Level reviews

"OK this is not bad except from the sewer gate hitbox, the water gem door switch and the hidden room with the first star - those difficulty spikes cost me like 30 min and should be secret only, because they happen while doing other, much easier things. I also would make sure you can't softlock the rope room, it's unlikely but still doable. Visually the quality sometimes leaps or drops double, but the mood is there, not to mention extra point for voice acting." - DJ Full

"Upon booting this level, I had the weirdest deja vu in a while. The entire fenced off area in the first level felt very familiar, yet I don't remember having tried this level recently and I don't think I'd remember anything at all if this was one of the many levels I never made it far before moving on. Anyway, this is a double level set with very different environments: while the first one didn't do much for me, with the long sprints around a fenced area and the awkwardly small in-door environments, the second one, with the underground temple, made it worthwhile. Gameplay is quite varied, but I felt there was an excessive amount of jumpswitches, and lighting is used to conceal gameplay elements, so I do recommend keeping the walkthrough on a separate window to avoid unnecessary frustration. I also loved the audio tracks the author chose for this set, even the "alarm" in the first one had a very different tone compared to those we're so used to in custom levels anyway. 90 minutes, 3 secrets. 06/20" - Treeble

"Playing this level again for the purposes of reviewing it, I was again struck by the wish that this talented builder (not to mention his equally talented wife) would return to level building. This two-parter is brimming with atmosphere (especially the prison section). The enemies are well chosen and the gameplay varied and interesting. It's nicely challenging, without being beyond the reach of the average player and I can definitely recommend it." - Jay

"Despite being only two levels, this set has a sort of epic quality to it (not quite filmic, but epic nonetheless) taking me close to two hours net gaming time, and it was time well spent. You begin in a sparse prison area where you have to make your escape through the rear end via the bathrooms. The guards are plentiful but so is ammo and the pushable blocks do tend to be only slightly lighter than the wall itself, so you have to be observant. The second level doesn't get off to the best start with a maze, but it's not too elaborate and the gameplay does improve later on with a few tasks to accomplish round a temple area, followed by a hectic hammergod sequence and escape on a bike. It's a bit too dark for my tastes throughout, but the atmosphere is good and overall it's solid, classic raiding." - Ryan

"Here's another gem that would likely have continued to escape me had it not been for Jose's recent review that drew my attention to it. It's a nifty little two-parter that took me the better part of two hours to complete. The first segment takes place in a convincing prison environment that makes you feel as if you're really an inmate trying to make your escape. Too dark for my tastes, but very convincing and very well done. The gameplay is considerably more complex in the second segment, where you must locate, and then weave your way in and around a temple, and I would have found myself hopelessly lost in short order had it not been for Dutchy's walkthrough. Even with his help the concluding sequence involving the hammergod was most difficult for me to navigate. This is raiding in the grand old tradition. Unfortunately, they don't seem to make 'em like this any more. Highly recommended." - Phil

"First level was not very good; simple architecture, excessive darkness, an invisible object over the grate to shoot... Look for hidden switches was never my taste in custom levels. Second level is better, with another look and another tasks. I missed some more cameras when pulling switches, more flares, and ammo is not enough if you don't find the secrets 'cause all enemies are hard to kill. Also in the Thor's room I got out of ammo for the revolver, but at least I kept some crossbow ammo. Another times, the author lets you advance without the necessary items, and when you realize that you've missed an artifact, it's very far of your way. Good levels but some defects in the gameplay." - Jose

"Lara went to prison in Khartum and discovered that something strange there happened. Soon she found underground Temple. The levels are dark and you need very lot of flares. Luckily you can found a lot of them. There are very good weapons too. The puzzles are not very difficult but there are few tricky jumps." - Andzia9

"These two levels are not as good as The Quick and the Dead of the same author. Sometimes are very dark and there are some switches and shooting balls very difficult to see. The rooms are impressive (Thor room) and the end is very thrilling. The gameplay is not difficult: I played 2hrs and 22 min and got 3 secrets." - Loupar

"This is great. A gloomy prison complex with dull walls looooong railings around the prison guards warden's houses. The lighting and textures are perfectly appropriate for a prison very gloomy and very convincing. The only things that stick out as weird is the demigod and ahmet but that's explained in the readme (goes to show you should read you're readmes which I don't always do). In Forbidden Path (2nd level) we have a temple underground. I couldn't see that well hidden ball to shoot from the roof of the temple that opened the underwater door so thanks Hendrik for telling me. And that high jump switch in the lava room at the start was tricky. It wasn't a straight forward jump up but a little step back and jump up. You could jump to the pole and backflip/twist/grab the climbable surface. And that was the hardest part of levels. Gameplay is perfect. I found the star in the flag room straightaway (look UP). Getting the star in the hammergod room and lava room was very good. And what an exciting ending. I loved it." - CC

"Stopped playing this one when it was released because I could not progress in On forbidden path. After playing the absolute masterpiece of this author (The Quick and the Dead) I grew accustomed to his 'interest' in shooting targets and was able to make it this time. Atmosphere wise the first level reminded me a very tiny little bit of the prison sequences of another not so bad game Shadowman where the lead character is a black American living in-between worlds (ie dead but not really dead). But somehow I felt something was missing. The second part on it's own has the same problem the main problem though being they do not really fit together. Everything is well built though: it shows the author knows the job. Gameplay wise it's a question of finding the sometimes cleverly hidden switches and like I said above finding the shooting targets. What ruined it a bit in the end was the first star to be found very early on while the author gives the impression all of them have to be found after passing the place with the three star receptacles. Very illogical and nearly made me chunk this level into the waste bin: should have been a secret bit that one my opinion. All in all however a level you should play that gives you some of the better TR-custom entertainment" - bERT

"Overall two great levels. Part 1: Lara starts out finding a crowbar which gets her to the bike. Quite a bit of running and driving after that. You find the lasersight and urgently need it to finish the level. A blue gem and a puzzlepiece are also needed to reach part 2. Many pickups around and I like Lara's outfit a lot. The enemy at the cells (demigod) did not fit in so well. Sound was superb! Found only one secret in part 1. My Lara liked the second level better. Very beautifully designed. First I had to find two blue gems to open the path to the inside. There I found three stars which opened up the way to the exit accompanied by two wraiths. Again great music added. At the end shoot another bike out of the box and reach the exit. Great design - found only four of the five secrets. Highly recommended!" - Navi

"This sort of gameplay is just what I like. Not too difficult and also not too hard. Lara looked good and personally I would like to have it a bit lighter and as I ran around almost all the way with a flare lit (thanks to the TRsGeditor). Finding the crowbar right away was a lucky streak and although I had the bike almost at the beginning I hardly used it. What I didn't get is the minute Lara drove through the water the bike exploded. In the first part there are not that many enemies (also in the second part) and finding levers to pull to open doors is a must as you need the laser sight and revolver (or was it a desert gun) as there is some practice shooting to do. The main goal is finding the Cartouche. Next level is even better as you need to think how to get to that lever or how do I get to that ledge. Do look up as there are openings in the ceiling every now and then. Nice jumping over a lava field and evading the hammergod and some practice shooting makes it more fun. Here you need to find 2 gems and 3 stars they are very nicely hidden. There are throughout the levels some puzzles and look good for blocks you can move. A tip for the prison level try moving a block on those bloodstained corners. The added sound files are a great addition and I found 4 secrets throughout both levels. 13-01-2003" - Gerty

"A very good level although quite dark for me. Mostly the player explores big areas with cells of course it's a prison isn't it and underwater tunnels only to surface in a new area. There are many jump switches well hidden in dark corners and movable blocks that hide doors and paths. You begin with the motorcycle after you find the crowbar first to access the bike and proceed through underground corridors. SAS guards demigods harpies skeletons and the nice guy with the hammer will give you some trouble. It's something new I have to say that I haven't seen a prison in a level before and I hope more original ideas like that will follow from the author. I liked the cameras always getting a view of what a switch did well not always but most of the time and because it's a dark level I would be very frustrated searching around if it wasn't for that. A lava room and many targets to shoot vases or blue spheres are often used so if you get stuck just look around for one or more of the above. Also gems and stars are puzzle items needed to progress. As you begin with the bike you end the level with one as well and wraiths following you. I would love to say a sequel to this level but brighter this time." - Kristina

"Prison of the Lost Souls had me really going. Except for being too dark in too many spots I very much enjoyed playing these two levels. At no time did I not know where I was going -- that doesn't mean I always knew what I was doing. None of the puzzles were difficult to figure out though one of the jumps had me very confused (and many other players based on the questions in the forum). The ending was rather anti climatic. I would have liked a major battle rather than a hurried escape. But that's just me. A problem I had with Prison of the Lost Souls is one I have with many offerings: actions against similar surfaces do not result in consistent reactions. For example in the beginning of Prison of the Lost Souls shooting a metal grate causes it to fall apart. Shooting similar grates later in the game have no effect. Why? Lara can climb a wall with a specific texture in one area but can't climb a wall with the same texture in the same area or in any other area. Why? These inconsistencies drive me nuts. I very much enjoyed playing Prison of the Lost Souls and look forward to playing it a second time." - Dougsan

"I have been surprised by this level very different from other levels. Some of the puzzles were hard to solve for me like the movable blocks puzzles in level1 I still don't know what did open the door behind. You also need an expert eye to spot jump levers openings or vases to shoot. Hendrik has made a great work to create the most realistic atmopshere both outside and inside the prison of the first level and in the beautiful underground temple in level2. The fight with the Cleopal guardians with this beautiful music and the visit in the cage with red ahmets were great moments. The size of the download is huge but the levels are not short and well worth to be played." - eRIC

"These levels are great Lara starts with a really nice outift and no backpack (this actually affects the H&K gun crossbow and Grenade Gun very interestingly if you bother to look ;)) in this adventure. The hardest part for me in the first level was actually the start when you have nothing don't know where to search for all the things you need and so on and I actually spent the most time in this level wandering around and searching for all the required stuff (crowbar motorbike lasersight and Desert Eagle (another strange bug here that in the inventory the lasersight is attached to a part of the Desert Eagle from which it wouldn't help out much in the many lasersight required tasks lol )) and unfortunately I found out where the crowbar and the motorbike are the last when I was already inside the prison. Also I can't rate the lighting and textures higher since the shadows were overdone and also the end of the world bug appears very early (if you climb on a certain block and jump around Lara bumps here head at the 'sky') also if I didn't mind the Egyptian puzzle items in level 2 it somehow was a bit out of place in level one. Otherwise I can't find any other faults in level one! Actually there ain't any in level 2 too. The author has made the pass-over between the 2 levels excellently! Even if the 2 levels are very different from each other they blend together into one big adventure pretty well with a very fluent gameplay and you don't even feel how time passes when you play these levels! The only complaint would be the infamous 3rd star which I think everyone has complained about now and it was placed in a rather strange place I think but I actually didn't mind. The setting and design could've been more detailed in these levels and maybe some parts a bit lighter (even if the lighting effects were great) but otherwise this is a great level you shouldn't miss!" - eTux

"Prison of the Lost Souls (8/7/10/9 0:55 hours): From the nice starting flyby you dive into a very authentic prison atmosphere through which you have to guide Lara (in a remarkable outfit with just a little touch added as you can see her red lingerie). Make sure you get your bike desert eagle and laser sight early. Hendrik likes to hide levers in dark corners here and though it fits the setting I did find the darkness a little overdone at the start. It gets better further into the level though with overall excellent lighting and texturing. Enemies are fitting well (dogs SAS bats and an ahmet and a demigod) and most remarkable is the use of sound/music for effect which makes the huge download all worth wile (loved the sounds when you find the bike raise the alarm 'run the tape' in the mirror room and best of all when you enter the prison again in the later part of the level - blood freezing indeed). Progression is reasonably straightforward with good use of movable blocks once and a helicopter to blow up. Found two cartouche pieces and two secrets. On forbidden Path (9/9/10/9 1:10 hours): After making use of your cartouche you dive down into the underground welcomed by ahmets then a nice lava cave and a temple. Gameplay is even better in this part with lots of things to do but never too confusing. Look out for high wall levers and shootable things. Camera work and again the custom sounds are awesome (although a note to the author: set some timers on the cameras next time please). Enemies appear in variety here (SAS bats scorpions dogs ahmets demigods skeletons and harpies) and of course the two hammermen near the end one of which you get to kill with the bike while the earthquake shakes and the wraiths are on your toes - a great moment. Two gems another cartouche and three stars are needed here and the trickiest part for me was that rope swing to the collapsible tile and onwards in the second lava cage. Found two secrets so must have missed one in this series. Bottomline this is excellent sometimes movie style entertainment and you should not miss out on this adventure." - Michael

"Wow what a Level! That the author works in a prison; you will notice in the first part of the Level - a prison institution. A heavy mysterious atmosphere accompanies the player through the whole part and you have really the feeling of being in a prison. Certainly the first part is a little bit dark - however it plays in the night but the author has distributed torches substantially. The puzzles are made well and a strangely pursuable red thread stretches through the story. The second part in the Cellar of the Prison is the glaring contrary to the first part. Lara meets even terrible monsters and demigods. The rooms and puzzles are also strangely formed and you find everything - although the third star is hidden really difficult. I have found all 5 Secrets;) Particularly the sound was great - there is devilish laughter and shouting soldiers - magnificent! Only the end was for my taste a little bit too hectic however this could not curtail the general impression of the level. Altogether a Top-Level which could really tie you to the screen and I enjoyed this level!" - Seemeister

"Hendrik has created a brilliant set of levels that are full of atmosphere and have the perfect blend of puzzles exploration objects and enemies. Each level has it's own look but both gave me that creepy feeling that something was sneaking up on me in the dark. In the first level Lara is in a small village next to a prison and must find a crowbar and a few jump switches in the dark and then break into the prison. After making her way through the prison - shooting windows killing guards dodging machine guns crawling past fires solving a movable block puzzle - she enters the dark world of monsters underground. Here she must find two gems to get into the underground temple and then find three stars and part of the fun and frustration is in getting to them. My only complaint with the two levels is that most of the areas are way too dark so I had to keep a flare lit almost constantly. I had no problems finding the three stars because by now I expect things to be hidden in the darker areas but I did have a hard time finding the underwater passage and I got stuck once because I thought you were supposed to backflip from a pole to an area with a switch and completely missed the area you were really supposed to stand on. The room with the Hammer God was very well done and it was funny to see the skeletons standing next to him - what a size difference! The music was just perfect with a mix of stuff from other TR games and some classical pieces plus the laughing ghosts near the end were a lot of fun. I finished in 2:15 found four secrets and highly recommend these great levels. The puzzles aren't too hard but are clever enough to have you looking around for the solution at least a few times. There's a great blend of well placed enemies including a cage of ahmets and once you're through with them you're attacked by a harpie and two demigods at once. Plus there's another Hammer God in the last room and you get to kill him with the motorcycle! There's not enough room here to list all the cool stuff - you'll just have to play these yourself." - RaiderGirl

"What a great level indeed. I had to do without the soundfiles as they came with an exe converter which was useless on my Mac but that didn't inhibit my enjoyment of this double feature. It starts outside the prison and I guess everyone sprinted around the huge complex before they found the jumpswitch that leads you to the desert eagle or the crowbar that gave access to the motorcycle. You would expect some SAS guards to patrol the premises but you actually meet surprisingly few during the whole level. Well alive ones that is. There is a lot of jumpswitch flicking in the first part but I really liked the way you gradually got dragged deeper and deeper into the spooky and gripping atmosphere. I particularly cared for the cell with the blood on the walls and the skeleton on the floor (shudder) and the cooler with all the ham. The demigod seemed a bit out of place but everything else fitted quite nicely. In the second part things get more interesting with a bigger variety of tasks a carefully textured underworld and a grumpy cast of enemies that caught me off guard on various occasions. A lot of objects to shoot at but this gives you a perfect excuse to pause and admire the impressive rooms. Yes the elusive third star (or first star if you rather) gave me some trouble but otherwise the gameplay is really fluent and never gets boring. The end is a bit abrupt though. Great entertainment." - Dimpfelmoser

"Absolutely brilliant Double-Level from Hendrik with 2 totally different parts the good story holding them together. In both levels it is very dark in some places especially in the beginning but it fits well to the atmosphere. The prison looked authentic and realistic although the cells were very small. While searching for important jump switches which are always hidden in dark places some dogs soldiers and automatic guns try to kill Lara. The motorbike was not necessary but very handy to get faster through the big prison area. The prisoners will not die of hunger as you can see in the room with a lot of meat. In the second level you get to the underground and soon you will find a temple where a lot of exploring is necessary to proceed in this part. Again a lot of jump switches vases and some of the blue balls to shoot at very well hidden so watch carefully. I was stuck for a long time searching for the third golden star. At this place a lot of players will be stuck it's very well hidden. Hint: Don't care about the underwater door until you have found all 3 golden stars. The big room with the hammer god was brilliant very well made. The soundtrack was perfect especially the classical parts. I liked the camera scene when the big double door opened and two of the demigods walked out to classical music very scary and nearly like a Hollywod movie scene! Also nice the speech sample: '...you are number 6.... I'm a FREE MAN!'. Absolutely recommended download although it's very big but it's because of the music." - Freeman Porter

"Wow what a fantastic double level this is. The puzzles once you got an idea of what the author was about were quite simple (look for things to shoot) and the sound and music provided were really great. You started off in a standard city environment in level one but this soon changed as you progressed deeper into the game and hit level two. Our old friend the hammer god makes a re-appearance and there are also a lot of blocks to push and pull and most of them look exactly like their surroundings. This kept me busy for a tad over 3 hours with lots of head scratching in between. My only complaint was that in parts it was just too dark and there were insufficient flares provided for a level of this nature." - Torry

"These are two beautiful and exciting levels telling a story about an adventure which begins outside of a nearly deserted prison. It's deep in the night when Lara gets inside of it and she meets some very strange and dangerous prisoners and frightening violent guards. Something terrible has happened there and after many fights and hard work :-) she finds a gate to an ancient temple underneath the prison. The temple hides a lot of traps and hidden switches and of course many creatures which defend their temple against Lara who doesn't know that she's on the way to find the cupboard in which the holy tablets of the covenant are kept. Both levels are very lovingly done with many details and great lighting. Many of the sound files are self made and make you grin here and there :-) There are impressive music-files during the fights and the last one is the best of all when you can hear ghosts whispering and laughing nastily! Lara has a new outfit too and her hair is black ;-). She can find five very well hidden secrets and you always should keep the eyes open because there could be an item or a switch everywhere. I had really much fun with testing and playing this game and although the download is a bit more than usual it's really worth it! Play it and enjoy it! :-)" - Miss Kroft

"This is one of those clever levels. Not too difficult to do if you know where to look but the search is the enjoyable part. It had the World trying to find a star which should have been found when you were there but because the object of going there had been achieved (another door opening) you left it for the door. An ingenious level well worth playing." - Fairy Godfather

"There is nothing much to say about the first part of this double level. Lara has to find her way into a jail. In one place you can find the bike but don't really need it you can go by feet as well. Gameplay-wise I found it a bit weak. There was an interesting block puzzle but the other quests were rather simple it was always obvious what to do next. The outside area was much too dark and there weren't so many flares to find. The second part was much better. It takes place in an underground temple area. The puzzles were more thrilling the atmosphere much better the lighting not that dark. I pulled some hair out while finding those three stars (especially THAT one). But the all time searching for THAT one star hindered the fluent gameplay it was not that funny running around and around and around. Your enemies are demigods ahmets guards skeletons und the hammerman. The sound was very good as there were some well known (TR1) and some new music included." - Sheevah

"Nice fluent gameplay lots of puzzles and tricky jumps. Firstly in a prison (almost empty) find your way through and then down into the underground fighting demigods a hammergod and a couple of mummies to finally run away on the motorcycle. I'm not sure what the mission was but the gameplay was lots of fun!" - G.Croft