Level reviews

"Another mammoth release ticked off my 2005 raidlist, and what a release it is! From the very opening flyby you can tell you're in for something special, the lighting of that area alone is enough to sell it and it never lets down, from start to finish there's this beautiful mix of blues and greens and the lighting sort of grounds it. It's hard to explain, but it's a perfect match with the skybox, creating a very enthralling environment. Some of the assets are from TR1 Peru, so that's an added bonus. It's not all ancient ruins though as you warp to different dimensions such as an industrial area (which wasn't much to my liking to be blunt but I still found the design rather ingenious, having you cover grounds both above and underneath pipelines) and a bit of a psychedelic floating islands type of level with giant mushrooms. It took me three days to get through this series but I can honestly say I longed getting home from work as soon as possible so I could delve further into this (all the while juggling Mass Effect 2 and maybe that has further enhanced the 'otherworldly' atmosphere in these levels - the audio tracks were definitely on point!). 3 hours. 5 secrets. 02/23" - Treeble

"A Masterpiece! Very elegant design, peculiar, coherent and with a strong personality, very atmospheric from the start to the end, background music not invasive: This is the kind of game I love! The gameplay is medium difficulty for me but someone could find some part a little challenging. I had to read the walkthrough only few times because it's almost always clear what you have to do. Maybe the gameplay in the central part is a little poor because of all those things hidden behind push blocks, but the rest of gameplay is so rich that I can't give less than 10 in every category. Many thanks to the builder!" - Teone

"A great game that is basically sci-fi , while proposing also exploration of mysterious ruins or a forgotten city just like Lara would do on Earth. In fact all levels have their own setting and personality, atmospherically this is excellent with the moody background audio loops. Progression is fluent most of the time, the movable blocks in the middle of the game are well concealed and a couple of other objects aren't visible enough and once again it is easy to miss the shotgun or the revolver. I enjoyed much the rather free exploration in a couple of levels , the few timed runs or the series of traps , the builder has talent to design them as both fun and 'user- friendly' There is not always a camera to show what you have activated but the progression seemed to me always logical and the level are not long nor overwhelming. With only a few features , story telling is very efficient making the game even more immersive. No need to say this was an excellent gaming experience." - eRIC

"Somehow I came to Part 3 of this series before playing the first parts, but I don't believe I've missed anything important, as there is a noticeable change in scenery between the coastal parts of the first and second and the more surrealistic atmosphere of this one. But no matter. This is another enjoyable game in many ways. The surroundings are beautiful and each have their own charm. The lighting is dark in the beginning levels, but improves as the game progresses, enabling those wonderful textures (albeit not next generation) to be shown to good advantage, and there's a nice mixture of foreboding and relatively peaceful music to nicely compliment each setting, and the atmosphere sometimes reaches greater heights in the open areas. The gameplay is generally the good old Tomb Raider stuff: lots of timed runs, shooting exercises, traps, block puzzles and torch sequences, but there's a nice variation on these regular aspects. If there are any negatives, it's having to fight the poisonous mutants in relatively enclosed spaces although I suppose you could retreat a fair distance. However, I'm looking forward to trying out the remaining parts." - Ryan

"This is great! I officially have another favourite builder, not just a fine designer but a person I would surely understand. Apart from making sense and looking good (mostly because it makes sense), this custom level teaches how to make custom levels: customize them! One flaw is a totally missable shotgun, it's one of Grand Games along with works of Christoph and Titia which also have this error." - DJ Full

"Just a word ... WHOUAAAAAO. We have discovered the first episode one Earth but now ... maybe a distant planet in a other galaxy ???? We jump certainly in one of the BEST science fiction adventure in TRLE world. Lara start after a big travel to the space in a different planet certainly far away in the sky. There are so many strange ruins and we discovered the many face of this Mu civilastion. All levels are amazing and so exiting. New techonology (teleporter ...) whis many temples and sanctuarys for a very nice mix. The gameplay is not really hard and not really dark. There are a perfect science fiction atmosphere and the news sounds are wery well. The textures are very wonderfull, we have a mix of garden, buildings, temples, islands, ... A must of the editor. Thanks a lot Michael for this incredible adventure." - BigFoot

"I have been meaning to try out this series for a while now, and I finally decided to start with Part 3, since it looked most interesting. (I assume I haven't missed much of the story by not playing Part 1/2.) That impression was fully borne out by the game, which is both fun to play and pretty to look at.
The game takes place in some sort of alien realm, but the locations of the individual levels are very diverse: ancient ruins, a factory of sorts, an alien temple or two, a forest, a surreal floating-island type place ... Most of the places are lovely, and include unique textures that are presumably created by the builder himself. The lighting is a bit dark and dull in the early levels, but gets significantly better later on. The beautiful music adds immensely to the atmosphere - I particularly loved the track that plays in Mu World Hub, and kept lingering in that level just to keep listening to it!
Despite the apparent large size of this game - 10 levels! - most of the levels are bite-sized, and gameplay is rarely too difficult, so most of the time you get the very pleasant sensation of making rapid progress. There are a few occasions when obscure elements creep in, like the builder's fondness for very well-camouflaged pushblocks, or the occasional unusual pickup like the flower puzzle pieces in Syl Mupo, where you need to refer to the walkthrough. It's also possible to miss important pickups like the revolver or lasersight early in the game, with no way of getting them later (fortunately I did manage to get them, but missed the shotgun). There are one or two bugs, like the swinging pots in Syl Mupo that remained frozen in one room, making progress nearly impossible. I am also not too pleased with the several ultra-long timed runs which involve running to places you haven't yet been, and so have no idea where to go or how long it will take to reach there. But on the other hand, I love the traps and puzzles, especially the squishy blocks in Mu Works and the push-block puzzle in Temple of the Angry God. I feel the end is a bit abrupt - surely Temple of the Angry God would have been a better climactic level (with its boss fight) than the very tranquil Walls of Mu Chaka?
On the whole, this is a great game, but it does show its age occasionally, and I found myself wondering how much prettier or cooler it would be with the use of high-res textures or certain new TRNG features. A pity the builder seems to have dropped out of the TRLE world - I'd love to see him put his creativity to work using some of the new TRLE tools. In any case, I'm glad there are several more of his levels left for me to play." - Mytly

"This is my one of my favorite level-sets of all time for atmosphere; right from the start the pack takes you to another world and keeps getting more distinct as it goes along, and every section has a unique atmosphere yet feels like part of a whole. The highlight for me are the Syl levels which take place in some sort of strange alien forest and temple-like settlement, but there are plenty of other distinct settings too, like a factory type area that manages to make great use of pinkish colours. The use of lighting in particular is some of the best there is in a TR level pack. At its best it's like getting to walk through a Roger Dean painting.
The gameplay mostly holds up to the visuals, but there are a few flaws, for instance, there's a strange habit of putting in near-invisible pushblocks with no clue at certain points (which seems to carry over from some of the author's previous pack), and the occasion element is used a little repetitively (like having to go through 3-4 rooms of swinging torches and spikes in Syl Mupo). Finally there are a few trial and error elements but they are thankfully few. Beyond that it flows well and remains challenging without going overboard, and has quite a bit of variety. A must play." - Mman

"What a great adventure, the design of each level and the work with the textures is impressive. The mystic music, the large variety of gameplay, the new enemies retextured, the missing laser sight at the end... (humm), this game is amazing, I very like the way the story progress. Congrats Tony, you are a true artist." - Jerrod

"We have travelled through a stargate, and have definitely arrived in the otherwordly realm of Mu. The strangeness becomes more and more evident as we pass through each level, getting closer and closer to our goal. There are many levels in this download, and it's easy to forget which one you are actually in, as you have a choice at times, of which level we'd like to enter. One thing for sure is that the player will be drawn into this amazing series, and become so involved, that it will almost be a shock to reach the final part after hours or days living in this fabulous world. Most of the levels are fairly short, some are more involved, but all run smoothly from one to the next. Huge areas to explore, many tasks to perform, and many objects to find, especially the Mu Chakas. It is very important to find the lasersight, revolver and crowbar where they are located, as these need to be brought through the levels, and you can't finish the game without them. Enemies are appropriate to each level, i.e. snakes in the water, green lizards in the mountains, hammergods, giant alien (who obligingly fell into a pool and left me alone), and fabulous Mu guardians running around the temples and streets. Lara will perform her full range of actions, jumps, monkeyswings, swimming, pole climbing, negotiate many different traps and dangers (of note is the excellent sliding blocks run), and perform many excellent timed runs, torch exercises and block puzzles, some of which are very well hidden in the walls. Although the theme is the same throughout, the environments change from innocent looking and pretty mountain villages surrounded by lakes, to a campsite in a forest, to floating islands, to the impressive interiors of factories and temples. Lara activates transporters to move from one area to another. I have a feeling that most players will need to consult the walkthrough at some stage, not only to find the lasersight and revolver, but also to find the almost impossible to see flower head and stem; and also that unmarked climbable wall on the metal structure. It is possible to get stuck in the siliest places, so saving is essential. Overall though this is a unique experience. The atmosphere and sounds are superb. And I can't wait to dive into the next installment." - CC

"At first I have to tell this set of levels has a great level design and it's visually stunning. It's very good that author has created a lot of different kind of areas instead of creating many similar areas because it makes this game very interesting. For example you have to explore large outdoor areas, factory kind of place, temples, ancient city areas and a floating island place as well. Gameplay and puzzles are really good too but there are two kind of bugs in this game that prevent me to give higher grades. In first level you have to pick up a crowbar which you have to use to pick up a golden star in other level. Despite the crowbar is pretty easy to find I didn't find it so I played the other level without having it. When I came back to the first level I found the crowbar so I decided to go back to the other level to pick up the golden star. The problem is that I couldn't pick up the star because on of the doors had closed and thats why I had to start the whole game from beginning again. The other bug is that in the final level there's a ball you have to shoot by using a revolver or a shotgun. If you haven't found either of the weapons earlier you are not able to continue the game. These two bugs are bad things but this game deserves still good points because everything else is done very well and the environment really looks amazing." - Samu

"I can only speculate how much time and creative effort went into the production of this masterpiece. I began with frequent grumbling because of the overall darkness, but I stuck with it for the six hours it took to make it all the way through. The lighting actually improved quite a bit near the end, and by that time the darkness was no longer an issue for me. The gameplay largely consists of collecting artifacts under hazardous conditions and going back and forth between levels to place them. Without Gerty's walkthrough I would not have made the attempt, because successful navigation requires either a phenomenal memory or meticulous notes. The enemies are not numerous, and they mostly pop out from dark corners while you're engrossed in some necessary task. I think I'll take a break with more mundane levels before tackling the fourth segment, but this is definitely a series to be savored and remembered." - Phil

"What an awesome set of levels! Delight for the eyes and hears from beginning to end. Rarely experienced such an intense and well-rendered atmosphere, in which everything participate: choice of enemies, music, visuals, settings... The gameplay is solid indeed, with a good share of tricky tasks, but never hard enough to induce frustration. This said, I found too many confusing places, especially in one of the levels (namely, Syl Mupo) and it spoiled the fun a bit by introducing a dash of boredom in an otherwise great gameplay. I also was a bit taken aback by the way the last torch challenged is designed, since if you ever lose it (the torch) before completing it, you're stuck for good... a spare one would have been nice ;). On the other end, I liked the format of many short levels, which brought diversity (since they all have their own atmosphere). All in all a master piece that shouldn't be missed by any raider out there." - Sutekh

"Another superbly designed level from this author. The piece shows a high level of design consistency while taking Lara into some very different areas. That is quite an accomplishment in itself. The gameplay is a bit languid in spots, I would have appreciated more enemies to liven things up. The level is often too dark with too few flares (flares are badly needed to find the hidden blocks), and there are far too many spike traps. I consider spike traps (especially among forests and rock formations) to be a crutch. I was fortunate to find the crowbar and revolver, but I never did find the shotgun. There are some great puzzles and timed runs, and I especially liked the invisible burners in the last section - an original and challenging bit. The floating world area with giant mushroom trees was terrific - and not at all difficult - and I loved the moving block puzzle in the Angry God temple. I found it interesting that the boss level was not at the very end. The final Walls section was quite lovely with a great torch puzzle, and made for a relaxing denouement for this piece. This is a great level that starts well and gets quite a bit better as it goes - the areas after reaching the hub are superior. The author is one of the best and we should be grateful to receive such gifts." - Duncan

"The Arrival / Old Ruins (8/8/10/9, 15+25 min., 1 secret): From the start you are instantly drawn into the intense, slightly otherwordly atmosphere, brilliantly supported by the ambience audio selection throughout the whole game. The quest begins easy enough with the search of a few levers, some mosquitoes, watersnakes and lizards as you explore caves and water areas. A few not too difficult acrobatcis and a quick use of a torch are the gameplay highlights as you collect your first Star and Shaft Key. Mu Works (9/8/10/9, 40 min., 1 secret): I really liked this part with its wonderful factory feel to it. Watch out for burners, steam and lava as you collect three cog wheels, fight a few tinmen and master an (easy) timed run, several (not so easy) squishing blocks passages and a few more jumps. Guardians of Mu (9/9/10/9, 30 min., 1 secret): Another Star and Shaft Key to be had in this section of the game. The Guardians are apparently those nicely remodeled poisonous mutants that every now and then appear behind you. Some of those push blocks in the walls are maybe a bit too well hidden, but the jumps are fun, the two timed runs not hard but creatively designed and a small boulder room also interesting. Mu World Hub / Syl / Syl Mupo (8/8/10/9, 10+15+40 min., 1 secret): Well we have definitely arrived in a different place now with teleporters and all. The scrolls you find give you a nice hint of the storyline. I am not sure I enjoyed the underwater maze area in Syl all that much but it wasn't too bad and the raising block puzzle was fun. I had to revert to the walkthrough in order to find the also maybe a bit too well hidden flower objects in Syl Mupo, but had fun with the spike ceiling, the use of the torch (twice) and the jumps in the swinging cauldron area. Enemies are ahmets, lizards, compys and nicely remodeled tinmen. Hidden Mu / Temple of the Angry God (9/9/10/9, 20+25 min., 1 secret): Ah- Floating Islands (or trees of sorts this time round) - always a pleasure to play. As you make your jumps around the place you encounter mosquitoes and very funny looking ninjas. There is another puzzle with raising blocks that is fun and a few boulder traps and push blocks again. Especially the puzzle at the start of the Temple is nice and really not hard to figure out. It all culminates in a nice boss fight area before you reach the final part... The Walls of Mu Chaka (8/8/10/9, 20 min.): Very beautiful outside setting and a great finale of the series - if it were not for the problem that I had to start it three times as I always jumped down too early with my torch in hand and then could not go back up. Quite a bit of swimming to do here and I am not entirely sure why the burner tiles had to be invisible, but those are minor gripes and I am glad there seems to be a Mu 4 coming out soon according to the announcement at the end of this part." - MichaelP

"Good work, new and well created enemies and objects, new and well adapted musics, cameras showing what to do, new and well applied textures, perhaps an ambience too much dark for my taste. But there is one thing I can't understand: in the last level 'The walls of Mu Chaca' you need revolver + lasersight to shoot an high orange ball and can continue the game (perhaps you would do it with the shotgun too) and I got this items many time ago in another levels of the set. If I missed one of this guns... how could I have finished the game? Once finished the game I read the walkthrough and you can pick up the shotgun at the beginning of the game (Old ruins), the revolver in the level 'Mu Works' and the sight in 'Guardians of Mu', all this things many time ago you really need it obligatory to can continue playing, and in the last level when you need this items I didn't read they were in any location (?). So I think this is a bad detail, strange detail for a builder with good levels builded and experience like Michael." - Jose

"The Arrival: Watch out for those little green lizard thingies, they don't half give a nasty bite and they make the most revolting noises. After a bit of exploring in the lovely starlit area, lever pushing and door opening I found myself with a choice of two ways to go, which always has me dithering, but even I had to make an executive decision eventually, so I chose: Mu Works: A large industrial area with cogwheels and a gold star to find and tin men (nicely toning in with the general metal themed decor) to fight. There are corridors full of squishy blocks to negotiate and quite a lot of fire emitters to avoid before finding the exotically named Muna Bih and taking the next route. Old Ruins: Between the voracious snakes and the submerged spikes, swimming round these parts isn't a pleasant experience. Not that climbing around in the caves and ruins is exactly peril free, what with more spikes and Tinnos wasps. Your final artefact is a Muka Bih.and you get a Mupo Bih (no, I don't know what they all mean either) on returning to Arrival before going through to: Guardians of Mu: This is a fascinating looking area, but don't spend too much time admiring the scenery or you'll fall foul of great big vicious mutants who poison you given half a chance. Grab a gold star and enjoy a really good sequence in one room, involving sliding, bouncing and flipping off poles that gets you the Mudu Bih (I think we've got the set now) a rolling ball puzzle and a tight timed run or two and, hey, we get to use the Bih thingies to access a transporter. Mu World Hub: There's a lovely mystical feel to this section - helped in no small part by some truly haunting music. Pick up two scrolls and activate two transporters and, oh no, it's decision time again. Syl/Syl Mupo: There are ahmets and compys in the forest and a killer underwater maze. The village is populated by some cleverly re-textured tin men that look like nothing I've seen before and it takes some negotiating. There's a nice timed run with added sneakiness and quite a bit of swimming to achieve among other things. Hidden Mu: It's vertigo time again. This is a really exotic, alien looking area with its multicoloured sky, strange mushroom shaped structures and floating buildings. Temple of the Angry God: Ooer, ominous title. There's a few things to do, including a really pretty block pushing puzzle, before you meet him though. And yes, he does seem extremely annoyed, but then you get to destroy his temple so I suppose he's entitled to be a bit cross. The Walls of Mu Chaka: Beautiful scenery. There's some creative jumping about to do with torch in hand to light various tiles dotted around the place. I found this the loveliest section of the whole game and that's saying something. I'm going to assume you've already played the previous Mu levels (and if not I really urge you to do so before playing this game) so you'll be expecting something special. Well you've got it." - Jay

"I liked Passage ToMu3 a lot, especially the areas you visit, the trees and the great design of the objects. Puzzles are very diverse and you need to think a lot and the traps are quite tough. Some timed sequences are added as well, but they are manageable. There are also several caves to explore and plenty of artifacts to find: stars, keys and much more. Textures were well chosen and cleanly applied. Enemies are well placed, among them aliens, clowns and lizards...and more. I liked atmosphere and sound. All in all a very good game :-)" - Engelchen Lara

"This is a huge adventure with amazing atmosphere, puzzles and music. I enjoyed every single minute of the raiding! None of the levels were hard and I only got stuck once... at the block puzzle :) I really enjoy the adventures from this author. You get the feeling that you progress all the time and you feel relaxed and get the time to really enjoy the beautiful surroundings :) I can't find anything to complain about actually. The lightning and textures are in its own class. Oh wait there is one thing.. that irritating sign about having to wait until winter to play the sequel hehe. Seriously though, this is a masterpiece and I can't wait to play part 4! All tens from me. Keep up the hard work, Michael! - 2005-08-14" - QRS

"For me this was in retrospect a rather fast pace mini game, apart from the secrets that is, as I stumbled only on one the first time around. What did strike me as funny is how in the hell some people couldn't find the crowbar as it was just there for grabs in plain sight on a floor. Some jumping gave me the feeling that I did some illegal things but they proved to be the right jumping afterwards. I have to say that I was captured from beginning to the end and I loved the use of textures and music. I played this on the Mac and the PC and on the latter it was rather dark. The places I got stuck were rather foolish afterwards as I missed a couple of underwater levers LOL. The timed runs were over quite some distance and although I am not a fan, they were luckily not too hard. There is a bit of back and fro in this game and I was glad that the puzzles weren't mind boggling. The worst part was the Floating Islands idea as I have a tremendous fear of heights and one had to do that trip 3 times. 25-07-2005" - Gerty

"Michael's latest offering follows the same example as set in the 'Isle of the Sun' series and, though has quite a lot of levels - keeps the individual levels relatively short overall adding together to a 3 hour and 13 minute play time spent here. The same as in the previous levels, though this at some point might feel like the level's not used to its full potential, the way how you swiftly move on from one level to the other gives a better feeling of progression and you feel like always discovering new things, though maybe I felt that this was lacking a climax and ended a bit too smoothly. The main puzzle aspects in these levels are timed runs and torch puzzles of whom I found quite a lot, also pushable blocks aren't a rarity here and mostly blend so well with the rest of the environment you'll be wandering around for quite a lot till you find them. The individual levels usually revolve around a main area and one or 2 of the already mentioned puzzles. I found the one in 'Syl' involving a switch and raising blocks especially clever, as the one involving all the movables in 'Temple of the Angry God' too. Though I was lucky enough not to miss any crucial items along the way, and do wonder how some could've possibly overseen the crowbar, the possibility to miss either the revolver, lasersight, crowbar and others is not a good thing for the levels, and maybe the author should've made so to say 'fool-proof' ways of preventing the players from progressing without them. But all can be found if you explore enough, so make sure you do search for them! At times I missed some helpful camera hints after activating levers too, but since the areas are relatively compact the much needed doors usually are very close-by. The music as usually is wonderful - hypnotic and original adding a very mystical atmosphere the looks couldn't on their own. While speaking of the looks- generally they're great, yet more sophisticated lighting at thorough the game would've helped, but it's actually quite minor here. On the whole - very original looking, excellently paced, maybe some of the environments and ideas underused, but nonetheless an excellent level series to play - can't wait till part 4 comes out!" - eTux

"Another very good level by Tony! I really enjoyed playing it, even if sometimes I was almost giving up for being quite difficult...but with some patience I succeeded, even if I didn't find all the secrets. Puzzles will take you some time, they're quite complex, enemies are hard to kill, and one is only to be avoided, is invincible! Objects and secrets are quite original and nice. Atmosphere, sound and camera are perfectly created, a flyby almost always helps you to find your path. Lighting is very well done and textures too, I didn't find any bug or big mistake...The gameplay is smooth and so enjoyable! Keep creating, Tony!" - Glow

"The level of excellence with which these games are being produced is remarkable and Michael's Passage to Mu 3 is no exception. Each level of this Mu series is fun, challenging, and a wonder to explore! Michael has included many favorite elements: timed runs, sliding blocks that swing into motion so fast that I was caught off guard more than once, spike traps galore, interesting block puzzles, some tough water mazes with triggers that raise and lower blocks in your path, and torch puzzles. The gameplay has great continuity as you travel from level to level and the setting of each is unique and fascinating. What an imagination! Michael also offers you a variety of enemies to deal with, including the return of those bizzarre clown-like aliens. I loved it - and look forward to Mu 4 which Michael has promised is coming in the winter!" - Mugs

"What an amazing set of levels, which I can only give top marks for as I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this and anxiously await the next set. One big specialty with these levels is each one is so very different, which means a fantastic array of beautiful environments lay ahead of you. Audios have been added for that extra special touch, and they really made the atmosphere perfect. There's a hub level to begin with which is dark, but has to be so to create the atmosphere of this wonderful night setting in an outside world, there are however, plenty of flares. Enemies are Tinnos wasps and little dragons, and in this short hub level you have to find the crowbar, some ammo, and the levers to open the way to the next two levels. You now have a choice of which way to go. Mu Works or Old Ruins. Mu Works You will enter the heavy metal surroundings of this eerie place, and will have to negotiate jumps around metal structures, with lethal lava pools below, and fire hazards will hinder your way. Collect a cog wheel to open the way to a new area, then find tin men are lurking to make life more difficult. Crashing walls, more fire hazards and lava pools await Lara, and another cog wheel must be found, plus that all important gold star. There will also be the first of four, Bih symbols to collect at the end of the level. Old Ruins This was great fun; I loved the caves and dangerous water jumps. Little dragons and Tinnos wasps appear again, plus one very quick water snake rears its ugly head. You will be finding the 2nd gold star here, and again, collecting a Bih symbol at the end of the level. There's some wonderful jumping in a spike trapped cave, then you move on to a lever exploration in a deep dark cave! The torch will also be used here, and a dangerous crossing over some fire pillars to leave. Guardians of Mu This is a fantastic level, in which you grab a gold star before you even start your journey. Think that makes things simple? Well no, the fun has just begun as a large alien arrives to greet you. There are some sneaky hidden blocks to find, and then you head down into the deadly green floor basements. Some nice jumps ahead and another sneaky move later, you arrive in a massive slope jump room with a deadly green floor. There are some balls to shoot as you make your way up to a central structure to get your final Bih symbol. Some fabulous boulder escapes to do here, plus a nice timed run and a small block puzzle, while keeping your eyes peeled for more aliens; they really do give me the creeps! Mu World Hub In this hub level, you will be opening up two portals to start with, then after returning from both new worlds with two Mu Masks, you will open the portal to the final level. Again, you can choose which level to take first, and two scrolls will tell a story. Even this hub level is exciting stuff. Hidden blocks and levers, and a fabulously constructed central tower to climb with pick ups scattered about, made this a really nice place to be, plus it had the most wonderfully peaceful atmosphere to it. Hidden Mu - South portal Floating mushroom type islands will take you up to find a key to enter the high temple area. Tinnos wasps are lurking outside and clown enemies await you in the temple. There's a nice jumpy block rising session in a lava room and a boulder trap will hinder your way. Now grab another key and gold star and you can enter the next level in this north portal area. Temple of the Angry Gods This is a small level with a nice block puzzle to start with, to open up the way to an inner temple. Clowns will be waiting for you here, so watch out as they sneak up when you least expect it. There are some nice jumps to get to levers and make your way higher into the temple. There's a key to find, plus the vital Mu Chaka Idol pickup. A fabulous timed run over deadly green floored pits will lead you to another gold star pick up. Then, when you think it's all over, you will have to face more boulder traps to get back to the main area. Now you can meet the untouchable big guy, he's a sort of large alien type hammer god, but he fires lightening bolts and causes a lot of damage while you try to make your way around the room. Also clowns are still lurking, and you'll have some balls to shoot before you can reach your 1st Mu mask and hurry away with it. Syl- North Portal This is a weird jungle area, with beasts and tiny dinos. There's a trip below the trees; very spooky and very dangerous. Then you will tackle an under water maze with levers to open up the next tunnel and a door outside. Next, take a trip up to a higher temple room to find the Ancient key, and then tackle a small wall block/lever puzzle to get up to the higher areas and into the next level. Syl Mupo Laden with traps, and nasty little men dressed as gardeners, this little village/temple area was really fabulous. It's quite a large level to explore, and you'll have to find the flower stalk and flower head, plus a key and of course the 2nd Mu Mask. I loved the caves and jumps over deadly spike pits, and the swinging pot area was great fun having them going in all directions to test your skills to the limit. There's also a timed spike wall trap, and a nifty little timed run to do. It's all good! You will use the torch and finally make your way back to the Mu World Hub and to the final level. The walls of Mu Chaka This was really beautiful. An oriental type setting, with a central pool which you have to make your way around with the torch lighting fires to open a door. There's a key to find, a small lever puzzle, and an invisible ledge room. You can finally place your Mu Chaka and leave these wonderful levels now and hopefully with all five secrets. I hope I gave these levels the justice they deserve, how can you say so much in one review? I tried hard, but there is still so much to see and do. This was a beautiful set of levels and a top class adventure that I didn't want to end. Thank you, Michael for such a fantastic game." - Moonpooka

"It doesn't look like it at first but this game is huge, unnecessarily huge if you ask me. Some of the levels contain about a task or two and maybe for technical reasons the game had to be split but the sense I got was that it was too long without the necessary puzzles to 'fill' it. The areas are well textured with the appropriate object placement giving the player the atmosphere the author wanted but most of it is too dark for my liking. The levels I liked most, design-wise, were from the teleporters level and after. To tell you the truth up until then I was a little bored and was thinking to leave it for another time but then it got interesting. The mushroom-like rocks were nicely done and I was surprised to see a wolf but then again Lara was in a small forest. The items needed are stars, keys and a few artifacts along with one I never got to use which was a secret. Unfortunately there are serious problems in this game, like items that are important for progression can be missed. There's the crowbar that without it you can't finish the game because you can't pry the stars, then there's the revolver and the laser-sight. Fortunately you can go around the problem with the revolver and laser-sight even though you shouldn't have to, since you can shoot the balls in the room with the slopes with the pistols. Same goes for the ball that is near the end because you can grab the invisible blocks and reach the higher level without a problem. Also there is an illegal jump you can do and reach an area sooner which can confuse the player and it's only for experienced raiders to accomplish but it won't stop you from finishing the game. I had one more problem that was really annoying in the area with the swinging fire pots and a switch I had to use. The first time I went through it some of them pots, especially the three at the room with the switch, weren't moving which made it very difficult for Lara to jump on the blocks she had to due to the fact that it was like a block was around them and was preventing her from doing so. Reloading wasn't able to solve the problem so I had to repeat a part of the game which did the trick. Another trap that didn't work well was in the room with the spike wall coming down from the ceiling. It seems that you can pass that area very easily, just stand under the alcove at the entrance, after triggering the spike wall and wait until it disappears. Then you have all the time in the world to use the three switches. As for the puzzles they weren't challenging in my opinion and in fact I expected more from the author after his last level so I was disappointed to see that there was no challenge or something we haven't seen before. The moving blocks are overused from a level after and you get the feeling that all you do is push and pull a block. The gardeners were great, so was the level they were in. One task close to a challenge but not quite, was the raising blocks with the switches room and the weird looking men walking even on deadly surfaces in order to hurt Lara. Another area I liked was the one with the torch puzzle and the big pool that was again near the end. The thing I hated it was all the jumps onto the metal structures and all the up and down in that level. I found three secrets and took me a lot of time to finish this, a bit less than four and a half hours. The message at the end informs us that the fourth part will be available around winter 2005 and hopefully it won't have any impossible situations for the players to get into. I'd say it's an adventure worth taking a look at." - Kristina