Level reviews

"To follow up the amazing fun fact in eTux's review, 18 years later and there's only 17 levels with 'dragon' in the title (two of which were made by this author) and, funnily enough, to recall Mulf's task stated elsewhere, there are 20 levels with 'another' in the title. I wonder if 'another' is a more interesting theme than 'dragons'? Anyway, to the level at hand, this was a pretty simple and straightforward raid, despite the hints of nonlinearity. Just make sure you get at least one guardian key and one vraeus from each of the side passages (which are surprisingly quite long, considering their starting point at the hub) and you're good. While the level had a particular atmosphere going on for it, the textures come from so many different sets it felt a bit odd at times (and especially the VCI spinning fan on the ancient temple walls, like - what?). There are no dragons per se, but you'll run into about 15 or so crocodiles as you make your way through randomly stumbling upon the armor pieces before leaving. Not a bad level, but the author has definitely graced us with better levels since. 55 minutes, 5 secrets. 04/20" - Treeble

"Although the objects and textures are somewhat eclectic, the overall effect is oriental, so Lara's bright (and short) cheongsam is rather appropriate. The action involves visiting various areas off a main hub, which I always like, and finding a lot of guardian keys and uraei, whilst battling tigers, crocs, ninjas and, at one point, what appeared to be a south sea islander on a horse! It's quite a lively raid and certainly something a bit out of the ordinary for levels of this age." - Jay

"For its age, this has held up better than other levels and still provides a fun raid. You explore off different areas of a hub room by finding Guardian Keys and Golden Vraeuses to explore each part. Along the way Lara will encounter ninjas, tigers and scorpions. Some of the textures seemed to be taken from TR2's Temple of Xian. Worth a look. And that outfit. Lara, what were you thinking? That is not acceptable raiding gear." - Ryan

"Long level with a lot of tasks to do. Not difficult to play, you must only explore and find all the artifacts you need shooting animals on your way. The revolver appears too late, after the 4 golden vraeus are placed, and the ammo for the other guns was not enough, 'cause there are many crocs and tigers to shoot. The secrets are not hidden. The worst is that you can miss an artifact and the author lets you abandone the area without it, so it can succeed that you return to the room with all the receptacles and get stucked. Anyway a classic-style level nice to play." - Jose

"Trivia time: Did you know this is the first custom level to ever use the word 'dragon' in its title? Fascinating stuff - one would think with the small, but respectable amount of oriental custom levels we have, builders would've gone for titles like "Wossname of the Dragon" and " The Curse of the Despicable Dragon's Thingummy" more often. Be that as it may - the author's second level offers a decent adventure of the duration of about an hour, as you're sent on a quest of I-don't-even-remember-how-many guardian's keys, four Vraueses and 5 armour pieces-cum- secrets. Builders who're unable to grasp the concept that secrets in Tomb Raider basically mean OPTIONAL gameplay exasperate me at times, especially when something placed exclusively in a secret is required to finish the level. To be fair to the author - you don't need the armour to finish the game (but wasn't acquiring the armour the objective? I'm confused) and it is kinda hard to miss in here (I found that a few of the Vrauses were concealed much more effectively than any of the secrets), so as ill- conceived as the concept may have been - it doesn't necessarily stand in the way of your gaming experience. I was a bit wary that the way the guardian keys were used to unlock areas in a non-linear fashion might lead to stuck- for-good moments if you're not mindful where you use them up (one is needed for the sort-of optional secrets), but the author fortunately managed to avoid building himself in the corner. The tasks are pleasant and undemanding - offering simple, yet enjoyable jump sequences, rope swings, avoiding dart traps - but mostly fighting ninjas, crocodiles, tigers and scorpions in generous quantities and a sole horse- mounted South Pacific native(?), and - less enjoyably - repeatedly going back and fro to the hub area, and finding your path through the rather labyrinthine passageways. The author also uses the camera hints in a rather peculiar way - providing them before you push a button or use a key, rather than the usual post-action kind, but - hey - as long as they're there, right? The author succeeds in setting up some interesting areas - like the menagerie, the pseudo-volcano at the start, and the somewhat claustrophobic caves - but on the whole, texturing is a bit erratic, a bit lazy in some rooms (wallpapered, the occasional squashed texture, the end of the world can be reached via a couple of simple jumps) - and some textures seem rather out of place (the spinning fans in a pre-industrial temple?). Lighting is good in some rooms, non-existent in others - so the overall feel is inconsistent. But the aesthetics are of the sort, that if you decide to blissfully ignore the more technical shortcomings, they can still be enjoyed in the right spirit. The outfit is cute, but as mentioned by others - makes the (quite numerous) times Lara has to crawl or swim a bit embarrassing to watch. On the whole - my lower ratings don't indicate, as one could presume, that I found my time here less enjoyable than other players - it's merely that with trying to pull off this critic act properly I have to be, you know, critical of the level's more obvious shortcomings - and this one was unfortunate enough to land in my way some couple of hundreds of levels after I started being more demanding in scoring, though in my defense - it does feel a little dated in some aspects. But still definitely worth a try, and a worthy pick from the selection offered by the early level building days." - eTux

"Here's a level that recently enjoyed its 10th anniversary, just as this site has. It's a nice little level, too, one that took me about an hour and twenty minutes to complete. Not bad for a download the size of a typical sound file bundled in most of today's releases. The concept is a familiar one, find an artifact that opens a door leading to the next artifact that allows you to open the next door, and so so. By definition this requires a good bit of backtracking, but in many cases the builder has graciously provided a shortcut to relieve a bit of the boredom. The lighting and surroundings are very player friendly, and Dutchy has provided a walkthrough that's clear and complete. Levels such as these never get old in my book. Recommended." - Phil

"This was the very first custom level that I ever played, and as such I remember it quite well. The setting was pretty nice, the textures were well positioned and it easily captured the feel of an oriental level. The gameplay was good too, involving some Lava jumps at the start, some dart traps to avoid and a good few enemies to shoot. There was also a horseman to deal with at the end of the level, which provided a nice challenge. This is quite an enjoyable level that is still good nowadays despite it's age." - Spike

"Going onto Peter's 2nd level this adventure becomes a little bit more challenging than Peter's first one. There is a lot more exploring to do running & swimming around in this level in search of the many items you need to find & collect to proceed further into this level. So if you just keep in mind that in each section you go into you need to come out with the 2 most important items a guardian key and a vraeus than you should have no problems in finishing the game but some are quite easily missed as they are quite well hidden so keep your eyes open and search & explore everything. Your enemies are crocs scorpions ninja's and the native on the horse he was the most difficult to take out but just keep running & side-flipping while shooting with your pistols taking the least amount of damage if possible and soon he will be easily disposed off. Secrets are parts of armour which I only found 3 but you don't need to find all of the secrets to finish the game. I really enjoyed playing this level and the texture's layout's and lighting was just brilliantly done everything was perfectly placed and well laid out which gives this level a great atmosphere with some excellent game-play. So if you like exploring levels then you won't be disappointed with this one so d/load it now and see for yourself. Thanks Peter for another great Lara adventure." - Gill

"Well this level was good solid fun. I really like Asian levels and this one was lovely. Loved Lara's dress! Gameplay was easy but so much fun for me. Collected four vreaus and seven or eight guardian keys. Also got 5 pieces of armor. I really like the way Peter designs. Thanks for the explosives for the crocs. His levels must be played! I could play this one again." - Lady Lara

"What Peter not a castle! Okay in this one Peter takes you away from the castle environment and puts you into an Asian setting complete with short Asian style dress and pumps and when I say short I mean it you almost see Lara's red panties at every move. Well that will have the boys downloading so what's for the girls! There are some nice pussy cats to pet I guess that's if you like stroking gorgeous ferocious tigers that will take your arm off as soon as look at ya. In this level you must go on four small adventures each linear and simple but still enjoyable with the aim to find a guardian key vraeus and piece of secret armour in all four the fifth secret is to be found just before the end. Having to replay it for the review I found it to be a level you can play again happily as it has a great flow isn't too long at an hour and has an interesting enough environment that you feel instantly at home in it. I will say that this isn't a puzzler of a level and may be a little too easy for a lot of people's taste but it really is a nice little level." - Sash

"The last 3 levels I downloaded were called 'Temple of the Aztecs' 'Temple of the Mayans' and now 'Temple of the Dragon' - seems many level creators could learn a thing or two about how to come up with an imaginative promising title? Anyway it's the content that matters and here we go with an extensive area to discover. Lara is running for miles but the textures create such a variety of sights that the sightseeing never becomes boring. Few creators have such a sharp eye for beautiful settings. Maybe the coloured light is occasionally overdone. Keys are to be placed in their keyholes in one central hall so the next area can be searched for the next key. That gave me a clear idea of my task thus confusion (as experienced not only once in other custom levels) was avoided. The gameplay remained interesting all the way though. I jumped in my chair when one tiger jumped at my Lara hidden behind rocks in a cave. The difficulty was neither set to high or too low for me well balanced. The level does have a few mistakes: one rolling ball is not triggered a few holes to jump into don't have a water texture you can jump against the 'end of the world' if you climb the rocks and in one room that is textured like water there is only thin air (it's the pool in the room where 3 crocodiles are running on land right after the room with the 4 swimming crocs) probably it wasn't marked W(ater) in the editor. Nothing important that would spoil the fun though. Except Lara wouldn't wear these shoes for climbing rocks and jumping over lava. Summa summarum very nice indeed." - Rüdiger

"I loved this level very much although I had to explore the level once more because of one of the Vraeuses. This is a great adventure not particularly difficult; I can recommend it to anyone. The enemies are ninjas tigers scorpions and crocodiles. You have to find Guardian Keys and 4 Golden Vraeuses. You will find at least one of them behind each gate and 5 pieces of armour. The textures are excellent but there are no added sounds. Maybe Lara's outfit doesn't really fit to the level but she must had get there immediately. :-) By the end of the level a Guardian Key remained for me. I may have missed something still I got through the level twice." - Obig

"Stormchaser really knows how to build terrific levels for good old fashioned tomb raiding. The lighting is great if a little gloomy (must be a storm coming) noticeable particularly in the changes of shadow and light on Lara's lovely oriental silk dress. The finds are pyramid keys and vraeus. There's a lot of running climbing and swimming around but it is never dull. I believe we're in Thailand purely because there is a map on a wall in two of the rooms showing this area of the world. There's the original orange+black tigers from 'Great Wall' and I left some of them to themselves as they were no treat to me and the poor critters are on the verge of extinction anyway. There are a lot of crocodiles but thankfully easy to tackle. The layout and textures of the temples and mountain rocks is very well done - check out those dragon wall tiles. I loved the large maze area with lion statues and the cage of tigers. And perhaps that's a 'junk' at the end instead of an Egyptian boat! I loved the whole thing great fun." - CC

"Lara starts in a temple and has to find plenty of artifacts: 8 guardian keys and 4 golden vraeus among them. Also you can find all five armor pieces as secrets. Puzzles were easy but you have plenty to do. Several doors to open which always reveal new areas for Lara to explore and then you come back to the place where you need to place the artifacts. I really liked the architecture especially the small caves and the whole temple structure was nicely built. There were plenty of enemies among them ninjas baddies crocodiles a few scorpions and a reworked horseman. I liked the textures very diverse though not always cleanly applied especially in the outside areas. What I liked the most was the atmosphere - everything harmonized very well. And the outfit of Lara was really sweet - the miniskirt with fitting shoes - great! :-) I can recommend this level." - Engelchen Lara

"One of Peter's early levels but to my surprise a very good one. The gameplay is simple but the level doesn't let you get bored. I loved Lara's outfit that green dress was very feminine. Guardian keys I found eight and four vraeus are needed to end the level as well as the four pieces of the armor but if you don't find them you can finish they are secrets easy ones but still secrets. Those items are hidden inside caves underwater tunnels cages with wild animals tigers to be more exact and crocodiles. A few ninjas and scorpions will also appear. I could have used some flares because of them I missed a button and wandered around clueless for some time. Enough said go play the level." - Kristina

"I loved the Asian inspired look of this level with textures used from the Temple of Xian the great cats from the China levels from TR 2 and Lara's new outfit which seemed to be either blue or green depending on the lighting. The level started out a bit slow for me because I had this bright idea to collect all four Guardian's keys before I used them and I didn't get very far using that plan. As soon as I figured out what an idiot I was the rest of the level went very smoothly and though fairly linear there's often a choice of which direction you want to take next but I always ended up where I needed to be. There are a number of enemies throughout the areas and I killed all of the ninjas but I decided to make the level more interesting by not killing any of the animals which included tigers crocs and scorpions. It's quite a large level and seems to be set in a large temple which took me a little over an hour to get through finding five secrets along the way. One of the best enemies I've seen was near the end - what looked to be a headhunter on the back of the horse from the young Lara levels in Chronicles. With it's great blend of exploring enemies and great jumps I can highly recommend this level." - RaiderGirl

"This is certainly a mixed bag of a level. Everything is in it. The author seems confused with his atmosphere. It seems like we are in India what with the background music and the tigers but it must be China because of it being a temple to the dragon. There are other oddities to add to the confusion such as Venetian boats and a rather silly costume with ridiculous shoes. Having said that I enjoyed it and had a very fun time. Like Gerty I do not like shooting tigers (I know it is only a game but it affronts my sensibilities) so avoid it when I can. Nothing difficult about this level but I recommend it for an evening's entertainment." - Sherry

"I was sorry to reach the end as it felt that I just started the level. But I have been playing a bit over 1.30 hours. What a nice surprise never got stuck although I have to admit that some keys eluded me and I had to go back for them. Felt really sorry to kill the tigers and some of them I didn't. There is more than enough goodies to find here as well as 7 Guardian Keys (one to take home as a souvenir) and 4 Vraeus. Then there is also the 5 pieces of the armor they do count as secrets. This is an explore level and that is what I did. Find a Guardian Key and put it in its slot and the next door is open. 4 small adventures nothing too hard. Enemies are two types of ninjas the sword and the uzi kind tigers scorpions and crocs. And last but not least (it looked like one or his Chinese equivalent) a Samurai on a horse. As for the outfit of Lara what can I say not something I would wear doing what she is doing. Don't get me wrong I do admire all the persons that make it possible to put some different clothes on her back but a dress... come on. Next time she'll end up in an evening gown with even higher heels. I loved the textures used in this level and the lighting was also very well done. 29-09-2002" - Gerty

"This is a great level. It's choc full of atmosphere and is beautifully textured. The 'end of the world' is too easily reached in the early stages of the game but thereafter everything (construction wise) is faultless. The gameplay however is pretty simplistic (although greatly enjoyable). Most of the rooms are simply there to run through; the secrets are located right in front of you for the most part; there are no proper 'what am I supposed to do here?' puzzles; and the level slightly outstays it's welcome IMO. But does all this matter? No of course it doesn't. This level is a fun and immersive experience. It's huge and eminently explorable even when there's nothing to find. Mind you Lara's dress (although extremely becoming) is a little immodest but as yours truly works for Playboy all it did was make me feel as though I were back at work again." - Orbit Dream

"A game for hunters and gatherers lots of guardian keys and artifacts are to find. And all that in a turquoise dress and high heels! When Lara is swimming you can see her string tanga it's not really fitting in this inhospitable area. But for all that the ninjas still only want to kill her ;) Joking aside i didn't like the graphical design very much but that's a matter of taste. But the concept of the game was good anyway open one after one the four doors in any order explore the different areas and search for another guardian key a golden vraeus and a secret in the form of one of the 5 armor pieces. A lot of crocodiles tigers and ninjas are trying to prevent that. But lots of medipacks and weapons and ammo are helping Lara to avoid these enemies easily. Also for beginners well playable not very difficult give it a try!" - Freeman Porter

"This one is worth the download just for Lara's outfit! The high-heel slippers just had me cracking up! Use your imagination how they stay on her feet during this adventure! And Lara should see a doctor for retaining all that water in her feet. Boy and that string-tanga! I also noticed how well done the lighting is; her dress looks like real silk! It shimmers and shines in all different colors depending on how the light is and where she stands (some might not care about this and it's not really important for the game but it constantly caught my eye). So I think: Very good work on that! But anyhow about the game: It plays in a very nice oriental setting. I enjoyed the whole level due to the very fluent gameplay. You get one pickup after the other use it and proceed to different interesting areas inside and outside. There are enough weapons ammo and medpacks to keep this game fun and stress-free. The ninjas tigers and crocs are easily taken care of and you get to collect the golden armor as secrets. I recommend this level for beginners but it will also be an enjoyable level for advanced players." - Pam

"Well one of the best parts of this level was Lovely Lara's outfit. Boy can she wear an outfit! I don't think her shoes were well suited for the task ahead but congrats to the author for stirring memories! Ok and NOW to the game. This level is very big and there are a few places to go so you need to keep your wits about you. You have to collect 4 golden bird things and several guardian keys as you progress. There is a little underwater swimming to do and she does this with ease although her modesty is compromised somewhat along the way - lol. There aren't any puzzles to solve and the usual ninjas and associated bad men can be silenced with ease. A nice game to play." - Doug E

"I had a delightful time playing this level. Of course that is once I got used to Lara's new apparel. PUHLEEZE very cute but I was quite embarrassed at times and kept thinking I was going to have to go back for a shoe. But what a fun level lots of puzzles lots of exploring plenty of baddies in sweaty palm situations. I mean you KNEW you had to open that tiger cage right? And you KNEW you were going to end up with those crocodiles. I was a little disappointed in the jumping task with the sloping blocks it could have been more difficult. And there was no way you could miss a secret for all you had to do was get near one for the chime to sound. Great fun collecting all those guardian keys and vraeus' (what IS plural for vraeus?). This is a definite download for the beginner or the more experienced raider I spent almost 2 hours wandering around." - Momster

"What a fabulous outfit indeed although the Geisha miniskirt dress and especially the shoes are quite inappropriate for the occasion and for the swimming and crawling passages the level should probably be only allowed for 'over 16 year olds' - LOL. The 1:10 hours adventure starts out in a nicely crafted rocky outside area with a lava stream and there is a lot of exploring and running around to do throughout the whole level. No less than seven guardian keys and four vraeus allow for your progression towards the awaiting gondola at the end. There are basically four separate paths to follow in the sequence of your liking and the five pieces of armor mark the not so hard to find secrets. The texture set chosen is great but at times the rooms are a bit boxy and textures are repetitively applied. Enemies are fun with a bunch of tigers ninjas scorpions and crocodiles suitable placed and a native on a horse too. You can actually skip the short detour at the end to open the grated door near the gondola as you can simply jump over it. Fun raiding for a rainy evening." - Michael

"Lara in a miniskirt and with high shoes. Certainly this looks beautiful however is hardly suitable to investigate a temple. Otherwise the atmosphere was good the textures looked Chinese somehow I liked the far-eastern atmosphere. A few cameras led Lara on her way and the sound certainly was used little but well. There was opponents solidly placed: tiger baddies crocodiles scorpions and even a riding native which somehow seemed completely out of place. Nevertheless the puzzles were easier to solve than it first seemed. Find a guardian key place it and move on. Finally Lara had to use 4 found vraeus and then the end was not far any more. A joke were the jump combinations you will find out for yourself why. It is a pity as I had expected from the beginning to meet the dragon but unfortunately it did not come and the level was abruptly finished. A level for beginner but one has to invest some time." - Xxenofex

"A level with an Asiatic and jungle atmosphere. You meet baddies crocs tigers and scorpions (but no dragon) they are all no problem as you also find shotgun crossbow and sixshooter and about two dozens (!) of medipacks. The only traps are some dart spitters and some gaps. You have to find four guardian keys and four golden vraeus. The texturing is not that perfect tapestry-like in some spots but all in all it was okay. Lighting was okay too. Lara's new outfit - well it's of that kind you'd rather expect her to wear on a sunny sunday afternoon making a walk in the park ;o). I needed 1'30'' to finish." - Sheevah

"Aldragon raider. There are some similarities between this level and Smallmoon's levels. Lara must retrieve the maximum of the 5 pieces of armor (they are counted as secrets) in areas with an oriental look gardens temples or caves. She must find 4 golden vraeus necessary to end the level in 4 different and parallel adventures where you can have some glimpses of the others. I have found also 8 guardian keys 6 are necessary for the progression one is for a secret and one for a bonus souvenir. Enemies are ninjas crocs tigers and little scorpions and Tinman_retextured_in_geronimo on his horse at the end. The texturing is good the level is long (1 hour 30) the progression is sometimes a little boring. My favourite moments was the exploration of the garden and caves and the visit to the zoo." - eRIC

"This is a must play for at least two reasons. You get Lara in a mini dress and high heels (well not exactly high heels but I don't know the English word for this kind of footwear definitely more feminine than the boots we're used to) and near the end you have to battle the iron horseman coastal village style. Actually you don't have to battle the horseman cause as no matter which socket you put your last guardian key in you will have a spare one when you proceed. The outfit is really brilliant although me being such a decent chap I felt slightly uneasy during the long swims (you will know what I mean when you get there). The gameplay is rather straightforward four gates with four different and fairly easy tasks that you can accomplish in any order. Neither the five secrets nor the four golden thingies are very well hidden and yet this colourful and exotic adventure will take you some time as there is so much distance to cover. Mind you it never gets dull as it's quite beautifully textured and I liked the way how every once in a while you pass gates and windows that give you a view of other parts of the quest. You get far too many medipacks bearing in mind that the assorted wildlife is quite easy to kill (I never used the lasersight crossbow or shotgun) and the few ninjas and assassins pose no big threat either. But that's not going to spoil the fast paced fun for you. I'm not absolutely sure what the appeal of this jolly spree is but I enjoyed it immensely. No mind bending puzzles mean traps or tricky jumps instead you get a bit of exploring and basically just enjoy the walk in this zoo like temple that is truly a delight to look at. I also liked the way you rarely got a cut scene hint when you pushed the button (placed the item) but rather when you approached the trigger." - Dimpfelmoser

"I wasn't really impressed when I started to play but when the level progressed it got more and more interesting and fun to play. It's not very hard; I never got stuck but that's nice for a change. The enemies are tigers crocs and ninjas mostly. I really liked what he did with the horseman. Lara's outfit was nice too. I found 5 secrets and my playtime was 1:50h. A very nice level set in China. (no spiders thank goodness I hate spiders especially the big ones in TR2). Anyway worth to play in my opinion. I had a good time." - Josi