Level reviews

"Nothing too christmassy here except the outdoors and the house (which looks a bit empty). Other than that, this level is about going through a lot of underground dark passages while killing guards and such. Also a few clever pushblock puzzles, but I think it could've been better." - alan

"Im sorry to say it was more like tedious christmas than terror christmas for me, yes theres a variety of environments ranging from icy caves to indoor industrial areas and a indoor mansion looking area but the gameplay was so just boring, block puzzle after block puzzle, hidden switch after hidden switch, opening door after door, theres a lot of running around backtracking, monkey climbing and climbing as well in fact too much in some areas. theres some hammer traps and some enemies to contend with to add a bit more to the level but im sorry to say the gameplay was dull and especially the industrial areas looked as dull as they were to play. its very well made in terms of layout, construction and textures wise but its a shame there wasnt anything fun or interesting to do" - John

"I am determined to power through all custom TR3 (and later, TR5) levels, so this means going through some levels I wasn't too fond back when they were first released. Upon firing this one up today, I immediately remembered why I never made it too far: from the get go you get about half a dozen different paths to choose from, a lever which apparently doesn't do anything (no camera clue as it operates a door you haven't seen yet) and then as I went back and forth I gave up. This time around, I decided to follow the available walkthrough down to the last comma, and I'm glad I did. Turns out what I had missed was not one, but two nearly invisible brown levers on brown walls. Every time I tried to go "off walkthrough" I'd soon realize I missed another lever or button elsewhere, so it's in your best interest to keep it at hand. This also prevented me the inevitable frustration from the ice maze and also the one room with what might have been 15 or so pushblocks. That's not even a puzzle, it's a test of patience (which I happily cheated my way past). On the plus side, the environments are generally well crafted and nicely textured. The level is a blend of a variety of environments, and the transition is done seamlessly, and lastly, bonus points for making use of a Sophia baddie. It's never as elaborate as the original encounters, but at least the TR3 engine works in her favor... 50 minutes, 2 secrets. 12/19" - Treeble

"Terror, yes. Christmas, not so much. Lara encounters Natla (or was it Sophia?) a few times in this adventure, so this isn't really an Advent level. It's also somewhat tedious in sections with a lot of block pushing, thumper avoidance and backtracking from point A to point B. Lara's Mansion also makes an appearance, but that only served to prolong the game time unnecessarily, in my opinion. Textures and lighting aren't bad, but very bland in places, and this was nothing more than a disappointment for me and didn't really come across as being festive in any way." - Ryan

"Create such a long level in only 9 days? It's very meritorious. Again, the same style from this builder, the puzzles are limited to move some crates and the remaining gameplay is always the same: pull a switch, pull another switch, and pull more switches or look for keys. In that sense, the last part of the game in the mansion was very tedious and boring. Also he could though about place antitriggers for the thumpers so players don't need to hear that nasty sound a very long time in the area with many moveable crates. Correct use of cameras and sounds, enough ammo for the shotgun, secrets not hard to find, the best was the good texturization, but I missed a lot some packs of flares. Playable." - Jose

"It takes more to create a Xmas level than simply bunging in a Tree and a few presents(and,for the matter of that,placing three Natla's in order to create a feeling of terror).Although starting reasonably well in a convincingly chilly mountainous clime,everything becomes very drab and irritating disappointingly quickly - due in part to large amounts of retracing of steps;dreary block pushing exercises;and the aforementioned Natla encounters,which are often very buggy (if she starts running in circles,you're stuck for good;as an invisible barrier surrounds her and makes it impossible to run into adjacent corridors).The unexpected appearance of Lara's Mansion was a potentially intriguing concept,but absolutely nothing was done with the gameplay potential.Although enemies are neatly placed,there is an overuse of loudly thumping hammers;and the lighting is bland throughout.Textures have been placed decently,and cameras are always helpful - but this is an overlong and soulless adventure,and is as festive as a damp Halibut." - Orbit Dream

"While starting out harmlessly enough in a locale reminiscent of the 'Fool's Gold' and 'Cold War' levels from TR2 Gold, it only starts to go downhill from there, as things quickly begin to get increasingly uninspired the further you progress into the level. Gameplay is generally average(involving quite a bit of block pushing, backtracking and enemy encounters), lighting is consistently flat throughout, overall atmosphere is passable and finally, enemy and object choices(while not too overly inspired), at the very least serve their purpose sufficiently enough. In conclusion, despite some decently applied texturing and ambiance choices however, this is unfortunately another release that doesn't really evoke a Christmas feeling(despite being under the Xmas level category), nor does it necessarily have any creepy moments to fill in the terror part of its title either. Personally, I didn't have much fun with this one at the end of the day. But if you're a newbie still willing to give this release a shot regardless, then by all means, I'd recommend approaching this one with caution." - Ceamonks890

"After some rather negative encounters with recently played levels this one, although far from being good, felt quite relaxing in comparison. The first thing I've noticed was the builder cared for decent application of textures and although the lighting was rather flat in most rooms, I liked the mix of various TR themes put together into one level, enhanced by the detailed architecture of several rooms. The gameplay is never really gripping and consisting of quite a few backtracks and several pushblock exercises, of which one is definately too large and random for its own good, but the exploration was decent enough to have some fun in this level. I must say that towards the end, things become extremely uninspired, with a fairly flat looking mansion to explore for nothing but a dozen of switches, and the finale was rather unsatisfying, although the exploding TV was kind of a nice detail. - A modestly interesting but clean looking level, lasting 50 minutes for me." - manarch2

"This starts off with a sort of frozen caverns cum Tibet level and ends with a version of Lara's mansion. The level's called 'Terror Christmas' but, apart from a Christmas tree and some 'Natlas' there was little of either. A lot of back and forth, then push a lot of boxes about, more back and forth and then more boxes, and yet more boxes. Lots of pickups, especially with the secrets, help deal with the baddies. Many of the switches that could have been timed, weren't and there was no or little agility. The first part, in the caverns, wasn't too bad to play (except for the endless boxes) bit the last part in the mansion was almost pure 'find a switch to open a door to find a switch.....', somewhat tedious. If you like pushing boxes about then this is for you." - Diz

"Ouch... After a very promising beginning, resembling icy parts of TR2, one is thrown into series of pushables and thumpers. It takes half of the game to pass them. And we often have to backtrack through still active traps. Wrong. Meanwhile, it appears action takes its place in frozen Venice. However, this Venice comprises of 3-4 buildings. After evading bolts of 2 immortal bosses (Sophias), solving MORE pushables and negotiating MORE thumpers, we realize some Save Gems were placed where it weren't necessary at all, and now, when we really need them, there is no sign of them. After an hour of playing, a little bit terrifying truth is revealed: one of these Venetian houses we need to enter... is a modified Lara's home. Finally, in its basement, we encounter one more Sophia. And the game is over. After thinking for a while, I decided to give 1 point for secrets (2 golden roses - if I understand David's readme correctly, there is no 3rd one) and 2 for objects, especially for a really nice TV set connected to a door with some wires (in a purpose of opening that door, one has to destroy the TV by placing a certain key o.O). Only 1 point for enemies due to annoying Sophias, and 1 for atmosphere (all in all, Tibet mixed with Venice is a kind of smart idea). Lighting does not disturb, but the author seldom adjusts it, so I consider it "acceptable" only (2 points). Textures are taken from at least three different wads, and even if David didn't manage to make complete harmony of them, it can be seen he succeeded in some parts of the game, e.g. when we see the Venetian houses covered in himalayan snow, or descend from the manor ground floor into the industrially-themed basement. I see some effort put in execution of this idea, so I give 3 points ("good") +1 extra because I appreciate and like such way of creation. I also think this game deserves 2 points for sound - we can hear few samples only, but they are well applied. SUMMARY: Downhill throughout the whole level, with a finale so disappointing You would never expect. TV destruction doesn't help at all. The game can be recommended only if one wants to see a miniature of different places mixed together, but honestly, it won't satisfy any true raider. It is simply boring, so it can be skipped." - DJ Full

"Not necessarily a level title that would attract the average raider, but there is actually very little terror and very little Christmas here. It starts out as a fairly promising Tibet or Russia adventure in icy caves, with a few blocks to push and a few guards to kill and some good back and forth between areas. There are two secrets and you run into Natla three times along the way, but can fairly easily evade her green bolts. You also get a few of those stompers to maneuvre past and it all moves swiftly along until it takes a bit of a wrong turn and tranistions into a boring Manor level for the last few minutes of the hour long play. Would have been better without that last bit, I think, but still a rather decent TR3 level to have a look at." - MichaelP

"We are on icy, snowy landscapes, caves, bases, and castle. Neccessary to find the moveable blocks too. We have to fight with baddies, dogs. And we will meet with the immortal Sophia three times. We have to find keys and switches. Textures are varied. From the three secrets I found two. It was a great adventure, I can suggest for everyone, would be fit for a main game too." - Obig

"At the outset this has good texturing and design that convince of an arctic landscape. Sometimes there is a deep blue sky and luminous snowflakes. There are often two choices as to which route to take (one leads to a locked door, one leads to a key), so a player has a fifty percent chance of being right. I was always wrong, and had to double back. Lara occasionally meets up with the laughing and invulnerable Natla. Most push blocks are obvious crates, but sometimes push blocks are disguised as part of brick masonry, and aren't easy to spot. I began to tire during a sort of base with industrial thumpers making an annoying racket, and an exhausting bunch of crates to move. Dead tired, Lara reaches a house with a Christmas tree--up to this point the level hadn't been very Christmasy. This could have been a nice ending, with holiday rooms to explore, but instead the house is the least developed and convincing part of the level. It is muddled with industrial warehouses and thumpers all mixed up with the house. The layout makes no sense. This is an arctic level, yet the only frigid water that inflicts damage on Lara is the indoor pool. There is a final empty encounter with Natla. The whole ending is a missed opportunity for a resolution." - dmdibl

"If you like pushing blocks this is the level for you. After pushing and pulling half a million of them (and shooting the one or other bad guy by the way) I was rather annoyed. Not to mention the overdose of bumping hammers. So meeting Natla on my way was a welcome change. The house you finally get to holds nothing of interest besides a lot of running around inside (and outside in a maze) on the search for switches, and then running back for the according doors. Finally you have to manage a tricky jump onto a barbed wired ledge, with Natla again complicating matters. Texturing throughout is carefully done, but lacking in variety, so the rooms look all the same more or less, especially inside the house. I needed 1'50" to finish." - Jerry