Level reviews

"In all honesty, I was expecting worse scores due to the second level. I thought I was more open to mazes in custom levels compared to many reviewers but maybe I should re- evaluate myself, because the attractively-named Labyrinth in the Dark bothered me a lot, enough so that the good sides of the level could not save the adventure in my mind. The core gameplay of the said level is in a labyrinth, and I had to find my way to whatever door opened, about 15 times, so I was essentially doing the maze over and over again after each accomplished task. Shame, because the other two levels are quite okay. Sweetwater, while not having any puzzles etc, was very fun to explore, and it mostly felt like an enjoyable sightseeing in a cute little town with a couple of museums. And the third level was above average tomb raiding, only drawback was the overused egyptian textures, it was actually pretty well-designed. I can't recommend it if you are not a fan of mazes, but many others liked it so go ahead I guess." - Nomad

"I fondly remember this builder's "The Quick and the Dead" being a wonderful piece of early raiding work. This, Hendrik's debut, admittedly doesn't match up to it, but it still offers some enjoyable classic raiding in a mostly old style Egyptian setting. I definitely preferred the first and third parts over the second as the labyrinth section was rather too longwinded. I was grateful for Dutchy's map otherwise I would likely have never made it through. Still, I think the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this case, and I found it otherwise mostly entertaining." - Ryan

"I was surprised to find I hadn't already played this game as I'm such a big fan of this builder's other two levels - come back Hendrik, please. So, OK this, his debut level, doesn't match the utter joy that was 'The Quick and the Dead', but it's still easy to see the potential that would be so well fulfilled. It's a fairly straightforward level in terms of gameplay, starting out in an attractive town setting, but overall having an Egyptian flavour. The only section I didn't entirely enjoy was the middle part, set in a dark and most confusing labyrinth. Well constructed and thought out certainly, but without the comprehensive walkthrough and map I might well have had to give up at that point. Still worth playing however, even if you do require the walkthrough." - Jay

"One more time I can't understand the very high ratings for a level/levels. The first and third levels were not bad, but the second level is only to play by masochists. A very huge labyrinth with a lot of rooms to explore in complete darkness, finding always dead ends and forced to re-explore the complete labyrinth every time you pull a lever 'cause there are not cameras to give you a hint. Better play it following the walkthrough. Not for my taste." - Jose

"This builder came and went in a blaze of glory that culminated in one of the true classic releases of all time. How unfortunate that he has never been motivated to come out of retirement during the past decade. This three-parter was his maiden effort, and it seems a bit crude by today's standards, but after all it was released nearly 12 years ago during the early days of the level editor. It provides a lot of fun moments, and from start to finish it consumed a bit more than two net gaming hours. It's standard Egyptian fare, but it's crisp, well lighted and never dull. If you're an old timer like I am, play it for a reminder of why you found yourself hooked on this game back when it all started." - Phil

"Sweetwater (25 minutes): A bright city setting with a clever mix of Egyptian and London textures that worked well in a way, but also looked strange at parts because there were some transparent textures you can look through to see the end of the world and some fence textures that really didn't fit in. Else than that, I think I had the most fun in this part; the gameplay isn't much more than running around and finding the next lever and also contains several shooter elements (lots of ninjas, crocs and scorpions to shoot), but exploring the area is satisfying enough.
Labyrinth of the Dark (30 minutes): The title says it all for at least the second half of the level. There are quite a few quite atmospheric rooms in this catacomb-like level, good sound usage, decent lighting and texturing and a few not enerving fixed cameras are worth seeing. Unfortunately the dark maze (don't worry about the darkness, there are a whole lot of flares to find) promised in the title is way too big and too confusing without camera hints and it's easy to miss a certain door. Using the map provided in the walkthrough it's more fun and I recommend using it. I didn't like the long swims near the end but the hiding place of the Pharos pillar was memorable.
Treasure and Grave (20 minutes): Quite a bit of to and fro in this last level; too many ammo and health reserves to find in regard of not too many enemies. Some of them are rather hard to kill, as at one place you have to shoot five ninjas in a group and there are two ninjas that shoot at you without you being able to shoot if you don't use another way up, with a little hint this would have been quite a nice stealth element. The best thing in this level was perhaps the initial draining puzzle but it's also spoiled by the heavy backtracking. After 1:15 minutes of raiding you reach the treasure room and Lara congratulates for the accomplished mission.
All in all I think this is a very nice debut of Hendrik, who prooved to have great talent in his later works, but the gameplay could be a little more entertaining, i.e. more traps or puzzles and less backtracking. I found seven secrets of which only one was really tricky to find, the others were rather obvious." - manarch2

"Level 1: SWEETWATER (2 secrets) - Very decent urban level with a lot of doors to open, areas to explore and supplies to pick up, including the Uzis and Sixshooter. Enemies are ninjas, scorpions and crocodiles, and the goal is to collect two canope vases, and two key items (Golden Vraeus and Guardian Key) in order to complete the level. The gameplay is fluent, starting from the streets, through the sewers and a couple of buildings, but the overall architecture is simple, square and not very inovative. There are some downsides here, starting from badly applied textures at some points, unnecessarily long climb for the first secret, drawing distance (it's the common glitch in the classic TRLE), and dull lighting most of the times. Apart from some occasional darts and a few scissor blades, there aren't many traps in this level, but there are quite a lot of backtracking along the streets (you'll use the Sprint key a lot here). The flyby sequences are decent, but not very luxurious, but they do have a function of helping you find your way around, which is always good. But the bad thing is to make an invisible ladder near the bridge or behind the canope reseptacle near the end of the level. However, the first level is an easy one, and although it is simple and ordinary (with usual textures and statics), it is not dull and boring, thanks to lot of action and things to do around here. It took me about 30 minutes to complete. Level 2: LABYRINTH OF THE DARK (3 secrets) - The level is actually of a catacomb type, not very Egyptian as a matter of fact. The overall ambiance is somewhat better than in the first level, with nice texturing and lighting, which give the level more realistic look. The gameplay is also fluent, at least before the Labyrinth, which is quite complicated and challenging. The swimming before the Labyrinth is a bit tricky due to the length and no air pockets along the way. All three secrets here are easy to find, and you'll have a lot of ammo to pick up, as well as an additional shotgun, the revolver and the laser sight. The slides just before the Labyrinth was so much fun for me, but the Labyrinth itself... a huge challenge and frustration, although once you figure out what to do and where to go, it gets interesting and awesome. However, the Labyrinth is too dark, and Lara will not have enough flares to light her way here. You will spend a lot of time in this area, collecting all the keys and gems, picking up ammo and weapon, opening a bunch of doors, blasting out some bones and finding a way in this complex and complicated maze. But this does not mean that the Labyrinth is bad, on the contrary, in my opinion, this is one of the best labyrinth level I've ever played, although it wouldn't be any less good should the lighting was better and the labyrinth less complex. If you don't want to refer to the walkthrough and the map of the Labyrinth given there, then save often and explore the area thoroughly. Be patient and don't worry, the backtracking is not so excessive, as it can be in many other maze type levels. To make things even more complicated and tough, the last part of the maze is under water, and in my opinion, this is the hardest part of the game. It took me a lot of time to figure out what to do here and where the air pockets are. But this will only make you even more happy once you leave the Labyrinth ;) But your happiness will lessen somewhat in the room with dangling ropes, once you realize that you'll need to make always difficult and mostly frustrating rope-to-rope jump. Afterwards you need to outrun and also outwit some mummies on the floor level, in order to be able to pull out the object blocking the exit. This was a bit frustrating due to the lack of explosive ammo, but interesting, but only until I pry the second golden star and face the beetle swarm (I really, really hate them). This level is very long and complex, but immensely interesting. Luckily, the puzzles are not so hard, except in the underwater areas, which may be too health consuming at times. It took me almost an hour and a half to complete the level, without the walkthrough (I spent about 45 minutes in the Labyrinth, and if you refer to the walkthrough, it will save you a lot of time). Level 3: TREASURE AND GRAVE (2 secrets) - The action moment in the previous level was a bit neglected, since most of the action was reduced to outrunning the skeletons and mummies. But here, there is a lot of action, and you'll have to kill a fair number of scorpions and ninjas along the way. This level is easier than the previous and much, much shorter. You'll have to backtrack a few times, but only for a little, and you'll also enjoy slide jumps in the last area. Secrets are also easy to find, and near the end you'll find the crossbow, but unfortunately, without much chance to use it. Total playtime: about 15 minutes. All in all, this is an immensely interesting game, in spite of the fact that it is rather old and classic, and despite the few flaws and glitches you'll surely encounter. This is the debut level of this builder, and I must say that back in 2001, when it was released, this was a real master piece for the time. Music tracks are perfectly blended in the atmosphere, the ambiance is very convincing and the gameplay flows like a dream, with a very slim chance for an average player to get stuck. The best side of this level is its balance, the perfect blend of action, climbing, puzzles, swims and mazes, and the level may be straightforward most of the time, but it is never boring, quite the contrary. Even though the classic textures are used throughout the levelset, although the most common static and animated objects are added here, the overall design of the levels show that the builder has some very interesting ideas and pretty vivid imagination. If you like catacombs and mazes, this is a perfect level for you, one of the best classic (old) catacombs levels I've ever played. However, I don't understand why this level is labelled as "Egyptian" since it does not look like one (only textures gives you the impression of Egypt, but that's all). I think the level would have been even better should some timed runs had been added just to spice it up even more. But still, it is a great debut level, as it is. Great work, Hendrik!" - Nina Croft

"Sweetwater (30 minutes, 1 secret): a karnak-wad village. There are a few buttons scattered through the buildings and a few puzzle pieces to be found to proceed. There are a few problems here though, such as at least one unmarked climbable wall, a flyby going through walls and one that show crocs popping into existance. Another problem I found is the railings/see through columns. The problem is that they are 1-block wide walls, and the editor doesn't handle them as windows so from certain angles it looks ok but from others the whole setting is ruined by the end of the world. Labyrinth of the Dark (30 minutes, 2 secrets): well, what you get here is pretty much what the title indicates. I used the map provided in the walkthrough and got out rather quickly, it's not exactly a 4x1 maze but it's just as complex. It's not as dark as you might think, though, I found it to be rather on the bright side for the most of it. Treasure and Grave (25 minutes, 2 secrets): and the series finish off with a solid tut1-wad level. I thought the tasks for the hands could have done without the backtracking but really, the level is short so I guess there's no harm in extending the gameplay by five or so minutes that way. Bottomline, despite being very old, these are good levels for those old fashioned raiders out there. 85 minutes, 5 secrets. 04/08" - Treeble

"Overall a nice triple level that lasts for 1:30 hours a good start as debut with nice textures and lighting and an overall feel, but nothing too special. Sweetwater - A small town, where the biggest problem actually is to find the buttons - as I had a few blind moments at the start, missing an obvious button right next to the door it opens - otherwise a rather linear/straightforward level, which is rather enjoyable to play, but has nothing overly remarkable about it. I found 1 secret in this level. Labyrinth of the Dark - starts out quite innocently with a couple of fun jumps and nice progressing, but then leads you to a tough maze, which took most of my time in this level, and as I hate mazes in general, this was no exception and was even worse cause there were no helpful camera hints of how and what to do, so I'm glad Dutchy wrote a walkthrough for it as I read it very carefully and that got me through the maze faster than I would have ever gotten through if I'd try this on my own. Practically that's the only reason for the 2 sixes - the gameplay and the camera category would've gotten higher ratings if the maze was at least more user friendly. Found 2 secrets here. Treasure and Grave - Feels like a really simple level after getting through the maze and it actually is. The problem all 3 levels had was the overuse of pickups, as I could easily go killing scorpions, shattering vases through this level with the revolver and still had some revolver ammo left at the end with the Uzis even remaining unused. Also the Crossbow at the very end of the level was pointless. Overall nothing special but fun while it lasts. Found 1 secret, and I think I know where I missed another one. As I've repeated a couple of times - nothing remarkable here, but quite fun, without counting the maze in, give it a try if you're looking for a level to play next." - eTux

"What a sweet little town to start off in, with shops, houses, church, museum, a cute little 'bathhouse' pool you see behind pillars, and great sewers with 7 crocodiles thankfully coming towards you, not sneaking up behind you. A lot of ninjas and scorpions about, and the flybys are good but not necessary. This first level is called SWEETWATER. I wonder where it's supposed to be. There's a desert mountain background, and unfortunately because of the size of the town it disappears into the background at times. You get plenty of ammo and medpacks to keep you sane. There are beautiful rooms in LABYRINTH OF THE DARK, with some great column jumping and rope swinging, and into the not-so-dark labyrinth itself. It is confusing but not too bad, I had to pay attention because I missed two crawlspaces. So in every room look for these crawlspaces before running out. Always turning left or right doesn't work here, the main thing to recognise is the long corridor in the middle. The receptacles and doors, and each side from this central corridor is almost identical. Eventually you get to go even lower through another watermaze. This is easier to get to know. Loved the slide and grab with a boulder rolling behind you, and long drop. TREASURE AND GRAVE has really lovely rooms, very big with lots to do. Loved the rope swinging (BTW to aim for a second rope I find I can do it quite easily if when she stops swaying on the rope and you use the look button you can line her up to the next rope pretty accurately), and I loved the 'jeep' music in the tall room with tall columns. The huge hall with grate ceiling panels that you can see the ninjas and jeeps up above through is great. We've seen all these textures before, but credit must go to authors who can use them creatively. Who says you must have new textures to cause a stir. If this was his first effort, Hendrik shows that he definitely had what it takes from the beginning. A really enjoyable trio of levels, easy enough for beginners, but possibly too easy for die-hard raiders." - CC

"The first level from Hendrik and quite good. We are wandering in a city with many doors to open and canopic jars, a vraeus and a guardian key to find. Among crocodiles, ninjas and scorpions we need to access every area and the underwater tunnels to finally get all the times and proceed to the next level. The second is a catacomb like level with many gems, a pillar, a knot and a maze which is not easy. It has many doors and they all look the same so it needs patience and flares as it is quite dark. The last level is the easiest with levers and a hand to find. I had a fun time during the hour and a half it took me to get through all three of them. A good set of levels, play it." - Kristina

"These are a set of three levels and were all good, although an older one it was superb and I loved it from start to finish. Starting off in an English street, which I loved the atmosphere of, the shops and buildings were lovely even if not quite English! I particularly liked the see through walls which looked like actual windows with a pool behind them and I'm not sure if that was an accident not purposely done however it gave so much reality. Having to find canopic jars and kill Ninjas to proceed, there were quite a few of them and scorpions too, the enemies were a little boring with only three enemies throughout the levels, skeletons were the third. The labyrinth in the second level was so well done, I got stuck there for ages, having to find one door to pull a lever and then find that next door, total of about 24 doors to sort out was quite a challenge. Once out the story contiued, in each area there was always something different and the levels didn't repeat themselves, lots of different thing to find and do, some tedious climbs but not repeated too much, rope swings which make me cringe because I'm not too good at them, lots of deep swims and I found the atmosphere throughout thoroughly enjoyable. The textures well mixed with mostly Egyptian type ones and of the old TR style that I love so much. Music was added and that's always a thumbs up in any level. A complicated level in some respects and quite a breeze in others, all added up to a really lovely and enjoyable set of three levels and not to be missed. Great gameplay, excellent atmosphere, well thought out rooms and switch/item finds to make, and also an actual ending which gave story and purpose to the levels as Lara finds what she's come there for! This one will be going on my fav list." - Moonpooka

"I thought each one of these three levels had something fun to offer. The first level had a fun little city to explore - there are two canopic jars, a Golden Vreaus and some buttons that for some reason were hard to see against their background. The second level started out with a more Egyptian look and had a few puzzles to solve before you get to 'the maze'. This large labyrinth had a number of doors behind which is a switch that opens one of the other doors. There's also a knot, pillar and gem to find (the pillar being the hardest - it's underwater on top of a coffin). Unlike everyone else, I decided not to draw a map and the one on the review page is missing but it still didn't take forever. Just a lot of patience and some wandering around. The third level also has an Egyptian look and has some fun jumps and rope swings, and a few more objects to search for. Thankfully there weren't too many baddies in the series, except maybe the sewers in level one with all those crocs. I was glad there were few in the maze at least." - RaiderGirl

"The first and last in this set of three levels was spent really just running around shooting whatever moved and collecting some key pick ups and although this was okay it was a little insubstantial. On the other hand the middle level had loads of what the others lacked, atmosphere, interest, and some solid gameplay. Most of the second level is spent working your way through a very cool maze full of doors, pools, crawlspaces, and a side target shooting puzzle. I am glad to see that I wasn't the only one who found the best solution to this maze was to track it first and then draw up its floor plan because otherwise I could see myself spending twice the amount of time I spent in it. In the end after spending almost 2 hours with 4 of the 7 secrets collected I found that I had fun but I would have liked much more gameplay variety through the levels and more of a danger element as that was quite lacking as well." - Sash

"Another set of three levels and the fact that each of those three levels is very different makes it an entertaining adventure but also has the risk that you may not like part of it so much. Regardless, what you get here is two or more hours of entertaining progression, so certainly worth checking out. Sweetwater (0:45 hours, 7/7/8/9): The adventure starts out in a rather nicely set City streets area where you will have a lot of exploring to do on the roofs and in the houses to find a guardian key, a vraeus and the two canopic jars. Some of the buttons are rather hard to spot, so keep your eyes open. There are blades and darts to evade, as well as a dozen red ninjas and scorpions and a few crocodiles to battle. Texturing is nicely done but in a few areas turns into black. Also becuase of the wide open space there is the disappearing horizon issue. Flybys are a little rough around the edges but well used. I thought there were way too many medipacks to pick up - you will not need them, not in this nor in the two other levels. I was really bad on secrets here, as I found none of the supposedly 2 available ones. Labyrinth of the Dark (0:45 hours, 7/8/8/9): This starts out nicely and innocently with a fun jump sequence and then leads into a really, really tough maze. Admittedly it is really nicely designed and with a purpose but I hated it anyway (as I generally do with mazes). Well, nevertheless, drawing a map does help and as a spoiler, you will find mine at the end of this page in case you want to use it. Mind you that the 45 minutes of net gaming do not include endless running and searching and map drawing! Enemies here are a few nicely placed skeletons which you need to shoot off ledges and some mummies and beetles at the end. I really liked the rolling ball chasing you just when you were relieved to get out of that maze - nice idea. The subsequent diagonal double rope jump was a pain to master though. Again only 1 of the 3 secrets found. Treasure and Grave (0:30 hours, 6/8/7/9): Now, that was the refreshing piece. After the tough maze, this last half hour plays fast and linear and will not have you thinking too much. Find two hands and two pieces of a cartouche and end the game in the treasure room. Maybe a little much climbing here, but I was just happy to know what to do to move on, so it did not bother me much. I counted 17 white ninjas and 11 red scorpions to shoot and again only found one of the two secrets." - Michael

"This 3-level game begins with Lara searching for two canopic jars in a city setting, followed by a maze puzzle and, finally, a shoot-em-up in the desert tomb. The city part suffers from the 'huge room syndrome' with Lara getting her fitness training to move from point to point. Many thin walls and seemingly random design elements make this the weakest of the three levels. Things settle down a bit in the next part with a well-conceived maze puzzle (and I usually hate mazes). Textures and lighting improve as well. The final part felt like a very standard Tut1 level. Overall, not a bad effort, but not too different from many Egyptian levels that have come before." - Tombaholic

"After a little slow start in a city, you come to a big maze with a lot of doors and levers to pull (when I first saw the name - 'Labyrinth of dark' I thought -oh no, but it isn't really that dark), to finally come to the last part where you have to come past a number of guards before you finally find the treasure. Good level for a first one, but not really challenging." - G.Croft

"This three level game starts in a little village and ends in a large underground chamber full of treasure. There is even a felicitation in German when you reach that room. The middle part is an amazing maze. Pull out your pen and paper and start drawing, you need it. I found 7 secrets, not that hard to find, but fun. Although this game is quite forwards it had me puzzled a couple of times. My fault, as I was not looking good enough. Levers to pull, buttons to push, gems to find. Rope swings monkey climbs, jumping, crawling, swimming, everything is in it. There was one strange bug at the end of the second level. Placing the scroll I didn't have, gave me excess to the next level without blasting a skeleton and out running pesky beetles. More than enough ammo and healthpacks. My favorite gun must be the revolver and I liked to have the crossbow a bit earlier in the game, but I am not complaining. Very well done Hendrik, can't wait for another level." - Gerty

"There are three levels with the standard-wads and real Tomb Raider gameplay. I like games like this. When you need new textures, objects and totally new-designed levels to have fun, this one is nothing for you. I rated it that high, because I had 3 hours fun to play, a really nice big maze to explore, a lot of enemies, but also enough weapons and ammunition to find. There were too many medipacks, but anyway this was not too easy, also not too hard. If you like the real Tomb Raider, give it a try, it's worth it." - Freeman Porter

"This is a game in 3 levels starting in streets of shops and statues. A lot of running around and swimming to find two Canopic jars to enter the second level Labyrinth of the Dark. The main part of this level is the biggest maze I have come across since playing custom levels. It certainly pays to spend some time mapping the maze and marking all the doors and slots for pillars, knots and gems. 17 doors, 17 rooms as well as some underwater and overhead rooms to eventually emerge through a door to carry on back at high level through previous low level rooms. The final level is a little shorter and is set in a two level mausoleum ending in a treasure room." - Fairy Godfather

"Hendrik's first work is a three parted story which starts in the mysterious city Sweetwater and ends - after managing a very large and complex maze in the second level - in a big grave-chamber by finding the room full of treasure. Hendrik didn't use imported items and stuff and so the level looks very Egyptian, but the textures are eventful and detailed. Lighting and cameras are capable of improvement and some of the walls are a little thin. But after all the design is attractive. But the main thing in this work is the maze! For the first time in my personal TR-history I was forced to make a sketch for not getting lost or insane. The usual 'every time left or right' plan does not work in this case and so it is a really new idea for a selfmade level - respectable! The quests are not very hard and even the lots of enemies (the white Uzi-armed baddies) are not really a problem, because Hendrik leaves a lot of medi-packs. You will find a lot of weapons (the Uzi's at the beginning) and ammo - so the only really hard thing (after getting through the maze) is finding all the 7 secrets. But rating a level develops from having fun or not when playing the level - and I had a lot of fun!" - Chicken

"This trilogy has given a lot of enjoyment to me. Particularly Hendrik has managed the gigantic labyrinth very well. There were many opponents to deal with, but also enough ammunition existed. Hendrik could improve something with the cameras and with the light, also the puzzles were not very difficult to solve. Only the one in the great labyrinth. This was brilliant and receives an extra point from me. Because I have played 3 Level in one, I can only recommend the download... more of this, Hendrik!" - Xxenofex

"A most entertaining debut I must say; that is if you listen to the advice of the other reviewers and take the trouble to draw a map of the maze. Otherwise it is impossible to manage as the many doors just vanish and you only know where to look if you can refer to your map. Well I had fun drawing it. It all starts out in a picturesque town and although those houses look a bit like cardboard cutouts it is great fun to run to and fro to collect the various items you need to progress. The assassins pose no big threat but gave me a bit of a shock on various occasions. Now the second part is almost devoid of enemies (save the odd skeleton) as it clearly concentrates on the big labyrinth and the various tasks you have to perform therein. Part three has some more shooting and a fair amount of lever pushing but fortunately there is much more to do. Some swimming, rope swings, jump combinations; you name it, it's there. I liked the part where you had to lure the three mummies towards one end of the hall in order to push the pillar in peace. There are too many pick ups, especially the crossbow at the end seems rather pointless, the scorpion that's biding it's time in the shootable vessel becomes a bit predictable and the pushable statue is too obvious but bearing in mind how huge this is (took me nearly four hours to complete, due to that meticulously drawn map) those are mere details that don't spoil the big picture. The setting is solid, if a little too familiar and I really loved the sewer system in the first part where you ran through ankle deep water while a bunch of crocodiles was in hot pursuit. Well worth playing." - Dimpfelmoser

"A very nice first level from Hendrik, which demonstrates all the details the level editor has to offer. Hendrik did not only use the carefully selected texture set to its full extent, but also chose the WAD according to his ideas and mad use of it in all areas of this game. There are some smart ideas here and baddies do not only run around corners without thinking ;-) The level has a comfortable atmosphere, which alternates between tension, adventurous, and caution and you are reminded of that by well applied sounds. I had the honour to test this level and Hendrik had me walk into each and every trap:-D. A very beautiful game, which I can recommend to everybody who likes well playable and balanced levels." - Miss Kroft