Level reviews

"Such a pleasure to see somehow a "different" approach in TRLE level building, as this one is a perfect choice for players who have played most of the previously monotonous levels and seeking for something different. Gameplay was intriguing and the atmosphere was designed properly. However, the rooms were extremely dark, and the flares you find at the spawn point of Lara at the very beginning of the adventure is a lifesaver, so don't forget to pick it up. Enemies used didn't suit this style of level in my opinion. As a result, it is worth playing once at the very least. Thank you!" - Mehrbod

"I must say, those ninjas looked really bizarre just casually floating down from the ceiling and then firing at Lara. If they were meant to do that, it was a rather weird choice. Apart from that, I found this to be a solid early effort and it plays well for around 35 minutes. It's quite atmospheric and mostly attractive to look at, although the lighting was too dark overall and the textures were badly applied in a few areas (didn't have too much of an adverse effect on the looks though). There's plenty of ninjas around and those steam emitters do take a toll on your health, so you'll be grateful for the medipacks scattered around. A very playable effort." - Ryan

"Nice raid in a setting with TR2 tibet textures. It's not that difficult, some rooms are very big but you won't be stuck for long. It's very dark, but there is a good amount of flares scattered. I lost a lot of health with the steam. I used 8 medipacks in total. You'll be killing some ninjas, scorpions and mummies. Finished in 35 minutes." - alan

"Oh wow, cloudy with a chance of ninjas. I'd quite forgotten the way they used to drop from above in some of these old levels. It's an atmospheric level this and, no, that's not a euphemism for dark, although it certainly is very dark in places. It plays quite well for an old level and you will be glad of all the medipacks you can find as some of the steam emitters are impossible to get past without loss of health. There might be the odd occasions where a very new player could find the going challenging, but for players with a little experience this should present no problem. Plus you get to blow up a load of mummies, which is always acceptable." - Jay

"Not a bad level and not difficult to play except if you miss a lever; of course, I got stucked near the end with the invisible block in the deep pit, but I didn't found hard tasks. Some rooms are too big, and the texturization is not well worked; however lighting is good with many shadows in all rooms but sometimes that rooms are too dark, even when I found enough flares. Ninjas appearing in midair in front of Lara? The grenade gun appeared too late very near the end but at least I could dispatch a bunch of mummies after finishing. Playable, but I missed some puzzles." - Jose

"A very nice and original level quite challenging with all the puzzle and jump action it involves. I think the use of darkness here worked properly and loved the lighting it has on the ice cavern. What I didn't like is enemies falling down from thin air. I totally recommend it!" - Gonxii

"You start off in a massive cave, and then move on to some sort of factory on the way back to the surface. The initial cave is impressive in its scale but also a demonstration of both the strengths and flaws of the level's visuals; the sheer scale is interesting, but there are stretched textures everywhere. There are some differences later on; in particular there's an interesting use of unorthodox shapes throughout. The lighting is a little hard to judge; it's flat at times and pretty plain, but there's a lot of darkness that manages to work, and, combined with the scale, seem to imbue the level with an unnerving and foreboding atmosphere that transcends the basic visuals.
Gameplay starts off decent, with a mix of exploration and puzzles (although one or two bits of backtracking felt a bit unnecessary), like a nice one with fire tiles. Somewhere about 2/3rds of the way through though it seems to run out the steam and the last section feels slightly repetitive and perfunctory, including an anti-climatic ending. Enemies are used well and Ninjas dropping down out of nowhere manages to enhance the creepy atmosphere I mentioned above (especially when you see their outlines through the darkness). Worth playing through for the strange atmosphere, but it definitely has its flaws and some hallmarks of being an early level (both for the author and for TR editing in general)." - Mman

"Here we have an older level with straightforward and relatively easy game play. There is a large burner puzzle (but easy since Lara is provided with a map) and she also Lara keeps busy with a few agility sequences like a triple rope swing, several ladders, a bit of jumping and sliding, some levers, pickups and a lot of combat. There were plenty of machine pistol toting ninjas (too many for my taste) and they somehow seemed a little out of place in this rusty and crusty environment with distinctive TR2 Gold Cold War level look. . Atmosphere wasn not bad at all with well-chosen standard TR4 sounds. Many of the areas were very dark but luckily there were more than enough flares to find the way. I had a bit of a game stopping moment when Lara had to jump to an invisible floating block in near darkness as it was literally invisible and even flares did not help much here. Toward the end Lara encountered a horde of mummies and a nice pickup in form of a grenade launcher - one shot cleared the whole room. The level had a nice architectural layout and texturing was well done but there were also a couple of stretched ones in some areas. Nothing obviously bad or bothersome and especially since it was so dark these could be easily overlooked. This is one of the early works from a very talented builder who later cranked out a hall of fame level and participated in another one. Definitely worth downloading and playing. (40 minutes, 0 secrets)" - Blue43

"I tried playing this level very early in my Tomb Raiding days, and I got stuck at that chasm jump near the end. Upon replaying it for the purpose of writing the walkthrough, I learned that there was an invisible block that afforded the only legal means of getting across. One of the reviews states that this is an unfair device, but I've certainly seen more devious tricks presented to us by the builders. This is a short but fun romp that will give you a half hour or so of gaming pleasure. There are ninjas galore, a couple of scorpions and a gathering of mummies near the end. One of the greatest pleasures in life is finding a grenade gun while a half dozen mummies are trying to gouge your rear end from all directions. Play this one for the fun of it." - Phil

"A terrific little level. Here is a lesson in how to build and texture a level even if those textures are plain in some areas or stretched they are done in a very acceptable way. And those ice rooms are really quite beautiful. You can't get stuck here it's pretty obvious what you have to do. It's good old fashioned TR. The first huge cave has tantalising ledges and blocks that you think you can climb to and that bridge that spans it looks great. I loved the jumping sequences on the ice columns. It's kind of a mixture of Tibet caves Offshore rig pools rusty walls of Maria Doria and speckled water textures from TRII great stuff and I thought the ninjas descending from the ceilings was a great sight. The coffin room where all the skellies come to life was excellent and I did find the grenade gun in there but I didn't need it after all I just ran for the exit. And the final view of the jeep waiting for you outside is well worth the download. I could have played on and on I was sorry it ended so soon (the sign of a very good level). It's hard to believe this level is almost three years old. Such a lot of fun for such a tiny download there's no excuse not to get it. Well done Dhama." - CC

"Fire & Ice has the look and feel of a first effort. But then it should. Things I liked include the ninja who came down on ropes (their body motions suggested this to me). The fiery column puzzle which at first glance looked to be all but impossible. The double slide with the space in the middle of the first slide. A few of the things I didn't like include the refrigeration unit having a climbable surface but the same surface in the same room not being climbable on the other refrigeration units (or the ceiling for that matter). Palm trees in the snow. Lara wearing shorts and a T-shirt in the snow. The levels were MUCH MUCH TOO DARK. There are plenty of flares but that isn't the point." - Dougsan

"Gameplay a little better here but I did not like the textures very much. Lara starts in a cave and it's rather dark - as a cave usually is I guess ;-) Still many corners were just too dark. Enemies were baddies mostly coming in from above. Lara finds a cartouche and two stars. You need to do a lot of climbing swimming and jumping and there are a few traps but nothing difficult. At the end Lara reaches fresh air ;-)" - Engelchen Lara

"Some moments of ingenuity (snow and ice section that was a pleasant variation on the usually boring mazes) plain ridiculousness (invisible block come on! no way is that good gameplay it's a game stopper) and good fun (several rope swings slides and a very easy burner riddle you can easily shimmy 'around'). About the light well let's see how can I put it without being to blunt: IT'S AGAIN FRICKIN' DARK IN HERE!!! Texture wise nothing to write home about. Enemies seem to be parachuted into the level (but where's the parachute uh?) All in all however a not so bad in-betweenie when you have a little time on your hands." - bERT

"Apart for the darkness and loads of flares this was a great level and it gave me a headache. Listen up level builders: Dark is not always better! There are some great jumps to do in this level. Getting first of all the Cartouche and then two Hands and a bit later pushing levers will grant your access yet to another area. The jumping towards ropes are a great idea. Was glad I found the gun as ninja's fell from the ceiling everywhere you turned. There was also a lost scorpion and almost at the end some mummies. You even find the grenade gun so you can turn around and blast them away if you want. Thanks for giving us the floor plan for the jumps over the burners that was neat. The boulder/rope jump had me reloading quite a few times. I still have a headache from playing in the dark. 01-09-2002" - Gerty

"Nicely done. A level from the old days but still interesting and if you didn't look at the date you could easily say it was build recently. Quite dark at some areas but with enough flares not that they are needed most of the time the shadows were a nice touch and the room with the sloped and flat icy blocks had reflected lighting. A cartouche piece and two hands are puzzle items the player will need to go through it although the game play isn't about puzzles. The underwater areas and the sloped surfaces along with the ropes and firetraps blocks which you must jump on to and get across were well linked. The enemies often enough were coming down from nowhere baddies mummies were there to give you some trouble that and some shells for the revolver I couldn't get because a door was blocking the way but the way to them was open that might not be a mistake are the only negative points. One invisible block near the end made me search for hours until I gave up and asked for help an embarrassing moment or defective binoculars. I particularly liked the two bridges I haven't seen any in a long time they are very rare. I am talking about wooden bridges and getting outside I was expecting to find some more puzzles but unfortunately the level ended pity the scenery looked very promising. A good level all together play it." - Kristina

"The creator of this level knows how to use large rooms to their full advantage in this level and makes each new room hold some new fun mystery to work out the positioning of pick ups was impeccable and each one seemed essential for the moment it was found especially the grenade gun and medipacks this was not a short level by any means but I found myself wanting so much more at the end because I was already given so much and my appetite had been wet!" - Sash

"The readme states this level would play like an endurance course and that holds true as it does start slowly and because more and more fun as you go through. The initial huge cavern is marvelous and the bridge really cool. Good use of steam here and there making it just that little bit more difficult. The ice cavern and especially its lighting is awesome. The enemy of choice are the ninjas here and I counted about 20 to be killed some appearing out of nowhere most of them floating down from high above which looks a little strange. Nice idea with the fire puzzle (took me a bit to figure it out) and a few good jump and slide combinations a triple rope jump and an easy mummy gauntlet keep you entertained. Quite a pity that the level ends after about 30 minutes when you reach the outside." - Michael

"Dhama's abilities with the editor were much better than his first work, as it should be expected. One room that is fixed in my mind is the glacial one with tricky jumps to do. Oh, by the way, there is a lot of jumping in this level. The level was pretty linear, with a lot of enemies to kill. Most of them falling from the top of the rooms (bad placement). The outside rooms, that unfortunately were few, are awesome! The texturization is very good and the lighting is good as well. The level finishes after about 30 minutes, when Lara gets out of the place!" - Treeble

"Really a nice journey to the underworld where ice does not melt. Some rooms are just amazingly designed. The final part is also great and the player is rewarded with breathtaking scenery. A pity that this cannot be explored! The overall game play is good and tends to be VERY good towards the end... We want the sequel!" - Jbc21

"Overall a pretty good level with excellent textures although a few minor errors but the level lives up to its name." - TrueRaider

"Wow! This is one action packed level! I found room after room of great puzzles tricky jumps and gun toting baddies. Though it got off to a slow start it wasn't long before I was hooked and wanting more. There were many different interesting textures used throughout the level giving each room it's own unique feel while managing to keep each room blending smoothly into the next. I can tell a lot of work went into creating this level. My only complaint is the many dark areas and not nearly enough flares to suit me. I don't like levels where you are often lighting flares to see where you're going. Aside from that - an amazing level and worth downloading." - RaiderGirl

"Ya know it's really hard for me to dislike any level made by Dhama but this one really isn't too great. It has great puzzles and the overall structure of the thing is incredibly good but it's the textures that turned me off. I did however play through the whole level. I wouldn't go back and do it again though. It's not great but some people might like it." - Elpasodude

"The first cavern quite took my breath away and reminded me so much of the best parts of TR1 & 2; I was only slightly disappointed that more hadn't been made of all the various nooks and crannies (or had I overlooked something again?). As the level progressed the player is absolutely spoiled for choice with impressive rooms and caverns one following another in quick succession but never becoming repetitive. Indeed Dhama's ability to ring the changes on the 'big room/cave' theme was quite impressive. Gameplay was fun and full of momentum although there were never any particularly tricky puzzles to solve; the jumping room was enjoyable (although which came first this level or Staticon's Doom Temples? They both use the exact same idea); and the texturing and lighting were never less than inventive. All in all a beautifully constructed level." - Orbit Dream

"From the very start it was obvious that a lot of time and effort went into making of this level. The game flowed along nicely from each section to the next with for the most part fairly linear puzzles. The TR2 gold texture set was well used though there were lots of stretched textures in the taller rooms. Lots of shadows were used too many in places but then that's what flares are for! Other lighting effects were totally fantastic though of particular note was the large ice room that undulated with colour. Enemy and object placement was good though there was a pickup of revolver shells that couldn't be reached because they were placed behind a door (that I couldn't open at least) with the infamous invisible block. The only real disappointment with this well crafted level is that it could have been a treasure hunters 'wet dream' there were lots of difficult to access areas that could have been used to better effect. All in all a very good level that is deserving of so much more than the mediocre rating it received so far." - Inchdix

"Fire And Ice is the second level by Dhama. I have not played this since I play-tested it back in February 2001. I am fortunately blessed with a terrible memory and forgotten what a vast improvement on 'Cleopatras Other Palace' this level was. I jumped when ninjas swooped from the sky to get me marveled at one of the most awesome slide jump and swing puzzles I have ever seen and very nearly had kittens when attacked by all those Mummies at the end of the level. Along the way I kept falling off the multiple rope swing in the warehouse got incinerated on a giant flaming chessboard and had to make several attempts to avoid the rolling spiked ball. Fiendish but fun. Rooms were thoughtfully designed and well textured and the lighting suited the environment superbly with just the right amount of bad guys. I did wonder if I was going to survive at one point but there are just enough health packs along the route. Another great hour of entertainment." - Staticon

"A really nice TR2 Gold atmosphere interesting design and puzzles and overall - a level you shouldn't miss if you enjoyed TR2 Gold. The texturing could have been better and so could be the enemy placement but otherwise I enjoyed this adventure to the last minute." - eTux

"When I started out to play custom levels I thought that only the best was good enough for me so I downloaded the top 50. In retrospect a mistake cause this is the kind of level I should've had for a warm up. Not too tricky but so much fun and no chance of getting stuck. Sounds a bit patronizing but it's not meant that way cause I really liked this fast and action packed adventure. The gameplay is very linear you get only a few levers and I do like those rusty corridors. The ninjas become a bit annoying after a while and I could have done without the mummies at the end but there are so many fine moments that I don't mind some of the weaker aspects. I particularly enjoyed the jumps across the ice room and escaping the spiked bolder via the rope. The jump sequence along the slopes is impossible to mess up I think but it gave me a moment of pleasure all the same. There is not much variation as far as textures are concerned but what you get is used to maximum effect and they all fit together rather nicely resulting in a authentic atmosphere that effortlessly switches between warehouse and caves. I was really cross when it was over after only 40 minutes. I would have liked to raid a little longer there. I hate to admit it but here we have a level from Dhama that is definitely underrated. Well that's justice for you I guess." - Dimpfelmoser

"It may be because TR2/Lost Artifact was the first Tomb Raider game I played that I have something of a soft spot for the industrial textures used in this level but whatever the truth I really enjoyed playing this level. We start off in a large and rather dark cavern area and progress in a somewhat linear fashion through a variety of rooms differently interestingly and attractively attired. With only a couple of exceptions the route to progress is fairly obvious but the level is no less enjoyable for this. At worst one will only be stuck for a few minutes and the solution to your problem will be close at hand so there is no risk of spending frustrating hours searching for a hidden lever or camouflaged crowbar. The jumps aren't particular challenging but well placed and fun to negotiate. Enemies take the form of several ninjas a couple of scorpions and a bevy of mummies. I particularly liked the way the ninjas abseiled into play. The level isn't big on puzzles well there's only the one really but the hint to the solution of this is easily found once you look so you'll not be hung up for too long. Having said that I had to email Dhama for the solution to crossing the chasm at the end of the level. Embarrassingly the answer was pretty obvious but had eluded me for hours! Negatives? Well I only found one secret and that didn't register on the stats screen. I've no idea how many I missed but the one I did find didn't inspire me to go in search of more and some pick-ups that seemed worthy of secret status apparently weren't. The cavern area accessed by the cartouche piece seemed redundant - at least I bypassed it altogether the first time I played the level and the ending is a bit of an anti-climax. Nevertheless I really enjoyed playing the level and it's certainly worth the download." - Tune Razor