon - there are actually 2 parts of this level - the first one's an action packed battle, jump and trap avoiding gauntlet, and finding your way to the night temple, after which you return back for some more action and eventually reach the next level - so generally this serves as a link between the levels around it.
Night Temple - Well, the most memorable thing for me in this level was the spooky atmosphere, the ferocious ahmets, and the moment when Lara is about to collect one of the night eyes and Sekhmet just laughs in her face, and disables the way to the valuable artefact. Pretty clever, and makes the artefact even more desirable.
Sekhmet House - some of the same laughing effects as in night temple, but this time you can outsmart Sekhmet by completing a rather clever block puzzle that also involves switches and rising blocks, and thus being able to gain the 2 valuable artifacts that are of great use much later. Overall - pretty much Night Temple, just more of it - especially atmosphere wise.
Sunken Passage - Well, as the title indicates there's water involved, but it's not overdone. As most of the levels it's pretty short, but you get some action on fiery platforms, in underwater tunnels and you get to place your not too long ago acquired portal guardian to reach your destination...
Isle of the Sun - well, it didn't feel very island-like, for me anyway, but that doesn't mean it's any less enjoyable coz of that. It actually is interconnected with Halls of Kush and Temple of Het-Hert, as I understand they were supposed to be a single level, but didn't quite make it. There's a sneaky puzzle involving levers and flipmaps, which you have to flip multiple times in order to reach new areas. I also found one of the 3 secrets I found thorough the game in here.
Halls of Kush - in the quest for the hand of orion you battle lots of gladiator warriors and centurions, the same as from the previous levels too. The level is set up cleverly and nicely, but as the others is quite a short affair.
Temple of Het-Hert - this basically involves some pot pushing, rope swinging and voila - you get a scroll, which allows you to once again play the harp and acquire a much needed artefact back in the Isle of the Sun, and that's where you're heading once done, to finally enter the last level...
House of Het - and the final level of the game - this one's actually quite peaceful, as I don't remember encountering any enemies - mostly based on jumping it though has plenty to offer to keep you interested till the end. This once again features the flip-map-sideways moving wall sectors, which have been a trademark of the author's since Cavern's of the dead release. Also again another part of the dialogue between the Goddess and Lara takes place at the end of the game and subtly implies that there could be a follow up, in case the Goddess needs help. Will there be one? We can only wait and see...
" - eTux (10-Feb-2005) |
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"I was eagerly waiting for this second part, and I was certainly not disappointed as I was making my way through this wonderful 9 part level series. As you start this adventure, the first few levels are quite easy to get though, but as you start to progress further and deeper into this adventure, things start to get that little bit more difficult and challenging. During your mission, you will avoiding many traps, dealing with some quite tight timed runs, solving some interesting puzzles, pushing some objects, and there's also a nice lever puzzle to solve too, which will help you in raising a pushable block that needs to be placed in an upper room, I found this most challenging. Making this adventure even more interesting, you will be coming across and dealing with quite a few enemies, like crocs, knights, skeletons and a few fire bolting hammer gods, which are quite lethal, so make sure you get away from them as quickly as possible, as they do take up a lot of your health, if their blue bolts hit you. There is quite a bit of exploring to do here too, as you need to collect some very important items to help and assist you in finishing this wonderful adventure. So keep a look-out for items like, The Talisman, Hand of Orion, The Golden Sun, The Night Gems, Hathor Effigy and the Ornate Handle, which you will be collecting throughout these levels, so make sure you explore well, as some of the items will only be used in later levels. In general, I loved playing this wonderful adventure, I found each level extremely exciting, most challenging with a great atmosphere as you made your way through these levels. All rooms were nicely done, textures were very well placed, and the lighting was very good, there was only one level, which was fairly dark, but this did not hinder the game-play. I found 6 of the 7 secrets along my journey, so I was very happy that I found most of them, probably one was near one of those fire bolting hammer gods, but I was in too much of a hurry to get away from him, so this could be where I had missed that last secret. This is a great adventure, and mustn't be missed, so d/load it now and I am sure you will enjoy it, as much as I did. Thank you Michael for making such a nice set of levels for us raiders to play. 07/02/2005" - Gill (08-Feb-2005) |
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"Part 2 - actually a 9 part series is a small masterpiece of its own. Lara's task is to find the amulet on the Isle of the Sun and that's not easy as there are many obstacles to master. Puzzles are easy at the start, but grow more difficult from level to level. Climbing, pushable objects, a tricky puzzle with many levers that made me sweat. Several artifacts to find too, like Golden Sun, Talisman, Hand of Orion. Enemies are skeletons, crocs, knights, especially three huge ones which you can avoid though. Textures were well applied and lighting was good. Atmosphere was ingenious, as was the overall architecture. I had a lot of fun with the gameplay as a whole." - Engelchen Lara (06-Feb-2005) |
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"This nine part series has a lot in it. Lara's tasks start easy and become more difficult with each level. Lara needs to watch out for many traps, there are puzzles with pushable objects and timed sequences. I was very impressed with the puzzles, especially the one with levers. Lara finds a few artifacts to allow for her progression. Sound and cameras are well designed - I liked this a lot. Enemies suited the levels well, especially the one from TR5. Very well done. Graphics and choice of textures was great too. Unfortunately I only found two secrets. Congratulations and Thank you for almost 6 hours of fun. I loved it!" - Navi (06-Feb-2005) |
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"How great to begin my reviewing career with such wonderful games as those I have just played! You all should feel so proud. Now to the task at hand. I love these beautifully textured canyon scenarios. There is so much to see and look for - and danger lurking with your very next step. Having found only 3 of the 7 secrets you can see that I obviously missed a lot. The puzzles are interesting and in many cases quite different from the usual - be warned that not all walls are solid and many levers have numerous functions. The music provided by Lotta and Linden deserves its own review - well done! Each level is constructed with eye-popping vistas, as you make your way to the Isle of the Sun - Het-Hert's resting place. Thank you, Michael, for a great game! I loved it. You will too." - Mugs (06-Feb-2005) |
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