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Title Company Full Text _____________ 

Temple of Xian ...continued

Guided Temple Tour
Inside the temple, head for the far wall. Note the open doorway on the right, and the strange key lock next to the closed door on the left. What else can you do but enter the doorway on the right? If you thought those last jumps were tough, wait till you get a load of what's ahead.

Stand on the ledge overlooking the huge lava room. It's time for an impressive series of slide jumps. Since Lara points in only one direction from a ledge jump, it's painfully obvious where you're supposed to go. Just relax and perform each jump a moment or so before you reach the edge of each slide. The leap off the last slide requires you to grab the ledge beyond it. From there it's an easy journey around the rocky perimeter to the passageway opening (directly opposite from where you entered this area). Good luck.

The switch ahead is a foil. That is, don't make the mistake of running to grab it. Simply step forward and let the floor drop out from under you. Ride the slide to the floor, your run button held down as you slide. Then quickly - and we mean quickly - run for the switch ahead. Pull it, flip around, and dash for the safety of the passage ahead. If you keep up the pressure. the wall spikes won't even come close.

Warily mount the ramp - loose boulders are afoot. Use the niche long corridor to evade the first one. Then atop the ramp - just before the intersection, turn left and jump for the flat platform (touching this platform triggers the second boulder). Climb the ledge to your left. Hop onto the second section of the gray ramp and run forward off the left edge - the third and final boulder will rumble harmlessly past.

Climb the green ladders you find and enter the pitch-black room. Ignite a flare and dash for the far-right corner. Pull the switch you find. Then make your way to the left, stopping under the doorway. Pull up to exit. It's worth noting that in earlier versions of Tomb Raider II, the puzzle that occupied this room was among the most difficult in the game. It involved a lot of lava, angled walls, and trapdoor catwalks, and literally took us hours to figure out. Suffice to say the room as it exits now bears absolutely no resemblance to its predecessor.

Temple of Xian, continued...