Reviewer's comments |
"One of the first multi-level adventures released on TRLE and a definite first for a new
outfit that Lara is sporting! great fun. This 3 level trilogy takes you through a few tombs
and a town. The level design, textures and lighting are not anything to write home about but
they keep you focused on where to go and how to get there in a linear fashion which
personally I have always preferred. The puzzles are the standard ones but keep you engaged,
its a definite nostalgia trip for when the level editor was first released on what was
considered an 8+ level, looking at it through standard Lara Goggles however, means it now
falls a few points below that, definitely worth a play though!" - ColeMoles (22-Aug-2024) |
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"A levelset consisting of 3 levels. In the first one Lara is in the
catacombs. There are spike traps, deadly tiles with fire, boulders,
skeletons and puzzle items to find. Also some tricky jumps from
rope to rope and that was very difficult because sometimes Lara
swung to the side and not precisely to the front. In the next one,
Lara is in a coastal environment, wearing a different outfit. In this
one enemies are crocodiles and wild pigs. We must find a crowbar
in order to pry off some stars. There are boulders, spikes and fire
as well. There's the puzzle with the torch to burn a rope and let a
rock fall. And in the last level Lara is back to the catacombs, and
here she'll find the artefact she's looking for: the music scroll. This
one is a bit longer with various puzzles as moving pillars, opening
doors, a little labyrinth, more stars and puzzle items to find. It's a
nice set of levels, not too difficult. Recommended." - alan (16-Dec-2017) |
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"This is quite accomplished for an early
work and from one of the mostly
accomplished builders out there. There's
not many bells and whistles here, but this
stands up very well as an entertaining
journey in a pleasing catacombs
environment. Mostly, it should be quite
accessible to lots of raiders out there,
but there is the occasional tough bit: the
tricky jump to the ropes and the sneaky
spike traps. The mural depicting Alexander
the Great's battle was a nice touch,
though and this is recommended for
everyone." - Ryan (31-Oct-2017) |
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"This substantial adventure was one of the very first
multi-level releases,and it still presents a considerable
gameplay challenge all these years later.Although some of
the outdoor design betrays an early work (especially the
ease with which the end-of-the-world can be reached)the
adventure has a directness and flow of gameplay,which
carries it swiftly along throughout it's two hour
duration;only faltering when it resorts to the occasional
cheap trick - the crawl-through maze;or the unreasonably
nasty jump to the first rope.Most of the time,however,the
progression was well thought through and linear.Texturing
was generally very decent,although the builder was
clearly unsure about the complexities of lighting:one
moment you have a room with inexplicably pitch-black
corners;the next,a heavy blinding mist obscures
everything for no particularly obvious reason.Rolling
boulders were occasionally placed a little too
sneakily,but there was always something exciting
happening to keep you on your toes.The ending could have
been realised a little better,as it seemed a touch too
abrupt;but overall,this three-level adventure clearly
showed all the signs of a great builder in the making." - Orbit Dream (03-Feb-2017) |
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"A good level. Very nice to play. Maybe certain slightly too
big places but altogether a pleasure to play it. Not too
difficult, nor too easy. Every place to go is logical, we
do not look too long when to go when we lower a lever.The
enemies are scattered, there is not everywhere and who
prevents you from passing.
Altogether I liked playing it." - LolauMylenium (22-Jan-2016) |
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"This is classic raiding in a catacomb/coastal environment. I particularly enjoyed the middle section of this three parter, set in a pretty little coastal village. It's well made and the titular tomb is magnificent with its beautiful wall fresco. Gameplay is varied, with enjoyable tasks to achieve. It's fairly linear and should be readily achievable by most players. I'd recommend this either for newish players wanting to stretch themselves a bit or experienced players looking for a fun, traditional game with a gentler feel than some of the newer levels. A good all rounder." - Jay (15-Jul-2015) |
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"A nicely routed, climatic catacomb setting with lots of vases to shatter and skeleton heads to bash, also including some mummies and beetles to avoid. Texturing varies from really efficient in larger sections to monotonous and stretched in joining corridors. The same goes for the lighting, but the whole place feels really cryptic like a deeply hidden tomb, so it kept me hidden away from the rest of the world, a great experience despite of throwing countless switches and collecting/placing numerous pickups on my way through. What really disturbs though are missing wad sounds - it's a pity the author didn't know how to fix them. I also wished the obligatory crossbow maze rampage could last for a bit longer - it's always nice to run around with the weapon drawn, expecting a danger behind every corner. SUMMARY: Has a lot of unpolishment, but can be really immersive to a catacomb fan. If the author cared equally about every place built, my ratings would be much higher." - DJ Full (11-Sep-2014) |
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"One of the first adventure I played and finished.
Everything in this game is beautiful (the palace, the beach, the little town and of course the big picture of Alexander).
The gameplay is very good, not too hard, not to easy.
I really enjoy the lighting, the game is not too dark.
The author just use coastal and catacomb wads and the result is wonderful.
To conclude, an exellent adventure as well the eidos catacombs levels.
Thanks Miss Kroft.
Bigfoot" - BigFoot (26-Nov-2011) |
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"I recently directed Shandroid's attention to an older level that she played and enjoyed (judging from her review), and she's returned the favor by playing and reviewing this oldie but goodie that I had somehow missed along the way. It's raiding in the grand old style, and I enjoyed myself immensely. Dutchy's walkthrough was very helpful, too, and the lighting--the first attribute I notice these days--was very well done. You get three levels that will take you about an hour and a half to complete. There's nothing innovative here, and nothing that really stands out in my memory, other than the fact that it was a fun romp from start to finish. One could hardly ask for more. Highly recommended." - Phil (28-Sep-2008) |
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"I never did play this level when it came out, or when I started playing TR levels. This level, like many of Miss K's levels can stand the test of time. We are all pretty spoiled now with the development of TREP, however, it this level proves that it isn't necessary for a level to be great. I thought Miss K did a super job with gameplay, which wasn't too difficult. I especially liked the forgotten distict of Alexandria and the tomb itself. The rooms here weren't as spectacular as the ones in Assuan, but the adventure was just as fun." - Shandroid (04-Sep-2008) |
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"An entertainig set of catacomb/coastal levels. Not very difficult to play, sometimes you'll have to go back for a missed item, but not too far. You'll have to deal with the skeletons only with your shotgun, except at the very end, and there are a lot of traps and easy puzzles to keep your interest till the end. First levels are short but last level with Alexander's tomb is more long and complex. Don't you wait for extraordinary features, but for a nice time for fun." - Jose (29-Nov-2007) |
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"This is a set of three levels that are based very strongly on the tr4 alexandria levels. I enjoyed playing through them quite a bit, and although the wads and textures were very simple and taken from the original tr4 game, it was still a lovely experience.
I decided to give 8 points for gameplay and puzzles. The gameplay overall is very good, yet it drags at certain stages and becomes quite repetitive. going through the crawlspace maze was quite tedious and annoying, especially whilst being chased by scarabs, yet it was a nice idea to have flame emitters being triggered and anti-triggered at the same time to block off certain areas or allow access to them. Also, a number of times jumping at swingable ropes was VERY tedious and not such a highlight. In the second level the traps and darts were placed very nicely and it was an enjoyable challenge dodging past them.
For the second category I gave 6 points. The enemy placement is quite good, and the builder makes the best use of the enemies that the wads provide. Yet, i did feel that some of the pickup items were scattered around the place a bit to openly, and a bit too many pickups were provided I think. Also, most of all the reason why the points are lower for this category is because the same puzzle items are repeated and repeated (often times evne in the same level) over and over again, and this took away from a bit of the creative feel to the way puzzles were setup in the level. Also, I think the builder could have maybe taken the time to customize the puzzle item names in the inventory - especially the "Music Scroll" which wich was meant to be a "Scroll to Aristotle" I think.
The atmostphere was quite okay in these levels - almost identical to the tr4 alexandria levels. The sound was good aswell, and the custom audio track at the end when entering Alexander's tomb was quite nice. However I do think the german track congratulating the player at the end of the level was a bit odd and out of place. Also, the camera usage could have been better aswell I think. Most of the time I would flick a switch or use a puzzle item, and a simple stationary camera could have been used showing what this just acomplished. Instead, far too many flyby cameras were used, that rarely helped, and also weren't executed too nicely and timed with the audio.
The lighting is fairly alright in these levels, and gets much better as they progress. It creates a good atmostphere, and the only thing I disliked about it were the few random shadow bulbs that were thrown about. The texturing was also very nice, and almost flawless, with the exception of a few stretched textures here and there. The final custom texture of Alexander's battle was also a very nice touch.
All in all this was quite a lovely set of three levels, and with the exception of a few slight annoyances mentioned above, I did quite enjoy playing this." - Sethian (06-Aug-2006) |
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"For its time this was quite a nice Catacomb/Coastal level set, with plenty of fun to be had.
Unfortunately there were also plenty of crawls and monkey swings which dented my fun
a bit when I played it back in April '02. You get to meet all the usual suspects like skellies,
mummies, crocs & beetles, and there are a variety of objects to be found such as Pharos
Knots, Pillars, and the Portal Guardian. I think it was a bit unfair to have things attack you
during flybys and I was thoroughly sick of the sight of beetles way before reaching the
end! The Catacomb levels look great although there were the odd glaringly incorrect
textures, but these didn't detract from the appearance most times. I found the darkness in
the rope-swing room quite unnecessary, especially as most areas are adequately lit
which made it somewhat incongruous. In the second level I don't think enough was made
of the outdoor Coastal areas, and I was very glad to see the last of the boulders! I
particularly liked the large 'open maze' room where it would be so easy to jump over the
walls, except you can't, which raised the tension as you could see the skellies roaming
around! But although I'm not a great Catacombs fan I did enjoy these levels and I ended
up with 2 secrets and the Music Scroll as a souvenir." - MacRaider (25-Nov-2005) |
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"This adventure consists of 3 solid levels. First we have a tomb, then an outside level and then back inside again :) What I like most with these levels are how beautiful they are! Monika sure knows how to put her art in place. Not a hard 3 level pack but I enjoyed every minute of it. The secrets were not hard to find but well placed. I could have managed without these damn beetles though :) Overall a great 3 level adventure and I'm really recommending this to all classic tombraider fans out there. 2005-05-29" - QRS (31-May-2005) |
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"What an amazing adventure! The only thing I am regret is that I just played this level and it's been available for YEARS! If you didn't play it yet don't be a fool such as myself download it and play it right now - this game captures the TR feel perfectly. Byzantine Palace (35 minutes): This was really great. The level was not hard but it wasn't a piece of cake either. It was pretty straightforward however I will tell you there's one damned difficult rope swing to master here. And you need to do it at least twice! Then later you get to a small pseudo maze which I must say was pretty original and worked pretty fine with the level. It's one of the few levels that use the Catacomb wad which I actually enjoyed playing. The atmosphere is nicely crafted and the texturization never lets the level down. Forgotten District Of Alexandria (20 minutes): Lara's out of the tombs to take some fresh air in this coastal crossing level. Gameplay was rather simple mainly around looking for the puzzle elements to open doors and proceed. There was one puzzle though which I didn't solve actually. There's a slight variation of the mirror puzzle here where instead of avoiding spike/fire pits you have to avoid falling boulders however I didn't have a clear clue of the safe places so I simply ran all around the room dropping all those balls - well it worked like a charm (lol) Necropolis (50 minutes): And it all gets you here... Alexander's Tomb itself and oh my what a level. This is what Tomb Raiding is all about! Several traps and an army of undead are waiting anyone who dares to disturb them - after all this is a necropolis! The final rooms were just brilliant with great textures although the whole level has an awesome look. There was a little maze with a closed door I couldn't get to open but then I finally found a way to the outside where the game ended." - Treeble (11-Apr-2004) |
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"Miss Kroft has shown us in 2001 with Tomb of Alexander how to make a good ambience. If we think how long it is since then - we have to recognize that she was always building with quality. Textures light and shadows and the rooms are very good. Different enemies are there - crocodiles bugs skeletons rolling balls spikes firetraps and others...Landscape is well done to enjoy a lot. Naturally the progress of Miss Kroft in her later works shows us that she is interested in the material - and gives us hope that on that way we will get more..." - Miguel (02-Mar-2004) |
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"A nice classic catacomb-coastal adventure with the Necropolis being the last level. I liked the puzzles and collecting various items such as the portal guardian a knot a pillar etc. there jumps over spikes or suddenly emerging from the floor if you step on the wrong tile fires and skeletons beetles crocodiles wild boars to kill. Although an early level of Monika's it his solid with nicely placed textures and flybys. This is was the third time I played the levels to finally review them and I didn't remember or could find the Ornate Handle in fact I don't know if there is one or you are just meant to jump over the fire. There is a door though near that pool so I guess there has to be one somewhere. I don't think I can say anything new or at least something that hasn't been said before. You just have to play this although her newest levels are brilliant this is fun too." - Kristina (03-Sep-2003) |
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"I didn't find any bugs in it other than a skeleton pasting himself against a wall and at the very end of the level the trigger wouldn't work to open a door to a secret (maybe??) in a small maze. That's why I only gave this one an 8 in Gameplay & Puzzles. It was sooo frustrating to get to the very end with the Pharos Knot and then it doesn't work. I do understand that it is hard work to make these levels but why should everything else work so well except the last trigger? Other than that it was a very enjoyable level. Some of the puzzles were too easy like the one in which you have to move two pillars on a high platform. Some areas were frustrating like the crawlways with all the beetles but that is part of the challenge of the game. Spike balls skeletons morgue beetles galore (ugh!) fire traps nice areas with good scenery all combined to make this a level worth playing. Thanks Monika." - Patson (05-Aug-2003) |
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"This is a very well done three level series that offers beautifully built and decorated rooms classic TR puzzles a nice mix of enemies and traps a collection of objects to search for great music and well done camera work (the view when Lara drops into the third level is just brilliant). Each level has it's own look and style with most of the puzzles being fairly simple and only a few moments of wondering what to do next. It looks like Lara's objective is to find the music scroll in the third level and then make her way out of the tomb at which point you hear Monika's sexy voice congratulating you on a job well done." - RaiderGirl (03-Jan-2003) |
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"When I played this in my pre-reviewing days I totally loved it cause on one hand the setting is fairly close to the original TR games so I felt right at home and on the other hand I never got stuck for long yet everything was tricky enough to give you a great feeling of accomplishment. Replaying it now I still enjoyed it throughoutly yet some parts struck me as rather ordinary this time around and I thought there were too many crawls. That said there are tons of good jumps a cast of well placed enemies a great variety of tasks (although the pillar pushing is a bit dull) and especially in the last part you get some very impressively designed rooms. A fluent and linear progression with some spiked boulder traps thrown in for good measure and should you find yourself at a dead end you usually have to shoot something. Funnily enough this time around I never used the portal guardian to get to the fifth set of shoot-me bones as I jumped over the flaming tiles before I found the ornate handle. Fortunately you can squeeze past the pillar on your way out. 100 minutes of traditional Raiding entertainment for the whole family. You can't go wrong here." - Dimpfelmoser (08-Oct-2002) |
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"After playing this eons ago and realizing I had not reviewed I just spent an enjoyable 2:20 playing it once again. Monika's levels even this early one never fail to fill me with wonderment. In this early effort you see the style emerging from the tricky jumps with skeletons awaiting you at your next destination to difficult rope swings to seemingly impossible heights. Even in this early work you must shoot the bones and work out some tricky puzzles. As always good camera hints and flybys never overdone and awe inspiring atmosphere." - Momster (21-Sep-2002) |
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"From an atmosphere perspective these were three very good levels especially the textures were applied with much care. The rooms were well designed and the lighting was good except for one room - the one with the two ropes where the blue crystal is at the far end - that one for my taste was somewhat too dark;) Another complaint are the skeletons disturbing Lara when she pulls a lever - not fair. If I had had the crossbow it would not have been a problem but I only found it in the third level :( The puzzles were nice not too hard but you had to look out for the traps. Lara has some puzzle pieces to find to get to the mythical scroll: four golden stars 3 knots 2 Pillars and a portal Guardian and of course the crowbar and a gate key. As said opponents were predominantly skeletons a couple of warthogs also as well as near the end a few mummies. I can only say play it the storyline is transferred nicely into a game here :)" - Engelchen Lara (06-Sep-2002) |
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"***Review comments unfortunately lost****" - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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"***Review comments unfortunately lost****" - Michael (21-Jun-2002) |
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"***Review comments unfortunately lost****" - Gerty (21-Jun-2002) |
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"***Review comments unfortunately lost****" - WebKnight (21-Jun-2002) |
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"This three-parter impresses mainly with beautiful and carefully selected textures and a logical progression in classical TR style. Some of the puzzles are quite tough and there are a few new ideas which increase the gaming fun." - Chicken (21-Jun-2002) |
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"***Review comments unfortunately lost****" - J.J.S. (21-Jun-2002) |
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"Alexander's Tomb 'to the search of the parchment of Alexanders' that is last letter of Alexandro to Aristotle. Adventure of Lara in a Bizantino palace is begun then until the Necropoli where you will have the possibility to find again the antichi archives Sono 3 rows TOM of 7.3 MB totals: Catacomb Coastal Necropolis altogether 298 rooms. A level a lot very realized the not linear weft. Optimal the enigmas and the general atmosphere that the world of the Catacombe of TR 4 recalls but with much more suspense from tombraider." - Roberto (21-Jun-2002) |
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