| Reviewer's comments |
"I know i've already played this level ages ago but forgot
to review it, at that time i would have probably rated
higher. Fast-paced level and with a bit of adrenaline at
times with several use of scarabs , skeletons , or spikes ,
it is dynamic but rough around the edges, and suffers from
a mediocre lighting.
And you may want to reload a savegame if ever you see you
don't do things in the right order.
Not complicated level and not too long at around 20-25
minutes. The fly-bys go through walls and the setting is
average. Still pleasant for a short raid." - eRIC (01-Jun-2019) |
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| "Custom levels with generic names like The Forgotten Palace are soon forgotten. For the 30 minutes or so that it lasts, however, the raid provided by this one isn't all that bad, particularly if you're playing in god mode so that the ubiquitous beetles aren't even a factor, let alone an annoyance. The animation while performing certain tasks is wacky in places, and the game path leads you back to the place where you started, signifying a compact playing map. I've played worse levels." - Phil (21-Jan-2018) |
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| "This classic and pleasant Egyptian level
moves at a very fast pace. If you've
played any of these types of levels
before, you'll know what to expect: plenty
of coffins to loot, the Mechanical Scarab
to use, Pharos artefacts and plenty of
skeletons and beetles. There's also one
harpy that doesn't pose much of a threat.
The gameplay isn't complicated and flows
nicely enough to be entertaining, with
opportunities to return back to previous
locations for missed items. My only gripe
was the rather tedious spawning of
beetles. Pleasant to look at and pleasant
to play." - Ryan (22-Oct-2017) |
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| "Cleopal levels are always pleasant to look at, which is a large part of what makes an enjoyable game for me. Gameplay is fairly simple - no timed elements or puzzles, just a somewhat frantic attempt to retrieve necessary items against the concerted attempts of skeletons and beetles to prevent it. A shotgun is provided so you can deal with the skellies, but those awful beetles just have to be outrun (amazingly good little underwater swimmers, aren't they)." - Jay (05-Jul-2016) |
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| "Not hard to play this short level, but the gameplay is not good 'cause the author lets you advance even if you don't complete all the tasks in a room; ex: the unmarked climbable wall over the reach-in switch or the reach-in switch I missed in the room where I got one of the Pharos pieces. The enemies are well balanced, but I never found an appropriate gun to fight with the skeletons or with the demigod. The texturization is Ok, and also the flybys and the camera shot. Not a jewel of the custom levels but playable." - Jose (08-Dec-2015) |
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| "Fairly simple level located in Egypt. There are few items,
beetles are a little annoying because he is still stuck in
the corners. 20 mn good fun." - Minox (20-May-2015) |
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| "This is a really concise level with a lot going for it. The environment is comprised of interesting, if a tad boxy, rooms that all serve their purposes well. The enemies are mostly skeletons and scarabs, so you'll spend more time running from them than fighting. The items are well-placed, though the shotgun and uzi come in after they would have been really useful. But all-in-all a fun 30 minute adventure through familiar territory. Check it out if Egypt is your thing!" - Xela (24-Jun-2014) |
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| "This is the second level of Paco and he is substantially better than the other. Lara has found a forgotten palace of Cleopatra. How many palaces has the lady actually built? Maybe she has built this palace for Caesar. And maybe is this the palace, with which Asterix and Obelix have helped. Who knows this already. But back to the level. Lara must find the Portal Guardian, the mechanical beetle and two Pillars. The level is well built and textured. The camera journeys are a little bit too hectic. The underwater maze should be no problem for notorious maze hater. A problem is here the many swarms of small beetles. There Lara could have used the help of an vermin exterminator well. A Demigod and the harpy are no problem. And one can shoot the skeletons with the shotgun into a hole. The playing time is a little bit short with about 30 minutes.
Result: A good level with which merely the beetle swarms irritate" - Scottie (13-May-2009) |
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| "I think Leandro's review might have been meant for another level, because what I played didn't resemble the Cleopatra's Palaces level at all. It's a pretty straightforward level that sets you in a quest for two pillars and a portal guardian to get through. Enemies were few, but there were several beetles along the way, including the mechanical one. I think texturewise it could have used more work, despite having a general ok look. 20 minutes, 1 secret. 08/07" - Treeble (11-Aug-2007) |
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| "If you compare this level to the authors first, it is like comparing black and white! I really liked this adventure and there are a lot of nice textured rooms and things to do in them. A good level! 2005-05-30" - QRS (31-May-2005) |
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| "Yes it's true; a Cleopal level which is actually fun and exciting. Who cares if the architecture and rooms aren't visually outstanding (they are perfectly acceptable so what's the problem?) when the gameplay has been very neatly thought out. The further you progress the faster the pace until you're charging along with every foe of the Cleopal WAD at your heels while performing the occasional feat of acrobatics to avoid perilous traps. Yet another level in the category 'little gem that will never score well'. A shame." - Orbit Dream (19-Aug-2003) |
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| "Exhausting level as you have to deal with a lot of pesky beetles. Apart from one demigod and a harpy and of course some skeletons it is beetle galore. Getting the Handle and the Effigy you also have to get the mechanical beetle and the key. Sometimes it is better to reach in a hole twice (mostly I do that as a standard) as I got fooled before LOL. Pulling some levers and pulling a chain will open up the way to the 2 Pillars. Some swimming to do and a nice jumping with even spikes thrown in to make it just a bit more difficult. Boy I am tired. 24-10-2002" - Gerty (27-Oct-2002) |
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| "A nicely done 40 minute Cleo level that moves you along at a fast pace because most of the time you have hordes of beetles chasing you. Lara must collect two Pharos Pillars to open the door to the inner palace to continue her quest for the Portal Guardian thus opening the exit door. Nicely laid tricks and traps await her in the form of a good amount of spikes and enemies. First thing you have to do is pick up the handle for the Portal Guardian with 2 skeletons trying to stop you. A fair amount of swimming involved as the beetles that you've unleashed swim along with you. One particular switch is quite tricky and this involved my having to go back looking for that winding key hence my long playing time. No weapons to blast away at the skeletons consequently between them and the beetles you are constantly on the move. Not much fun with the harpy trying to sting you in a contained area. Not a difficult level but a challenging one." - Momster (19-Aug-2002) |
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| "A nice simple yet exciting level using the cleopal wad with some fun little traps and surprises. There are two pillars to collect - one obtained by some hard jumps and the other by climbing the right wall - but both collected while beetles are nibbling at your heels. After placing the pillars you're on your next search for the effigy and the handle and while there are still beetles it's a bit shorter task than the previous. Of course the whole thing only takes around 20 minutes but with the large area to explore the underwater areas the switches that are easy to miss because you're running from beetles and the demigods harpies and skeletons you won't have time to relax and have a look around." - RaiderGirl (22-Jul-2002) |
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| "This is a fairly standard cleopal level with some good enemy placement and a not so obvious to find mechanical beetle key but apart from those I finished this level in 20 minutes with one of the two secrets found." - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Always tough to rate a level that was created about a year ago. I found this 20 minutes adventure interesting but it is mainly set in rather large square rooms with mixed/patchy textures. In some areas the lighting is nicely done and the classical Cleopal enemies (demigod harpy skeletons and beetles) keep you on the move. I found one not so secret secret and reached the end after placing two Pharos Knots and the Portal Guardian." - Michael (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Here is another decent level set on Egyptian theme that doesn't bore you to tears. Little tricks like setting that poison bird onto Lara in a VERY small room which made fighting it all the more difficult lend that little extra quality to what can sometimes be a boring vista. This level will take you around 25 minutes to complete but will give you a bit of fun." - Torry (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "It's just a copy of Cleopatra's Palace but certainly didn't have the same (great) atmosphere and beauty. The textures of this level are ok but I'm still looking for the lighting. Well this isn't a bad level all right but is not good too." - Leandro (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Another short level. Quite a bit of running around to do and just when you are going back the way you came a door opens for a short cut to return. Beetles are a nuisance but you can escape to hang off a ledge or swim. Nothing difficult to do." - Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Basically the typical Egyptian style but a good level. Can't say much about gameplay it was short enough about fifteen minutes but the textures were well placed and the atmosphere pleasant. You get to use the mechanical scarab and two pillars to reach the end. It's easy to miss the key for the scarab it wasn't hidden very well or anything like that but it's a matter of reaching through a hole. A few skeletons you get the shotgun to blast them and the Uzi a demigod as well as some beetles giving you some trouble were the enemies. There is one underwater tunnel though with a few side ways to choose your route that was interesting. A few minutes of fun." - Kristina (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "You won't take long for this one as most of the time a swarm of perky beetles is in hot pursuit. So no time to dilly-dally no chance to marvel at the ancient art and architecture. Pick up the items flip the switch and find the door. You know the procedure. The set is strictly Egypt and that might suggest that this is just a boring repetition of what we already know. To some degree yes yet because you can't kill most of the enemies you're constantly on the run and I found the speed of this little exercise quite appealing. The flybys are pretty pointless though. 18 minutes tops." - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002) |
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