The Lost City of Pompeii by Cowboy Release Date:    August 2002 Size:                 24.6 Mb File Type:          TR4 No of Levels       3 Platform            PC and Mac

Level Report by Ampersand

Story

This adventure takes place before TR one. It is based in the City of Pompeii. Lara finds out from research that there is still some of Pompeii undiscovered, and that there is supposed to be a rumored artifact, the lost Armour of a Roman general which is said to have great magical powers. The artifact is still protected by the Roman general's army and their Atlantean allies.

Notes

In the last room there is a hard problem with spikes and blocks. To get past, Lara must avoid the first block and run towards the spikes when they have just came up (she will only lose a bit of energy) then they will go in again for a short time until they come up again, then she has to quickly run soon as the last block moves away. I have also put an anti trigger for one of the spikes in one of the north east squares of the room, in case it is too hard to get past.

The Lost City of Pompeii

This is quite a remarkable levelset, outstanding in both its visuals and its raiding experience. The gameplay can be tricky and intense at times, requiring sharp reflexes and even sharper eyes on the part of the player, but the skilful level design and huge variety of tasks keeps the game fresh and exciting – once you get into the feel of the level it’s hard to get stuck for long.

The environment is wonderfully designed and greatly varied, from vast caverns to ruined temples, and there are several ‘jaw-dropping’ areas that I can think of. The lighting is intense and colourful throughout, and the atmosphere gripping and convincing.

A lot of the traps and enemies are quite hard to beat, but the satisfaction of getting past them is well worth it, and there are some very generous secrets to reward the daring explorer.

All in all this is a stunning set of levels, with well-balanced elements of combat, puzzles and exploration. Perhaps a little demanding for the casual player, but a superb choice for raiders with a bit of patience and experience. Highly recommended.

Screenshots

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