THE LAST CRUSADE
Levels by René Brooymans (Piega)
Authorized walkthrough written by Phil Lambeth
Level 1 - THE LIBRARY
Lara begins her adventure atop a pillar flanked by jackal heads in the center of a small square pool. A panoramic view of what will be called the Single Pillar Courtyard gives you a glimpse of the tile roofs, cobblestone walkways and purple-tinted buildings as unseen birds chirp and bells clang. Jump forward to restore camera control and look up at the deep blue sky and the swiftly passing clouds. Ahead to the S is a building guarded by two Poseidon-like statues. Just to the left of that is a closed lattice-work door.
Turn left to face the E building. Run up the stairs past the archways, step onto the right-hand platform and pick up the uzi ammo. Draw your pistols and shatter the barricade ahead, then step into the alcove for the UZIS. Hop back and go to the adjacent alcove for some more uzi ammo. Hop back again and continue N past a closed gate to your left. Go up the stairs to your right and loop around to the left into a short corridor. Put those uzis to work and take out an assassin who emerges from the doorway ahead to challenge you. Go through that doorway and turn right into a small courtyard with a closed iron gate to your left. Continue E down the stairs into a new area to be called the Rearing Horses Courtyard and watch the scenic flyby.
Step into this beautiful sun-splashed courtyard that features a central well and a statute of a rearing horse at each corner. If you look down into the well you can see a climbing surface on the N face, but that's for later. There's a lot of territory to cover in this level, so it makes sense to spend a little time reconnoitering, and grabbing some goodies along the way, before getting down to serious business. Run to the NE corner of this courtyard, into the little alley, and vault up onto the block for some more uzi ammo. Go back and run to the S side of the courtyard.
Turn left near the SE corner and run up the stairs as the camera angle changes. Turn right and enter another enclosed area. Locate the uzi ammo in a grassy N enclosure, some crossbow arrows at the top of the E stairs, and another stash of uzi ammo in the SE alcove. Climb up onto the block occupied by the Poseidon statue and jump N to the ledge and the nearby E block for the small medipack. Hop back and crawl under the balcony at the N end of the ledge for some shotgun ammo.
Hop back down to the floor and note for later (don't activate it now) the SW jumpswitch before returning NW to the Rearing Horses Courtyard. Climb up onto the landing of the W building for more uzi ammo. There's nothing more to do here for the moment, so leave this courtyard by running up the SW stairs and follow them as they wind back to the small courtyard. Turn left into the area where you killed the assassin earlier, and loop around left toward a flight of stairs leading down to another lattice-work door at the end of the corridor. Make a mental note of it for later, then reverse roll and run back up the stairs. Turn left twice and return to the Single Pillar Courtyard. Run across the courtyard into a little alley in the SW corner and note the barricade in the second-story window.
Stand directly beneath the window and face it, then draw your pistols. Back flip onto the sloped surface behind you and shoot repeatedly to shatter the barricade. Then holster your pistols and repeat the back flip, only this time jump off, grab the edge of the windowsill and pull up into the alcove. Pick up the crossbow poison arrows and turn around. Take a running jump and grab to the E crawl space. Pull up inside, turn around and lower Lara down the other side for SECRET #1.
Turn around and go on a little treasure hunt. But first, draw your uzis and turn toward the dark S wing of the library. You'll draw out an assassin who drops shotgun ammo when he dies. Then pause to collect the SHOTGUN lying on the floor at the entrance. Go inside and pick up three stashes of uzi ammo scattered about on the Oriental rug. At the end of the E passage is another closed lattice-work door. (This is the entrance to the bonus area you won't be able to access until much later in the game.) Get some shotgun ammo in the NW and S alcoves, then climb up onto the short bookshelf against the E wall. Take a standing jump and grab to the higher S bookshelf, pull up, turn left and push the button to open the first of several doors allowing access to the bonus area.
Drop to the floor and leave this room through the N doorway. Turn right and vault up into the passage. Follow it down the stairs until you reach an open lattice-work door. Return to the Single Pillar Courtyard and run N along the front of the library. Just to give yourself an introductory look at a third outside area, run up the NE stairs, stop long enough to pick up some uzi ammo from the alcove to your left, and continue through the doorway and down the stairs until you reach what will be called the Twin Pillar Courtyard. Take a brief look, then turn around and return to the Single Pillar Courtyard. Loop around left and run down the hallway and up the stairs to your right. Bear left into the small courtyard and run down the E stairs.
When you get back to the Rearing Horses Courtyard, turn left and face the main library building N. Run up the stairs through the left opening, turn left at the landing and take the winding staircase into the library. An assassin steps out of the darkness ahead of you as you hear the sound of a door opening, so draw your uzis and dispose of him quickly.
Enter the dark, dank inner recesses of the library. Light a flare, walk right or left around the bookshelf and take in the vastness of the open space ahead. Locate the stairwell in the SE corner. Take the stairs to the second story and pick up some flares in an E alcove as you make your way around this area in a counterclockwise direction. When you reach the end, be careful not to drop off the edge near the NW corner, or you'll have to make the circuit all the way around again.
Take a running jump S from the edge down to the top of the bookshelf. Walk to the other end and jump straight up to grab the ledge supporting the column. Shimmy to the left around the ledge and past the inaccessible crawl space, and keep shimmying until you can pull up on the adjacent ledge. Step around the column and run (not jump) off the other side of the ledge onto another bookshelf. Walk forward to the S edge and take a running jump into the darkness onto a checkered-tile ledge. Turn right and loop around left, up and down the stairs (noting the crates ahead), into an alcove with shotgun ammo. Return to the previous dark ledge and walk E. Loop around right, go past the bookshelves and enter an alcove. You'll trigger a trap door that drops you down to the first floor, while at the same time creating a short cut to the area you'll visit next.
Turn left and use the ladder to climb back up to the second floor. Shift left and drop down into the passage. Turn left and loop around left and up the stairs into the room filled with crates. Walk out to the N edge of the checkered-tile floor overlooking more crates below. Take a running jump onto one of them and turn to the right. Jump to the ledge against the E wall, then turn to the left and take a standing jump (with grab if necessary) to land on the winding staircase ahead.
Turn left and run up the stairs in a clockwise direction past a dangling rope, then continue in a counterclockwise direction until you're facing S. Ready your shotgun and take a running jump S to the rafters ahead, whereupon two skeletons will awaken to your right and left. You can try to blast them off the edge or through the central opening from where you're standing, or you can turn around and jump back to the staircase to assume a defensive position. (If you choose the latter, be aware that the nimble skeletons can also jump over the gap and engage you at close quarters.) When the coast is clear, you can find another shotgun on the rafter next to the S wall if you're interested in maximum pickups. Getting around the columns is rather tricky; the best way is to run across diagonally at the corners.
On the way back to the staircase, note the gated enclosure at the NE portion of the rafters. You can see a torch on the floor inside, but you don't yet have the key you'll need to spring the lock. Take a running jump N to the staircase and turn right. You'll see that the dangling rope you observed earlier is connected to a large white boulder suspended over the highest portion of the staircase. Crawl under it and run forward down the ramp and onto a ledge extending high over the library floor.
Draw your shotgun and knock the awakened skeleton over the edge with a couple of blasts. Then step forward and pick up TRIDENT #1. Turn around, and if you want to enjoy a remote camera shot, hop back and grab the end of the ledge. Pull up and run down the ledge until camera control is restored near the entrance to the previous room. Run off to your right in front of the boulder and land on the staircase. Run down the winding stairs until you reach floor level. To the E is a closed gate leading to the library. Go the other way, climb up and over the crates to the S and drop down on the other side. Run up the SW stairs. A purple lattice-work door opens as you approach, allowing access to a short alley on the way to another wing of the library. Note the closed trap door on the ground in front of the W doorway.
Enter the hallway to the library, and Lara's attention will be drawn to an area outside, beyond the window to her left. You can take a hint; turn around and return to the alley. Climb up onto the stacked crates against the N wall jump SE onto the ledge. Hop into the E alcove and pick up the shotgun ammo. Return to the W end of the ledge and jump SW around the barrier to the next ledge. Run to the other end of this ledge and take a running jump to the alcove in the NW corner. Pick up the revolver ammo and return to the previous ledge.
Go to the S side of the ledge, turn around, hop back and grab the edge. Find the wall ladder at the right corner and use it to reach the courtyard below. Reverse roll and run to the recessed doorway of the purplish building ahead, avoiding the hole in the ground. Locate and activate the jumpswitch to your left, opening the trap door you saw back in the crate area.
Use the ladder to climb back up to the top of the wall. Turn right and take a standing jump around the barrier to the next ledge. With your heels against the tile roof, back flip and depress the action key so that when Lara slides down the other side of the roof she'll grab the edge. Shimmy to the right and around the corner. Pull up onto the flat area and pick up the large medipack. Turn to your right, walk to the edge of the slope and sidestep all the way to the left. This may be a good spot to save your game.
What follows is a timed sequence leading to the next secret. Step forward and slide down the slope as a trap door rises ahead of you. Jump off near the bottom and grab the edge of the trap door. Pull up, turn to the right and take a running jump to the top of the central pillar, which raises another trap door next to the first one. Turn around and take a running jump to the second trap door and turn to your right. You have a little more time here, so carefully align Lara for a running jump (without grab) to the corner of the tile roof to the south. Run halfway down the roof, turn to the right and take a standing jump and grab to the alcove in the building to the W. Pull up for SECRET #2 and step forward to push the button, opening the second door allowing access to the bonus area.
Before leaving, turn to the right and pick up the grenade gun ammo, then safety drop to the courtyard below. Run to the N wall and use the ladder again to get back to the alley on the other side. Locate the opening revealed by the lowered trap door and safety drop into a dark and wet underground area. You see a trident on a pedestal being guarded by a scalding steam blower. And that's not all, so make sure Lara is at full health. When you step up to claim TRIDENT #2, the pedestal erupts in flames and so do you! Hop quickly back into the shallow water and crouch down to quench the flames (or simply back flip from the pedestal). Use a medipack to restore your health, then go over to the dark opening in the NW corner and hop up into the tunnel. Follow the tunnel until you reach the end, then jump over to the block and pick up some shotgun ammo. Safety drop to the floor and exit this area via the stairway in the SW corner.
Pull up into what we'll call the Trap Door Courtyard, run S into the doorway to the left of the purplish building and go up the stairs. Pull up into the opening and find yourself on a ledge overlooking a large pool. On the other side of the pool is the Twin Pillar Courtyard you visited briefly earlier. You'll return to this area later, so go back down and exit through the doorway. Loop around right and proceed until you reach a large iron gate. Push the nearby button to open the gate, giving you a valuable shortcut linking these two major areas.
Pass through the open gate and return to the Rearing Horses Courtyard by turning left and running down the winding stairwell. Continue across the courtyard and up the stairs into the E opening. Turn right and enter the area you visited earlier. Run past the Poseidon (or Neptune, if you want to be culturally correct) statue to the large iron gate. Open it by activating the jumpswitch to your right. Enter and run up the stairs, follow the passage and you'll soon hit the trigger that warps you to the next level.
Level 2 - THE MIRROR HALL
Follow the corridor until you reach a courtyard. Run across the courtyard and vault up onto the ledge to the right of the Poseidon statutes (note in passing that the shafts they're holding seem to be missing something...). Pick up the shotgun ammo, then go through the SW archway. Turn either right or left and enter a new courtyard, where you trigger a flyby that reveals the location of the crowbar.
Go up the NE stairs. Continue forward when you reach the veranda and turn left at the doorway. Note the closed trap door in the ceiling of the alcove to your right. Turn left and run down the winding staircase, noting the closed crowbar gate to your left as you pass by. Vault up into the alcove on the other side and pull up still higher. Run forward and pick up the uzi ammo. Then hop back and turn right to enter an interior area. Turn left and go through the portal flanked by the griffin designs. Wind your way through the arched tunnel until you reach an open-air area.
Hop over the opening in the floor and continue forward. Take a right and run up the stairs. Take another right when you reach the veranda, and use the ladder to climb down to the lower level.
Run W along the veranda until you reach another ladder to your left. Climb up and back flip near the top. Go W a bit and turn left down some stairs into an area with a column in the middle. Activate the jumpswitch in the pillar to the left of the column. A bridge has been formed on the other side of the pillar. Use it to continue E into the next area. Allow Lara to fall into the hole ahead. You're in another area with stacked crates. Walk forward to the point where the floor slopes downward, then jump straight up to grab the see-through ceiling. Monkey swing across until you reach the far wall, then release and immediately grab the crawl space.
Pull up, crawl through and bear to your left. Lower Lara down the other side and pick up the flares in the NW alcove. Pull back up into the crawl space and loop around to the left. Lower Lara through the other opening, turn left and run up the stairs onto another veranda. Turn left and follow the veranda into a new room. Ominous music foreshadows the difficulty of the task awaiting you. Save your game here, just in case.
Ahead is a row of three timer platforms. Stepping on them raises the three trap doors you can see against the W wall. (There's a fourth trap door high up on the N wall, but ignore it for now.) The trick here is to step on the timer platforms in the proper sequence so you can get to the highest reaches of this tall room. As you first enter the room, the platform straight ahead raises the highest trap door, the platform across the room on the N side raises the second trap door, and the middle platform raises the lowest trap door, each one for a different period of time.
Here's the way to the top that seems to work best: Position Lara so that she's behind the first (S) timer platform facing N. (While she's here, she may as well pick up the nearby uzi ammo.) Step onto the first platform to raise the upper W trap door. The timer doesn't start until you leave the timer platform. Jump slightly NW past (and not onto) the second platform. Start making a clockwise u-turn as you approach the third platform, running across its corner as you complete your turn and begin to head back S toward the middle platform. Make a hard turn to the right and run over the middle platform, and you'll see the lowest trap door rise in front of you. Your target point is the line dividing the third and fourth tiers of floor tiles under the trap door. Turn to the left when you get there, jump straight up and grab the edge of the trap door. Pull up and reverse roll (don't try to turn around; you don't have time), then immediately take a running jump and grab to the next trap door. Pull up, reverse roll again and take a running jump and grab to the third trap door. Pull up and take a standing jump forward to the safety of the ledge a split second before the final trap door drops back to its resting position.
After catching your breath, you can go on a little diversionary expedition, if you wish, for a single pickup. Step forward and jump past the large column to the S balcony. Don't allow Lara to slide down the ramp ahead, or she won't be able to get back. Instead, go to the NW arched opening that overlooks the tall room. Take a standing jump down to the ledge below. Pick up the shotgun ammo, turn around and take a running jump and grab back to the balcony. Wait until the activated steam blower subsides, then pull up and return to the ledge against the W wall.
Take a running jump N and grab the ledge on the other side of the room. Pull up, run forward and jump NE to the balcony on the other side. Locate the opening and slide down the ramp to the lower level. Run through the corridor until you reach two sets of stairs leading down to the right. Take the first set of stairs and you'll arrive at a veranda headed S and E. Climb up on the first crate in the S wing and turn around to face N. Take a running jump and activate the jumpswitch on the wall. A brief cut scene shows a trap door rising on the veranda below you.
Make your way there by running along the E wing of the veranda into the opening ahead. Take a left at the end and continue looping around left to cross a little bridge. Ahead is a presently inaccessible button next to a lowered trap door. Drop down through the hole and run W toward the crowbar door. Turn left and enter the lower veranda. Turn left again and push the button above the raised trap door. This causes the other trap door to rise and close off the hole you just now dropped through.
Go back to the previous corridor. Turn right at the crowbar door and vault up onto the platform beneath the now-raised trap door. Run straight ahead to the crate in the next room, climb up onto it and turn around. Take a standing jump and grab to the floor of the upper level. Pull up, run forward across the little bridge to the raised trap door and push the now-accessible button. This causes the nearby bridge to rise, preventing your return by the same route. Use the W stairs to get back up to the hallway, then use the other set of stairs to get back down to the upper veranda.
Turn left and run along the E wing of the veranda. Go through the opening, turn left and continue around left as you did earlier. The surface of the raised bridge, from this side, is climbable, so jump to it, grab and climb to the top. Pull up to the next higher level and turn around. Take a standing jump with grab to glide inside the doorway, then run up into the next room. Walk around to the left side of the hole ahead and face N. Hop back and grab the edge, then release and immediately grab again to activate the jumpswitch on the pillar. You hear the rattling sound of a nearby door opening.
Turn to your right and drop down through the E hole to land in the crate room. Go S through the doorway you just now opened, up the stairs and right through the next doorway, then left again and through another doorway. Turn left into the next room, step onto the depression ahead and pick up the CROWBAR. When you do so, the trap door on which it was resting opens to deposit you down to the second-story level.
Climb right back up to where you were and go through the E opening. Wind around to your left and pick up the small medipack at the end of the gated corridor. Go back the other way and through the W opening to return to the third-story veranda.
Turn right, then right again, and go down the stairs to the crate room. Turn left and head W toward the crowbar door, vaulting over the platform that's in your way. Use your crowbar to open this door and the one right beside it. Inside the small room is a timer platform. Before stepping on it, get yourself oriented by determining the necessary route to follow. Turn around and run through the S doorway. Bear to your right through the next doorway to find yourself back in the tall room with the three timer platforms. Note the fourth trap door beneath the barricade high up on the N wall, the one you ignored during the previous exercise. Now it's time to raise it, so return to the room with the single timer platform and save your game.
Facing N, reverse roll onto the platform to raise the fourth trap door, and run back to the tall room. Run across the middle platform to raise the lowest trap door against the W wall. Climb up onto it as before, but this time from the far right against the wall, then turn left and quickly take a running jump to the top of the central pillar. Turn left again and take a standing jump to the next pillar. You have sufficient time now before the trap door ahead lowers, so pause to pick up the poison crossbow arrows, then draw weapons and jump straight up while firing to shatter the barricade. From the left side of the pillar, take a running jump and grab to the raised trap door. Pull up and run forward through the doorway. Drop down into the hole on your left and run down the dark stairwell. As you approach a crawl space you'll hit a warp trigger that sends you briefly back to The Library.
THE LIBRARY (revisited)
Crawl through the space, and as soon as Lara can stand up on the other side draw weapons and go around the corner to your left for SECRET #3. Run up the stairs and dispose of the assassin up on the veranda who's waiting for you. Pick up the shotgun ammo, the revolver ammo and the large medipack lying around invitingly on the veranda. Then enter the dark SE alcove and push the button you'll find there, to open the third lattice-work door allowing access to the bonus area. Now run back down the stairs and return to The Mirror Hall via the crawl space.
THE MIRROR HALL (revisited)
Climb back up to the ledge overlooking the tall room with the three timer platforms. Take a running jump SE down to the near central pillar. Safety drop to the floor and exit through the left doorway in the E wall. Turn left and return to the crowbar doors. Turn right when you reach them and vault over the raised platform in the hall. Return to the crate room and turn right to run up the stairs to the higher level. Turn right and enter the little veranda, then turn left twice and return to the room where you found the crowbar. Drop down through the hole and run down the dark N stairway. In the next room you'll find another crowbar door. Open it and walk up the stairs to the edge of the opening, being careful not to drop down to the courtyard below.
Take a running jump and grab to the roof of the structure ahead. Pull up and run up onto the platform in the center of the roof, and a remote camera shot shows a door opening to your left. Turn toward the opening, step out onto the NW corner of the roof, and take a running jump and grab to the doorway. Pull up and run N down the corridor, turn left and slide down the short slope, and continue downward through the archways until you reach an intersection and a ramp leading upward to the right.
Take a standing jump S to clear the slope, then run out of the opening onto the ledge below. Note the familiar design of a timer platform below and to the right. Run off the ledge at an angle onto this platform, and a brief cut scene shows the jackal on the W side of the column spitting something out of its mouth. At the same time you hear a metallic rattling sound. Hop off the platform into the water below and swim down into the hole. Partway down the short adjoining tunnel you'll find a GOLDEN COIN. Climb out of the water and run across the courtyard to the NW corner. Run up the stairs and turn left into the corridor. Follow the corridor for another pit stop in The Library.
THE LIBRARY (revisited)
Run down the stairs and return to the small courtyard guarded by the Poseidon statue. Continue past it and return NW to the Rearing Horses Courtyard. Go to the central well and use the ladder on the N face to climb down. Reverse roll at the bottom and go around the cage to the right. Insert the Golden Coin in the slot to lower the cage to your left. Step onto the platform and take the MUSIC SCROLL from the pedestal. Climb back up the ladder, retrace your steps through the E opening, past the Poseidon statue in the small courtyard, and return to The Mirror Hall.
THE MIRROR HALL (revisited)
Run along the corridor and back into the courtyard where you picked up the Golden Coin. Cross the courtyard and approach the Poseidon statues. Climb up onto their supporting columns and twist the two Trident heads you're carrying onto the shafts they're holding. The gate between the two statues then opens, allowing you to enter the Mirror Hall. Draw weapons and turn left. Run down the stairs and eliminate the welcoming committee of two assassins.
Continue E through the archway and turn right to enter a huge room, and note that the mirrors ahead are obscured by drawn curtains. Turn right and run past the grand piano to the small bookcase against the W wall. Pull up onto it, admire the painting on the wall ahead, and turn right to face a taller bookcase against the N wall under a suspiciously similar painting. Take a running jump and grab to the second bookcase. This move is somewhat tricky and may require a slight swerve to the left in mid-air in order for you to make the grab successfully near the corner of the second bookcase. Pull up and turn right to run to the E end of the bookcase.
Turn right again and face the chandelier head-on. Take a running jump S and grab its edge. When you pull up, you'll hear some nostalgic theme music. Turn left and take a running jump E to the next chandelier. Turn left and take a running jump to the portico for some uzi ammo. Turn around and jump back to the previous chandelier. Turn left and take a running jump SE to the third chandelier, and from there slightly NE to the fourth and final chandelier.
Climb up the supporting chain through the hole in the ceiling and back flip into the attic room. Vault up S and locate the hole in the SW corner. Drop down into the hole and locate the crawl space. Crawl in and turn to your left as a remote camera tracks your progress. Turn left again at the intersection and stand up. Run down the corridor to your right until you reach another crawl space in an alcove to the right. Crawl in, turn right, stand up and push the button on the wall to your left to open the curtains down below. I wish I could tell you there's a short cut to get back, but there's not one. Crawl back to the corridor and draw weapons as soon as you can stand up, for an assassin is right there waiting for you. Run down the corridor to the previous crawl space, return to the attic room and climb down the chain onto the top of the fourth chandelier.
Safety drop to the floor and turn around to check out your figure in the mirror. Step up to the second mirror, between the first and second columns. Use your binoculars and zoom in (using the crouch key) on the area directly in front of the second column. You can see reflected in the mirror a portion of the LASER SIGHT right in front of the supporting platform, that's invisible to the naked eye. Step to your right, stand in the indicated area and pick it up.
Now return to the small bookcase against the W wall and repeat the previously-described sequence of moves until you reach the second chandelier. Face E and climb up the supporting chain through an apparently solid ceiling (you can see the opening in the ceiling, in the mirror's reflection, if you're standing in the right position), then back flip into the corridor for SECRET #4. Turn around and run down the dark corridor.
Slide down the long ramp at the end and turn right to enter a small room. Pick up the TRIDENT #1 on the pedestal and return to the Mirror Hall by going through the phantom curtain in the E wall. Look in the mirror again and you can see a crawl space between the balcony and the painting on the N wall near the NE corner. Again, this crawl space is invisible to the naked eye.
You know the drill. Get back to the fourth chandelier the same way you did earlier, then turn to the N and face the painting. Take a running jump and grab N to the invisible crawl space around the middle of the painting and pull inside. Crawl forward, looping around to the right, until you can stand up. Continue down the corridor and use the next crawl space to lower Lara down into the corridor below. Reverse roll and run past the smoldering coals into a cozy concert theater.
Vault up onto the stage and go through the left portion of the curtain behind the piano for SECRET #5. Locate the TRIDENT #2 on top of a lone crate in this room and pick it up. Continue around the corner and through the S corridor for some grenade gun ammo. On the way back, climb on a crate in the NW corner for some shotgun ammo. Return to the stage through the curtain and place the Music Scroll on the lectern in front of the piano. Listen to some unseen prodigy tickle the ivories while a wraith is released to give you chase, and a cut scene shows a block lowering in a hidden room back in the Mirror Hall.
Reverse roll and run back to your original point of entry. Oops, no can do; a fire is now roaring in the fireplace. What to do? Run to the fireplace in the E wall. On the right is a climbing surface that you can use to get on top of the mantel. Turn left and take a running jump and grab to the first chandelier. Then take a running jump and grab to the second chandelier and climb up the chain through the hole in the ceiling. Back flip into the corridor, turn around and run into the next room with the hole in the floor. Safety drop down the hole into the fireplace. Jump up, grab the S crawl space and pull through.
Turn right, stand up and run to the next crawl space. (Mind you, the wraith is engaged in dogged pursuit the whole time.) Crawl through and lower Lara down through the phantom opening at the end to the bookcase below. Hop down to the floor of the Mirror Room and run toward the grand piano. On the other (W) side of the piano is a hidden square hole in the carpet. Drop down through it into a corridor, and then run E through a phantom curtain into a room below. Stop to grab the shotgun ammo, then drop down into the hole and run along the underground corridor until you reach an open area protected by a trio of crocodiles. Run into the water (there's a nearby hole for added depth) to douse the pursuing wraith, then dispose of the menacing crocs. Wade over to the E side of the central pillar and pick up the flares.
Now locate the narrow lower opening in the E wall, and you'll find that the waist-deep water prevents you from gaining access--you can neither swim in nor crawl in. There's a water-free opening in the dark S wall, but it's inaccessible because the entrance is sloped at too steep an angle. Run over to the W wall, and you'll find an entrance you can climb up into. Do so, draw weapons and shoot the barricade ahead.
Hop back immediately and side flip to the left or right to avoid the onrushing boulder. After the boulder drops into that convenient little niche in the pool floor, climb back up into the W opening and run down the corridor. Turn right and take the REVOLVER from the pedestal. Return to the pool area and locate another accessible opening in the N wall. Climb up into it and move up the ramp. You'll have to take a standing jump early on to clear a low ceiling, then continue up and make a little dogleg to the right. Light a flare when you get to the top, and you'll see another barricade to the left that's holding back a second boulder. From the safety of the alcove opposite the barricade, shatter it with a barrage of pistol fire and wait for the boulder to roll down the ramp and come to rest in its designated niche. Keep those weapons out as you head down the ramp, as another hungry crocodile is swimming around down below. After dispatching it, hop back down to the pool area and wade or swim to the opening in the E wall. You'll discover that the two boulders have raised the water level enough so that you can now swim through the narrow opening.
There's a closed trap door to your left, but to your right there's an above-water ramp leading upward. Use your binoculars to look up the ramp and you'll see another barricade at the end. Hit the action key to add a little illumination, and you'll see a third boulder lurking right behind the barricade. Hit the space bar to regain camera control, then combine your revolver and laser sight. Save your game, then shoot the barricade.
It's now necessary for you to vacate this area as quickly as possible, for the boulder does not take a direct route down the ramp toward you, but rather rolls down to the pool area outside and somehow enters by the same means you did. So before it arrives, step back until Lara is treading water, then duck down and swim back through the opening to the pool room. Once there, turn to the right to avoid the boulder coming from the other direction.
After the boulder passes by, swim back into the E tunnel, turn left and swim down through the hole opened by the weight of the boulder on the trap door. Approach the eerie sight of an underwater pedestal surrounded by flames, which makes you feel much as Moses did before the burning bush, and pick up the MOON KNOT while Lara burns for a second or two. The flames will be extinguished when you move away from the pedestal. Go back up for air, then swim back down to the vicinity of the burning pedestal and locate the E opening in front of the pedestal. You've got a long swim ahead of you, so you may want to grab another lungful of air. When you're ready, swim into the opening and follow the twists and turns through the tunnel (ignoring King Tut as he waves drunkenly to you from his coffin along the way) until you finally reach the open air of the pool where you picked up the Golden Coin.
Pull out of the water and run across the courtyard to the NW corner. Run up the stairs and follow the corridor to return to The Library.
THE LIBRARY (revisited)
Follow the turns in the corridor and emerge in the little courtyard guarded by the Poseidon statue. Run past it and take a left down the stairs and back to the Rearing Horses Courtyard. Stand on the platform near the central wall and look E. Above the closed gates in the reddish building is a little alcove housing a suspended bell. Use the combined revolver and laser sight to make the bell ring, and the gates ahead will open.
Run up the stairs into the reddish building and drop down into the hole at the entrance. Move to the left and vault up to your right into what looks like a basement area. Vault up into the alcove in the NE corner and pick up the uzi ammo. Then hop back twice, turn to your left and look up. You see a trap door with a lock directly beneath it. Use your combined revolver and laser sight again to shoot the lock (using the crouch key to zoom in if necessary) and spring open the trap door. If you turn left and approach the tall iron gate, it will open for a short cut out of here.
Exit this area and return to the Rearing Horses Courtyard. Go up the NE stairs and turn right to enter the main library building from that side. Turn right when you reach a dead end, and use the ladder in the wall to climb up to the second story. Back flip into the corridor, then take an angled standing jump to the left over the hole and open the crowbar door. Run W along the second-story balcony and shoot the lock in the alcove on the other side. The door opens to allow access to another LASER SIGHT.
Run back the other way along the balcony. Hop over the hole when you get back inside the library, and run down the W corridor. Turn left into the alcove at the end, and jump up E to grab the edge of the ceiling/floor. Pull up and run down the wide hallway until you reach an opening leading to a lower balcony. Hop down and jump SE to the roof ahead that's adorned with Oriental rugs, then turn left into the opening and locate the hole. Climb down until Lara is dangling, then release to drop down onto the platform that was made accessible when you shot the trap door lock earlier. Pick up the GATE KEY, then turn and face the lowered trap door. Jump straight up and grab the edge of the walkway. Pull up, loop around left for a small medipack in the alcove, then reverse roll and run clockwise around to the other side for some uzi ammo. Then go S to the balcony and pick up the shotgun ammo. Drop back down the hole onto the platform where you picked up the Gate Key, and safety drop to the basement floor. Use either available exit to get back to the Rearing Horses Courtyard.
Run up the main library steps to the NW and enter this time from the left side. Loop around left when you reach the bookshelves, light a flare and use the ladder to get to the second story. Shift left, drop down into the corridor, turn left and loop around left again through the opening and up the stairs to the large crate room. Turn to the right and take a series of standing jumps to the winding staircase. Follow the stairs up until you pass the dangling rope, then turn left and take a running jump to the rafters. Turn left and use the Gate Key to open what looked like just another crowbar door. Step inside and pick up the TORCH. When you do, certain doors you'd opened earlier will now close, preventing you from accessing certain areas. There's a technical reason for this; check out the builder's readme if you haven't already done so.
Reverse roll, walk out to the N edge of the rafters and take a running jump to the winding staircase. Go down the stairs, and about halfway down you can start jumping S to the stacked crates. Jump down to the floor with torch in hand and run up the SW stairs through the open lattice-work door. Wind your way through the short alley and stop at the hole's edge. Throw the torch down into the hole by hitting the 1 key (drawing your pistols in the process), then follow it with a safety drop down to the cave floor.
Locate the torch in the shallow water and pick it up. Step up as close as you can get to the flaming pedestal without actually standing on the platform, and light the torch. Run to the SW corner and go up the stairs. Hop the rest of the way up until you reach the Trap Door Courtyard.
Toss the lighted torch aside temporarily (just hit the space bar) and climb up the N wall. Pull up and drop down the other side into the short alley. Run around the hole and enter the W doorway. Follow along the corridor and continue past a dimly lit area in the library basement. When you reach a dead end, use the SW climbable wall to pull up into a book-strewn corridor. Safety drop on the other side and turn around. You'll see a rope pulley off to your left, but go through the S doorway ahead and open the crowbar door.
Now you need to go on an arduous journey to retrieve your torch and bring it back here. Run into the Twin Pillars Courtyard and continue across to the S side. Go up the SE stairs and into the Single Pillar Courtyard. Make a wide hairpin turn to the left, go up the stairs and through the N archway, then bear right and continue N to the small courtyard with a sloped ramp to your left. Continue N through the gate you opened earlier when you pushed the button on the other side. Make a dogleg to your right and return to the Trap Door Courtyard. Run across and pick up your torch near the gazebo where you left it, then turn around and go back, using the same route, until you reach the opened NW crowbar door in the Twin Pillars Courtyard.
Enter the library, turn right and light the rope on the S wall. In a few seconds the metal door behind you will roll up to open a corridor between two bookcases. Still carrying your torch, walk carefully inside the corridor until you spring a spike trap in the carpet ahead. The spikes will shoot up at regular intervals, and when they retract, run forward and keep on running (using the sprint or / key for additional speed) to clear the additional bays of spikes that spring up along the way.
As you approach the other side of the carpeted corridor, the companion metal gate blocking access from the N will roll up. Toss your torch aside temporarily and use the climbable wall in the SW corridor to get back to the other side of the spike gauntlet. Save your game, just in case. Standing at the far left side of the corridor and facing N, time a run (without using the sprint key) past the first three bays of spikes and stop abruptly. You find yourself in a safe zone with a crawl space to your left. Crawl inside for SECRET #6.
Run down the stairs into the study and take a little time to do some exploring. The first order of business is to push the button in the W wall to open the fourth door allowing access to the bonus area. There's some uzi ammo in a NW alcove, a large medipack up the stairs at the end of the NE corridor, some more uzi ammo to the right of the stairs as you come in, and still more uzi ammo in the SW corner. You also see some revolver ammo down in the S trench; but be careful, as picking it up activates a rolling boulder. Evade it by facing W as you pick up the ammo, then take one step forward and jump out of the trench before the boulder arrives. The REVOLVER in the N trench is also boulder-protected. The way to evade the boulder here is by facing E before stooping down to make your grab. As the boulder approaches, back flip onto the slope behind you and simply jump over the boulder.
Run E back up the stairs and crawl through the space into the corridor with the spike trap. Turn left and time a run past the spikes, using the sprint key for that extra burst of speed, and retrieve your torch. Face E and bypass the spike trap corridor by following the winding hallway back to the short alley. Continue forward, avoiding the hole, and re-enter the library through the open E lattice-work door. Go down the stairs to your left and locate the narrow gap in the crates. Take one step back from the edge, toss your torch through (or into) the opening and climb over to the other side. Retrieve your torch. If your toss left the torch still inside the gap, just crawl inside, pull up on one knee by hitting the space bar, pick up the torch, turn around, and throw it out into the open where you can pick it up.
Hop the crates N until you can take one final hop onto the winding staircase. Turn left and run up the stairs until you're directly underneath the short section of rope to which the pulley is attached. Jump straight up to ignite the rope and enjoy the flyby as the liberated boulder rolls down the ramp and plummets to the library floor, breaking open one of the tiles to provide access to a new area.
Don't get rid of that torch just yet. Go back down the winding stairs below the level of the rafters until you can jump over to the S ledge that has the same design as the steps. From there, hop to the lone crate ahead, then to the S ledge with the checkerboard design. Turn left and run down through the opening into the library. Run off the ledge to the library floor. Go over to the scene of destruction in the middle of the room and throw the torch into the hole. Use the ladder in the N face to climb down and drop into a dark cave-like area.
Retrieve the torch that's probably lying near a closed iron gate. Look around and note three pedestals guarded by intermittently blowing jets of steam. Get as close to each pedestal as you can without actually stepping onto the supporting tile (lest Lara set herself aflame), and light the three torches. When the last one is lit, a block silently lowers in the NE corner, allowing access to a short tunnel. Toss the torch aside, crawl inside the tunnel, run to the far end and push the button. You'll hear the squeaky clamor of the iron gate opening in the N wall. Exit the tunnel and enter the open N portal. Turn right, go to the end and climb up left. Step forward, hop down and allow Lara to slide down the long slope. She'll pass a goofy jack o' mummy to her right on the way down. When she reaches the bottom and starts sliding down a connecting slope, she'll warp to the next level.
Level 3 - THE GOLDEN SKULL
Lara completes her slide down a short slope and comes to rest just inside a small area with precarious slopes leading down to a central lava pit. In the center of the lava pit is a chain protected by a cage. Above this cage is a suspended platform upon which a flaming pedestal is perched. This too is protected by a cage extending to an eye-shaped pattern in the ceiling.
On the far side of the lava pit, and to either side, are three large sculpted demonic faces (although you can't make out the details from where you're now standing), but the only one presently accessible is the one to your right. Step forward, turn right and carefully walk N across the igneous rocks until you can go no further. It will help matters considerably if you'll light a flare at this point. Position Lara so that her right foot is directly on the crack in the floor that runs perpendicular to the N wall, then get up against the N wall and push the action key and up arrow (and not the jump key) so that Lara jumps up to grab the edge of an opening in the structure. With both keys still depressed, hit the crouch key and Lara will pull up into an opening where she faces an evil eye much like the design on the ceiling outside. Crawl forward until Lara can stand (directly in front of the evil eye), then zigzag left and right and drop down into the room below.
Run forward down the central aisle and pull the wall switch at the end. A cut scene shows a door opening in the W structure, and the sprocketed wheels on either side of you start turning noisily. Reverse roll and run back down the central aisle, but don't step down into the central room or Lara will slide down to her death in the lava. Angle Lara to the right and take a standing jump SW down to a safe flat surface above the lava. From here, take another standing jump SW into the portal of the W structure. Run down the central aisle where you'll find a climbing pole and another switch. Go around the pole (ignoring it for now, as well as the opening in the N wall) and pull the switch to activate the squeaky wheel to your left. The cage surrounding the pull-chain outside has also been lowered, so reverse roll and run around the pole to the end of the aisle. Take a standing jump with grab to land on the tile supporting the chain, then pull the chain one time to raise the eye openings in the W and S structures.
Face S and take a running jump to the portal in front of the closed gate. Then turn around and take an angled standing jump NW to a flat surface. Turn left and walk to the S face of the structure. Use the action and up arrow keys to gain access to the space in front of the evil eye as you did earlier, then crawl forward until Lara can stand. Zigzag to the left and right and drop down into the room below. Run down the central aisle and pull the switch at the end to activate two more squeaky sprocketed wheels and to lift the cage protecting the flaming pedestal outside.
Reverse roll and run back down the central aisle until you reach the edge. Take a standing jump NW, walk carefully over near the mouth of the W structure and take another standing jump into the open portal. Turn around and, from the edge, take an angled standing jump to the NE to land on a safe surface. Turn left, walk up to the W wall and use the action and up arrow keys to boost Lara up into the cramped space in front of the evil eye. Zigzag to the left and right as before; but this time, instead of jumping down look up and to the left and note the opening. Take an angled standing jump SW and grab the ledge, then pull up into a corridor for SECRET #7.
Run up the dark corridor, turn right at the top and safety drop to the room below. Take the small medipack from the pedestal and locate the hole on its E side. Use the ladder in the S face to climb down to a lower area. Reverse roll and run forward to drop down to a still lower level. Pick up the grenade gun ammo and return to the room with the pedestal. Step onto the highest checkered tile and turn to face E. Take a standing jump and grab the E face of the shaft leading back up. Climb up, pull up into the corridor, turn left and run down to the other end. Safety drop into the room with the squeaky wheel and enter the N opening opposite it (the one you ignored earlier). Step down into another sloped corridor, turn left and run up to the top, making several turns along the way.
In the room ahead you see a closed door to your left, a ramp ahead to your right and a crawl space up in the dark corner ahead to your left in the S wall. Pull up into the crawl space and lower Lara down the other side to alert a giant scorpion on the other side of a gap between two turnable wheels. Since the scorpion can't jump over the gap, calmly draw your pistols and dispose of it from your position of safety. Then step up to the wheel on your left (against the E wall) and turn it a half dozen times. Then quickly sidestep to the right, jump over the gap and run past the two torches. Turn left and zip through the opening ahead of the lowering door. It's not a very tight timed run.
Go up the stairs ahead and to your left, and enter the N room. Climb up into the window and pick up the flares, then hop back down and take the TORCH from the pedestal. With torch in hand, jump up into the S opening. Run down the short flight of stairs to the previous room, and continue around down the longer flight of stairs to the dark room below. Don't worry about the giant scorpion skittering around beyond the gate, as it can't get to you. (In fact, I soon forgot about it and didn't make the effort until much later to go back and kill it.) Toss the torch aside momentarily and open the trap door (standing near its E edge). Pick up the torch and run N off the edge of the hole, toward the wall, to land with a bone-jarring thud on the nose of the structure below. Take a running jump N to the central column with the flaming pedestal. Light the torch and turn to the W structure. Take an angled standing jump either to the right or left to land on a safe area in front of one of the evil eyes. Then sidestep as necessary to get into position for a standing jump into the open W doorway. Run up the aisle and turn right (N) to enter the same lengthy corridor you negotiated earlier. Return to the upper room with the closed door, ramp and crawl space.
Drop the flaming torch in front of the ramp, then use the crawl space to return to the room with the two turnable wheels. This time step up to the wheel on your right (against the W wall) and turn it a half dozen times. Immediately back flip and slide down the ramp into the previous room. Pick up the torch, turn to your left and use the sprint (?/) key to dash through the opening a split second before the lowering door bars your way. It may help to hit the roll (end) key when you reach the door. (The only way you can get through with torch in hand is by first positioning it on the floor where Lara can pick it up immediately upon sliding down the ramp. If you have to fumble around for it, you'll never make it through the opening in time. Try hitting the 1 key to draw your pistols, with the torch being dropped nearby at your feet. If you find this move too difficult or time-consuming to master, you can simply toss the torch into the opening after your first slide, then go back and spin the wheel a second time. Without the torch to worry about, you can get through in plenty of time. Then just pick up the torch on the other side and continue on your merry way.)
Once past the doorway, jump up with your torch into the N opening and allow Lara to slide down the long corridor. Continue forward and turn left to run down an adjoining level corridor. Stop in front of the pole and take a standing jump over the gap. Continue forward and turn right. Run up the steps into a larger room. Go up to the pedestal on your left and light it. The W door opens, so drop the torch (you won't need it any more) and enter the next room as ominous music plays. Note the skeleton on the floor, indicating that at least one other soldier of fortune was here earlier but failed in his quest.
Run down the stairs, go up the little staircase on your right, note the closed ornate round door ahead and pick up the BOOK OF LANCELOT from the pedestal. Take a moment to read its message:
Once
his mouth will open up
Evil comes it will not stop
Find all secrets up in Rome
Then you won't feel all alone...
Lead my spirit to the sun
It is the only way it can be done
Go ahead it will not be dull
Only then you will find my golden skull.
Lancelot...
Hmm, appears to be a clue of some kind.
Go back down the stairs and jump up into the W alcove for some shotgun ammo. Then hop down, cross the room and get into the small balcony area behind the large SE vase. Use the climbable surface in the grated window to climb up, shift right and drop to the ledge opposite another large structure with an evil eye. Walk out to the edge of this ledge and take a standing jump and grab to the opening of the structure's right (to the left as you face it) eye. Pull up and crawl forward until Lara can stand.
Turn left and slide down into a lower room. A cut scene reveals the unleashing of a wraith as more ominous music plays. Quickly hit the look key to restore camera control, then run down the N stairs to the left. In a raised area are four chains that you must pull (one time each). You'll hear doors opening and closing as you pull them, but don't let that distract you. After you've pulled the fourth one, dash over to the S opening and jump inside. Run down the short corridor and don't stop to analyze the receptacle at the end. Jump into the water hole, and the wraith will follow you to its doom.
Swim down into the underwater cavern and pick up the large medipack in the SW alcove. Then locate the adjacent water hole and pull up into it. Jump over to the E corridor (unless you happened to pull up into it) and run up the stairs until you reach an opening overlooking a large lava room. Be careful, for as you enter amidst crackling thunder a cut scene shows a blade trap and a descending spike ball. Hop back to avoid the blades, then run forward along the bridge until you reach the gap. Turn to the left and take an angled standing jump toward the lazily waving flags. You'll land safely on a ledge below where you can pick up some flares. Turn around and take a standing jump and grab to the structure beneath the spike ball. Shimmy to the left (noting another blade trap waiting to be triggered) and around the corner. Climb up to the top (without pulling up) and take a rolling back flip to the E end of the bridge. Immediately run forward to avoid the blades. At the E wall use the ladder to climb up the shaft, and when Lara is near the top (you'll see a tell-tale silver horizontal strip to your right which marks the level at which Lara's hands should be placed) back flip onto a ledge.
Turn around, crawl through the middle of the opening and lower Lara down the other side. Release, slide down a short distance and grab the edge. Pull up, then immediately take a rolling back flip and grab the pole. Climb up a few notches, and you'll see an opening on either side of the shaft. Rotate about 45 degrees and back flip into the S opening. Push the button to open the door in the corridor behind you, then reverse roll and take a standing jump with grab to land inside the N opening. Run up the ramp and through the door you just opened, and you'll find yourself above a small library.
Hop down onto the bookcase for SECRET #8. Take a standing jump NE to the adjacent bookcase and pick up the large medipack. Safety drop to the floor, shoot the large vase in the alcove and pick up the grenade gun ammo. Run up the stairs and stop to pick up the explosive crossbow arrows on the landing. At the top of the stairs, take a standing jump SE to the top of the E bookcase, jump over to the adjacent bookcase and pull up into the S opening. Walk to the end of the corridor and take a standing jump SW to grab the pole. Rotate as necessary to back flip onto the W ledge. Turn around, run up the stairs, loop around left and light a flare to locate a grate jutting out from the wall above you (not the one at the top of the stairs). Jump up to grab the edge and pull up. Locate the slightly higher ledge E on the far side of the painting to your left, and take a running jump and grab to it. Pull up, turn to your right, and take a standing jump with grab to grab the edge of the opening ahead. Pull up and run down the irregular surface of the corridor, twisting and turning downward past a closed door on your right until you reach a warp zone that carries you back to The Library.
THE LIBRARY (revisited)
The door you warped through closes behind you as you enjoy the now-familiar street sounds of Rome. Run down the corridor and follow its twists and turns (passing a grate to your right that affords a glimpse of a flaming pedestal protected by a cage) until you reach the opening to an underground cavern. Draw weapons and shoot the two crocodiles paddling about in the shallow water, then continue S up the stairs and kill another crocodile. Turn right, wind your way up the stairs and use your crowbar to pry loose the GOLDEN STAR from the grate. A door opens behind you, so reverse roll and go through the opening. Loop around left and pick up the shotgun ammo in front of the grate. Locate the ladder in the W column and climb up to a landing. Climb up still higher and shoot the barricade ahead. Run forward and drop down into the alley just outside the Single Pillar Courtyard. Turn N, however, and run through the short connecting alley to the Twin Pillar Courtyard. Locate the ladder in the E wall and climb up to the pool deck.
Angle Lara to the right and jump over the water to the S deck. Go through the opening and up the stairs, turning right to access a small enclosed balcony, then go through the W opening that leads outside. Turn to the left and hop over the gap to a small ledge. Turn right and run into another enclosed balcony. On the other side is an opening. Stop at the edge and look to your left. Shoot the barricade across the way and take an angled running jump with grab to glide into the opening. Pick up the shotgun ammo in the alcove to your right. Reverse roll and step up to the S opening that gives you a view of the Single Pillar Courtyard below. Draw weapons and eliminate the assassin who's waiting below, then jump down onto the enclosed ledge and pick up the CROSSBOW he was guarding.
Jump over the railing down to the Single Pillar Courtyard and run up the stairs near the NE corner to return to the Twin Pillar Courtyard. Use the ladder in the E wall to climb back up to the pool deck. Step up to the water's edge, look down to your left, and use your combined revolver (or crossbow, one normal arrow will do it) and laser sight to shatter the submerged lock. This opens the door on the N side of the pool. Jump into the water and swim through the newly-opened door. Locate the NW air hole, pull up into the room above and place the Golden Star in its receptacle to open a trap door in the underwater area down below. Jump back into the water and swim through the opening into an area with the caged flaming pedestal you saw earlier. There are ceiling levers on the E and W sides of this room. Pull them both to lower the cage surrounding the flaming pedestal. Take the SUN PILLAR from the pedestal and quickly swim away to douse the flames. Now swim up through the trap door opening and out the open S door. Surface for air and pull out into the opening in the E side of the pool.
Step forward to the far edge and look up to your right to see a SE opening you can access with a simple standing jump. It doesn't jump out and grab you, but it's there, I assure you. Once there, turn to your right and walk forward to the S end of the ledge. Angled slightly to the left, take a running jump with grab to land inside the window of the reddish building across the way. Walk out to the far edge and take a standing jump ahead to the V-shaped arch. Turn right and jump into the W opening. Run through the short tunnel and pick up the shotgun ammo. Return to the V-shaped arch and turn halfway to the right. Jump SE to the next V-shaped arch, turn back to the left and note another opening NE. Take a running jump to get there, and go inside to a balcony overlooking a wing of the library.
Jump over the railing down to the floor and pick up the flares and uzi ammo you'll find scattered about. Open the N crowbar door for SECRET #9. Light a flare if necessary and go inside. Run down the stairs and go out onto the balcony through the opening to your right. You'll lose camera control at this point, but that's not a problem. Turn and face the S sloped gray surface. Walk up to the railing and hop back twice. Now take a running jump over the railing and grab the sloped surface. Pull up, run forward and drop down the other side. Pick up the large medipack in front of the grate to your right, and from the edge of the ramp ahead take a standing jump S and grab the jump switch. A cut scene shows the fifth and final lattice-work door swinging open to give you a clear path to the bonus area.
There are several ways to progress from here. The fastest way is to safety drop from where you are to the floor of the Rearing Horses Courtyard. However, this will cost you some health, so be sure Lara is at full strength before you try it. Now make your way back to the Single Pillar Courtyard by running up the wide W staircase in front of you, making a zigzag to the left in the small courtyard and continuing SW until you reach the long entranceway running N-S where you began this adventure, and turn right into the Single Pillar Courtyard. Run all the way across, past the Poseidon statues, and turn left into the small SW alley. Pull up into the window alcove to your right, turn around and take a running jump and grab E to the crawl space across the way. Pull up, crawl inside, lower Lara down the other side and you'll hear the same secret chimes that you heard earlier when you explored this area. A 10th secret is also added to your statistics. TombTitan explains that this is attributable to an inherent bug in the Tomb Raider engine, where if you revisit a secret area following a level change, the game treats this as an initial access. Therefore, it would be improper to count this as an additional secret. Reverse roll and turn S to enter the library wing you visited earlier. Run across the room, bearing to the left, and enter the corridor near the SE corner. Run past the five open lattice-work doors and continue until you reach a warp trigger.
THE MIRROR HALL (revisited)
Run forward down the dark and irregular floor of the corridor, making a running jump over the first obstacle (from the right side) and a standing jump and grab (from the far left side) over the second. Crawl under a third obstacle and you'll soon find yourself in a large room with two Poseidon statues. Go up the stairs and place the two Tridents you're still carrying around in your inventory, and the door between the statues will open. Go inside and slide down to the bonus area (which is actually part of The Mirror Hall).
BONUS AREA (THE MIRROR HALL)
After Lara stops sliding, draw weapons and kill the assassin who steps out from your right. Then wind your way up the stairs in time with the spirited music until you reach the members-only library stacks. Shoot the two barricades ahead and save your game before sliding down the ramp to trigger a boulder that rolls down quickly from your right. Take a hard left and run up the ramp, away from the boulder, where it can't reach you; but be careful not to venture too far W, or you'll trigger the second boulder that's poised up at the opposite side of the ramp. Deal with the assassin, then trigger the second boulder by stepping briefly into its path and quickly hopping back. After both boulders have been neutralized, pull up into the W wing of the library and alert two more assassins. After disposing of them, run NW and smoke out a fourth assassin lurking behind a bookshelf near the NW corner. When you kill him, he drops the GATE KEY. Pick it up and run over to the SW corner. Pull up onto the short bookcase and use the Gate Key to open the door.
Step down into the hallway, turn right and run up the ramp. Turn right at the top and you'll find yourself on the same level with the tops of the taller bookshelves. Some are guarded by spike traps, but they don't really pose a problem because they're triggered the moment you step on a safe area of the nearest adjacent bookshelf. In other words, you needn't worry about jumping over to a seemingly safe spot and being skewered by spikes as you land.
Ready the shotgun and take a standing jump forward to the first bookshelf, which awakens a skeleton on the next E bookshelf. It may stupidly fall to its death by hopping the wrong way in its zeal to get at you; but if not, just wait patiently until it gets within range of your shotgun, then blast it over the edge. After that, turn to the right (S) and time a run past the spikes to the other end of the bookshelf you're on. Take a standing jump to the next bookshelf to the SE, awakening another skeleton behind you. Wait until it makes a jump toward you, then hit it in mid-air with a shotgun blast. Turn back around and take a running jump to the bookshelf to the NE. Then face squarely E and take a running jump to the next bookshelf, and finally another running jump to the last bookshelf near the NE corner. When you land, a third skeleton is awakened to the S, so drive it down into oblivion as you did the others. Then pick up the GATE KEY and turn back to the W. Make your way across the tops of the bookshelves to the other side of the room and jump to the landing in the SW corner. Open the door with the Gate Key.
Take one step forward and then immediately hop back as a remote camera shows two boulders careening down from your right. After they come to rest, jump over the one blocking the doorway and run up the ramp to your right. At the top, combine the revolver and laser sight and shoot the lock. The lattice-work door opens and two wraiths are released. Run forward down the corridor as the wraiths give chase, noting the closed trap door in the floor and the torch stuck in the wall beside it.
In the next room is a pedestal with a torch lying on it, but the flame you need to light the torch is for the moment beyond your reach behind the grates and closed door to the east. Leave the torch alone for the moment and step out to the edge of the S opening. Take a running jump and grab to the first chandelier, then pull up and take a running jump to the second one (being careful not to let the chain get in your way) and finally another running jump E to the third one. Don't jump to the fourth chandelier; instead, climb up the chain through the hole in the ceiling, back flip into the cramped quarters of the attic and push the button in the N wall. This raises the trap doors beneath the two openings in the N wall below. Climb back down the chain and take running jumps back to the second and first chandeliers, and finally N to the raised trap door leading to the room with the torch pedestal. Enter and pick up the TORCH, then turn around. Go back to the raised trap door and take a series of running jumps to each of the four chandeliers and finally to the raised trap door leading to the room with the flaming pedestal.
Once inside, toss the torch aside momentarily and take the large medipack from the far pedestal. Then pick up the torch and light it with the flame on the near pedestal (being careful not to step on the supporting tile). Turn around and light the far pedestal, dousing the flames surrounding the first one. Toss the torch aside again and take the TRIDENT from the pedestal, opening the W door. Pick up the torch, hop into the W opening and run through the next room into the corridor. Stand on the closed trap door in the corridor and light the wall torch. The trap door springs open, dropping Lara down a steep shaft into a pool of water where two hungry crocodiles are swimming around. Of course, the torch is now lost, but it's no longer needed.
Avoid the crocs as best you can until the wraiths arrive and self-destruct in the water. Then pull up onto the ledge next to the Poseidon statue and shoot the crocs. Step up onto the pedestal and affix the Trident head to lower the cage around the pedestal across the pool. Take a running jump and grab to it (from the far right side, to avoid bumping your head on the low ceiling), pull up and take the GRENADE GUN from the pedestal. Fill your lungs with air, jump into the water and swim down the E tunnel. Follow its twists and turns until you reach an air hole. Pull up to the sound of Lara's theme music and a trap door opening above you. What's even better, that annoying action music that played throughout the bonus area will soon be replaced with the soothing street sounds of Rome. Light a flare if necessary and climb up the N ladder into the bright sunshine.
You find yourself in an unnamed courtyard surrounded by the balconies you navigated earlier. Run to the alley near the NW corner and continue until you encounter a warp trigger.
THE LIBRARY (revisited)
Continue down the alley. Don't push the button on your left, or the lattice-work door will close in your face and force you to reload from your previous savegame. Continue around and up the wide stairs. Head NW at the top and loop around right through two archways and turn left into the small courtyard. Go down the wide stairs to your right and return to the Rearing Horses Courtyard. Turn to the left and enter the main library building via the left entrance. You'll hear the sound of a door opening as you approach. Light a flare if necessary and run forward into the devastated first level where the boulder crashed through earlier.
Use the ladder in the N face of the hole in the middle of the floor to climb down to the area below. Go N through the open iron gates, pull up into the NE opening and slide back down into The Golden Skull.
THE GOLDEN SKULL (revisited)
You need to make your way into the mouth of the W structure directly across the lava pit, so get over there by making a series of angled standing jumps as you did earlier. Once inside, turn right and go into the N opening. Run up the ramp until you reach the room at the top. Squeeze through the S crawl space into the room with the two turnable wheels. If that giant scorpion is still running about below, jump down into the hole, run down the stairs and draw weapons so you can eliminate it. Grab the shotgun ammo in the small NW pool before you leave.
Go back up the stairs and pull up into the previous room. Turn the wheel on the right (next to the W wall) half a dozen times, then back flip and slide down the ramp into the next room. Turn left and dash through the opening ahead of the lowering door (remember that using the roll key at the door helps). Turn left and vault up into the N opening. Step forward and slide down the long ramp. At the bottom, run down the corridor and hop over the gap and around the pole. In the next room, continue through the W door you opened earlier and run down the steps. Turn left toward the ornate round door. Place the Moon Knot in the receptacle on the left and the Sun Pillar in the receptacle on the right. The door rumbles open, accompanied by heroic music and a cut scene giving you another look at those piercing evil eyes. The heroic music abruptly changes to the familiar warning theme as two demigods come charging out of the opening ahead. Draw powerful weapons and dispose of them quickly. Continue down the corridor until you come to the edge of a deep shaft.
You may have to light a flare to see clearly the pole attached to the ceiling to your left. Line Lara up with the pole, jump SW to it and slide all the way down to the floor. Run S down the corridor and the door ahead will open as you approach it. Go toward the moon globe in the corner, and the door shuts behind you to trap you inside an area little larger than a prison cell. To add to your feeling of claustrophobia, an earthquake begins rattling your bones. After things calm down a bit, move the moon globe onto the designer tile in the opposite corner.
The walls of your cell fall away to reveal a huge lava pool in the middle of which you appear to be stranded. But don't despair. Face E and take a standing jump to the small island of rock ahead. From there take a running jump E to the bank and continue forward through the opening. The corridor soon bends left with an uneven floor leading up (N). Make your way to the top, jumping as necessary when walking becomes impossible. (Be careful not to get stuck in the illegal slope to your left as you attempt the first such jump, or you'll have to reload.) Loop around left at the top and slip into the alcove to your left for some shotgun ammo.
Continue S down the tunnel, making a little zig to the left, turn right at the end into a clearing and go through either of the openings onto a balcony. Draw weapons and kill the demigod who's taking pot shots at you from across the way. The balcony you're on overlooks the large lava pool. Ahead are three ropes, a suspended central platform and a flame blower in the distance to your right. Take a running jump and grab the middle rope. Slide down to the bottom and climb up one rung. Swing forward and jump off to land on the platform. To your right is another evil-eye structure that you can see more clearly from this height. You may hear the clanking sound of metal dragging on a hard surface, so look to your left and locate the lower balcony. A sword-wielding knight is wandering around impatiently inside the cave beyond the balcony.
Go to the SW corner of the platform and take a running jump and grab to the rope. Rotate Lara until she's facing the balcony down below, then swing forward and jump over to it. You have a choice of two openings, one to your left (S) and the other straight ahead (W). The South corridor is for later, so run forward into the area occupied by the knight. You'll pass an opening to your right and bump up against a makeshift wooden structure. Jump straight up and grab the climbable surface above the structure. Climb up to the top, pull up and run forward to slide down to the other side. The knight objects to your presence and starts lumbering after you, but he's fairly slow and cumbersome and thus easy to elude. Take advantage of the situation by running into the area with the shallow pool and picking up a small medipack.
What you need to do now is use your supple body as bait. Go back and position Lara in front of the wooden structure. You'll see the approaching knight draw back his sword to strike; the instant before he swings it, jump aside and hopefully you'll avoid serious injury as the flailing blade shatters the front portion of the wooden structure. You'll need to play this game a second time to make the knight destroy the rear portion of the structure. When the pathway is clear, run back to the balcony railing. Look down and make sure Lara is lined up with the gray rocky projection below, then hop back once and take a standing jump E over the railing to land safely on the gray surface.
Walk SE and crawl under the balcony abutment. Continue crawling around to the right until Lara can stand. Take an angled standing jump to the triangular outcropping of rock to the right. Turn left and take a standing jump to the flat surface near the W wall. Face N and take another standing jump ahead. Walk forward as far as you can go, and take an angled standing jump to the right to another triangular safe zone. Walk out to its far apex and take a running jump forward. Step up and pick up the large medipack. Face squarely E and take a running jump to the steps leading to the pole you slid down earlier. But don't let yourself get distracted; continue with another running jump E off the steps, then another, then turn S and take still another. Finally, one more standing jump S will bring you back to the mouth of the corridor you navigated earlier. Do so again at this time, and when Lara returns to the balcony take another running jump and grab to the middle rope. Swing forward and jump to the central platform.
Go to the NW corner of the platform and take a running jump and grab to the rope in front of the flame blower. (Be careful, as you have no margin for error in making the grab.) Rotate Lara to her left, swing forward, and when the flames subside jump over to the balcony and quickly run to the right or left to get out of harm's way. Look over to the lower balcony to the S and make sure the knight hasn't come out for a breath of fresh air, then wait for the flames to subside and pull the switch. This lowers one door and raises another to force the knight to go where you want him to go. Quickly step aside before the flames return, and walk up to the opening between the rails. (The flames can't reach you so long as you stand at the edge.) When the flames retreat, hop back and take a running jump and grab to the rope. Turn to the right and jump back to the platform, then run across to the SW corner, take a running jump and grab to the rope and swing over to the balcony where the knight is eagerly waiting.
Run past the knight into the S opening and let him follow you down the corridor until you reach a large room dominated by a huge nutcracker in the ceiling. Run down the stairs to your left and wait patiently for the slow-footed knight to catch up with you. Locate the stairs on the S side of the central structure and allow the knight to follow as you run up to the ramp. Station Lara in front of the moon globe at the end and play chicken with the knight until he shatters the protective struts with his sword. Lead the knight back down the stairs to get him out of the way, then buy a little extra time by pulling back up to the ramp instead of using the stairs. Then pull and push the moon globe along the ramp to the opposite side, triggering the nutcracker and causing the large blocks of concrete to descend and crush the globe. Pick up the MUSIC SCROLL that's left behind.
You now need to get back inside the knight's original lair, but you previously blocked off access to it when you pulled the switch in front of the flame blower. The only apparent route requires the laborious process of jumping back down to the promontory in the lava pool, hopping your way around to the E wall, going back up the uneven corridor and using the ropes to get back to the balcony in front of the flame blower. (There's an opening you can pull up into in the dark wall of the nutcracker room, where a corridor takes you to an opening that you can use to drop back down into the lava room, but that doesn't seem to save you much time if any.)
Once you get to the flame blower, pull the switch back up and use the ropes to get back to the balcony in front of the knight's lair. Run past him into the W opening and turn right into the next opening just inside the corridor. (For some reason, the knight can't or won't follow you inside.) Run forward until you reach the water's edge. Take a standing jump down to the triangular outcropping to the left, then step forward and take another standing jump to the small triangular ledge in the NW corner. Turn to the right and take a standing jump across to another safe area. Turn around and light a flare if necessary to locate the opening up in the wall across the water. Take a running jump SW and grab to the edge of the opening, then pull up into the dark corridor and run forward. Loop around right and run up the stairs. In the landing at the top is a trap door. Walk around to its right side and open it, allowing room for you to activate the jump switch in the E wall. When you do so, a door opens in the deep shaft below. Light a flare for visibility, then jump to the pole and slide down part way. Just above the row of designer wallpaper, back flip into the N opening.
Turn around and run down the corridor until you reach a library wing. (The large vase in the alcove hides a flying bug.) In the center of the room is a raised pattern of rows with four designer tiles and an earth globe. Pull the globe back once to reveal a smaller moon globe on the same tile. Pull and push the earth globe a short distance to the tile between the two designer tiles in the W extension. Then pull and push the moon globe all the way to the far designer tile at the end of the E extension, and a cage will rise silently in front of the earth globe. The squeaky sprocketed wheel against the N wall also starts turning. Squeeze your way between the cage and the earth globe, and push the globe onto the far designer tile to raise another cage near the moon globe.
Climb up onto the small bookcase in the center of the room, then take a standing jump and grab to the taller W bookcase. Turn left and hop over to the longer bookshelf. From here you can turn left and take a running jump and grab to the first cage you raised. Pull up and take a running jump to the top of the second cage. Take a running jump and grab (swerving slightly to the right in mid-air if necessary) to the corner of the bookshelf to the left of the painting in the E wall. Pull up, turn around and take a running jump and grab to the highest bookshelf against the N wall. Before you can pull up two flying bugs will be nibbling on your shoulders, so take care of them quickly before you lose too much health.
Walk out to the W edge of this bookshelf and take a running jump and grab to the one near the NW corner. Pull up and hop to the adjacent bookshelf around the column. Turn to face S and jump up to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing across the room and drop down in front of the column in the SW corner. Jump over to the bookshelf against the S wall and take a running jump E and grab the next bookshelf. Take time to dispose of another flying bug, then go into the S opening on your right. Locate the opening at the end of the short corridor and pull up S into it. Run up the stairs until you reach the top, then turn to the left and jump up to grab the opening. Pull up and drop down into the dimly lit room below.
Step forward and place the Music Scroll on the lectern. Lara will bend to her left and pluck out a little tune on the harp while the wall opens up ahead. When the music stops, hop over the lectern and run forward quickly down the walkway and up the steps as giant rotating corkscrews work their way down. Step up to the pedestal and take the MOON KNOT as two spike balls drop down to your right and left. Hop down into the water on either side and wade back S to re-enter the dimly lit room. Watch out for the open hole to the left of the lectern and place the Moon Knot in its receptacle in the E wall.
A door opens above you, so hop back and jump into the opening. (For some reason you can't vault or climb up.) Step forward and allow Lara to slide down the two slopes. Walk forward to the edge and jump up to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing across and endure the remote camera shot of those evil eyes. Enter the dark opening on the other side and drop down. Run to the end of the tunnel and push the large button to raise a cage beneath the left eye (the right one as you face it) of the structure outside. Reverse roll and run back to the end of the corridor. Make sure Lara is at full health, then turn around and safety drop to the room below. Take a side flip to the right and climb up the grated window, shift to the right and drop down onto the ledge, and face W. The evil eyes are now functioning as blowtorches, but ignore the nearest one and take a running jump to the structure's nose. Hop down W to the top of the raised cage, and pull up into the opening to your left when the flames subside. Run around the corner to the right into a sunlit corridor, and continue forward down the stairs until you reach an arched opening overlooking the lava room.
Look to the right and you'll see an alcove. Take an angled running jump and grab to its edge, then pull up into a seeming dead end. However, if you jump up and grab the ceiling, you can follow the lattice-work money bars out across the room until you reach another opening in the E wall. Drop down, face the N wall and take three steps back from the wall. Jump up and grab the edge of the opening above you, and pull up higher for SECRET #10. Shoot a nearby vase for a small medipack, and go to the NW alcove and shoot another vase for some explosive crossbow arrows. Go back to where you shot the first vase and slide backward down the slope beyond the nearby opening. Grab the edge and drop to the corridor below where you were earlier. Turn to the left and run down the corridor until you reach an opening to your left. Slide down into the pool and listen to the bells as they herald your arrival.
Pull up into the opening in the NW corner, run forward and turn right to run up the stairs. You'll emerge on a bridge high above the pool, with thunder crackling all around you. Run forward across the bridge into the opening, and continue forward and up the stairs until a flyby indicates your ultimate goal: The Golden Skull.
Run forward into the new room and go up the stairs that wind around the central structure. At the second landing, marked by the gray stairs, turn left and take a running jump S to the lower bookshelf. Turn right and take a standing jump to the higher shelf in front of the moon globe. Push the globe to the other end of the bookshelf, then squeeze around it to the right and push it into the corridor until it comes to rest on the designer tile.
Reverse roll, return to the top of the bookshelf, turn right and hop down with grab to the lower one, then turn right and take a running jump back to the winding staircase. Turn left and run down the stairs to the first landing with the purple-tinted steps. You see that a cage has raised an earth globe to the level of the bookshelf ahead. Take a running jump and grab E to the bookshelf, pull up, turn to the right and pull the earth globe to the opening in the E wall. Then step behind the globe and push it into the tunnel until it rests on the designer tile. Reverse roll and return to the bookshelf outside. Lara's attention will be drawn to a rope suspended from the ceiling.
Take a running jump back to the staircase and wind your way up. Before you get very far you'll encounter a demigod. Kill him; but whatever you do, DON'T use explosive ammo or you'll be unable to shoot the bell later on that enables you to claim the Golden Skull and complete the game.
After disposing of the demigod, continue up the stairs until you're very near the top, then turn N at an open landing and face the rope. Take a running jump and grab it, then swing forward and jump off into the N opening. Run inside, where you'll lose camera control. When you grope your way to the sun globe in the walkway over the pool, push it E as far as you can. Reverse roll, run back down the walkway until you reach an opening to your left in the railing, and jump down into the water.
Turn left and splash your way around the corner to locate the underwater stairs. Swim down and into the opening to your left. Inside the small room below you see a closed door to your left and a grate to your right that shelters another globe. Swim back out and you'll find that a second demigod has been alerted. Get rid of him (using non-explosive ammo, just to be on the safe side). Now dive back into the opening leading to the small room below, and you'll find that you can open the closed door to your left by using the action key. Do so and swim through the corridor, making a hairpin turn to the right, and when you emerge you'll find that yet another demigod is just around the corner to the south. Kill him and run forward toward the spot where he fell. Turn right and locate the opening in the railing in the N wall. Pull up into the walkway and treat yourself to a brief but dizzying flyby. Turn to the right and run up the walkway to the sun globe. Drag it S as far as you can, then reverse roll and jump back down into the water. Run counterclockwise all the way around the walkway structure, enjoying the views of the Roman Colosseum outside through the grated windows along the way, until you reach a sunken area in the SW corner. Dive in, open the door and swim inside for SECRET #11. Swim along the underwater corridor until you can pull up into an area you think you've visited before, only you haven't. Go around the corner and swim into the opening near the SE corner. Pick up the explosive crossbow arrows in the corner, then get out and return via the long underwater corridor to the area with the grated windows overlooking the Colosseum.
Run back to the underwater stairs next to the E wall, swim through the opening and down the corridor until you reach the previous area, then wade along and climb up into the N opening between the railings. Return to the sun globe, and push it once into the corner. Reverse roll and repeat the procedure described in the previous paragraph. Pull up in the opening between the railings for another dizzying flyby. Turn right and pull the sun globe along the walkway to the W as far as you can. As you listen to the heroic music, look to the right and left of the little balcony you're standing on and note the giant suspended nutcracker.
Turn around and take a running jump over the railing back to the winding staircase. Turn to the left and run up the stairs to the point where you previously jumped to the rope. Do so again and swing over and jump into the N corridor. (If you miss, you can simply jump up and grab the edge from the landing below.) Run forward into the walkway over the pool and endure yet another dizzying flyby. Run clockwise all the way around the walkway. When you get to the sun globe, push it once and watch the nutcracker do its work.
When the giant concrete blocks retract, step forward and pick up the SUN PILLAR. Take a running jump forward, over the railing and back to the winding staircase. This time, turn to the right and run down the stairs until you reach the floor. Turn left and run around the central structure until you reach the alcove in the N wall. Step inside and place the Sun Pillar in its receptacle. Enter the central structure through the open door. Climb up onto the small bookcase against the W wall and walk to the SW corner, facing S. Jump straight up and grab the crack. Shimmy to the left and around the corner until Lara can pull up. Turn around and take a standing jump and grab to the opposite ledge. Step forward, turn to the left and look up. Using your combined revolver (or crossbow) and laser sight, shoot the bell. If you hear a low-pitched clang, you'll know you've successfully accomplished your mission.
Take a standing jump and grab to the previous ledge and drop to the floor. Return to the main library floor and run around the central structure until you reach the winding staircase. Run up to the very top, and you'll find that shooting the bell lowered the cage. Take the GOLDEN SKULL from the pedestal and bask in Lara's theme music. Run back down the stairs until you reach a bridge leading W. Step down onto the first tile and wait while a blade trap triggers, then run across the bridge and onto a short walkway over the pool. Turn left and run forward into a sunlit area marked with short columns in the distance. Continue forward through the open gate and you'll find yourself on a veranda inside the Colosseum. As you run down the steps to the sound of crashing thunder, you'll hit the exit trigger that brings this grand series to its triumphant conclusion.
THE END