Level 1 - Caves

The moment you get control of Lara flip around and start swimming. Follow the debris scattered on the ocean bed till you arrive at the hull of a ship - a copper colored, rusted structure. When you see the ship keep it to your right and keep away from the floor, you are looking for the anchor of the ship. Exactly below the anchor is a hole, swim through this hole and surface in the next room to get some much wanted air and get ready to face some sharks, yeah sharks, big, mean fish with sharp teeth. Let em have it with the harpoon gun and stay away from their jaws. (You don't HAVE to kill them here, if you are really good with your controls you can get through this area without spending even one harpoon).

When they are dead take a long breath and swim through the other hole (not the one from where you entered) and in the next room take the hole in the upper left corner, in the next room again go through the hole in the left corner. In the next room go the left bottom corner and use the lever you find there to open a trap door in the floor, swim through it and surface in the next area to get some air.

Keep steering right through the boxes piled around till you come to a brightly lit opening, climb through this and run to the end to find a switch. Flipping the switch will drain all the water out of the room with the boxes so you can now climb the boxes. Well climb to the box from where you can jump to the copper colored opening.

Secret #1 is right in front of your eyes. If you examine the floor you will find a square area that is of a different color, if you want the secret then DONT step on this area. Go around it and grab the dragon. Turn around so that you face the entrance to this room and step on to the left side of the collapsible floor and you will drop onto a pillar, max your health before dropping in because if your position is wrong Lara will fall to some lower area taking quite a bit of damage.

Take care of the bad guys then look for a location in the room which has three green colored structures sloping downwards at different heights and angles, two of the taller structures are up against the wall. You have to jump into this small area and facing the wall align yourself against the tall structure to the right, this is the only one Lara and can jump and hang-on to. So jump-grab it and as Lara pulls herself up keep the JUMP key pressed so that she does a back-flip to land on the next taller sloping pillar and the moment she starts slipping down this one press JUMP again. That is it. Then align yourself to do a running jump to the opening in the wall opposite to you.

In this are there are several pipes running across the floor and most of the switches are timed so make sure you position yourself well so that Lara does not come to a halt - unable to clear some pipe in the ground - because you can't WALK, you have to run, run, run. There are three corridors that you have to navigate to solve this puzzle. Run around through the corridors to get used to them, also note the narrow passage with ignited fire pads. Apart from running don't climb into doors, all the doors are at waist high, jump over them. Let us get the second secret before doing anything else.

As soon as you enter this area flip around, to your right you will see a switch (that is on a timer). Pull the switch, flip around and start running and jumping to avoid the obstacles in the floor, keep taking left turns till you are in an area with very shallow water, do a running jump through the temporarily open door in the right hand corner, if you don't make it you will have to start all over again from the switch. Once you are through this door, it stays open. Go the end of the passage and drop into the water. There are lots of smaller fish which will come after you so if you want you can climb back up and use your Uzis to finish them off. Once you swim through the passage to emerge in an open area there is another big shark waiting to close its jaws on Lara. Secret #2 is on the floor, make for the diagonally opposite corner as you enter into the area with the big shark, can't miss it. Swim back and get to the room where you pulled the switch.

Go into the center corridor and climb the copper colored ladder to reach a switch. This switch is not timed so pull it and run into the right hand corridor till you arrive at the door you just opened. Jump through the door to find another switch, and this baby is timed. Throw the switch to snuff out the nearest fire pad and run like hell to the fire pad corridor, enter it, and throw the switch next to the fire pad you just switched off. This switch opens another door and is not timed. Go right as you exit the fire pad corridor and take the corridor. The door you just opened is in the same area as the door to the second secret.

The switch in THIS room turns of the second set of fire pads and is timed. So the solution is simpled, flip this switch to turn off the fire pads farthest from the entrance and run to the other switch that turns off the closer set of fire pads. When both switches are pulled run through the fire pad corridor till you reach the closed door at the other end. Throw the switch and proceed through the door that is now open.

Swim through the opening and start going up, up, up, up till you reach a steel trap door that is obviously closed. Locate the lever on a wall in this area and pull it. Then swim down, down, down to the bottom and through the passage the lever just opened for you, at the end of the passage pull another lever to open the steel trapdoor and swim up, up, up, up to the trapdoor to get some much needed air.

Right next to the lever that opened the steel trapdoor is the Secret #3 of the level. You may not have enough air to get it immediately so pull the lever to open the steel trapdoor, go up and get some air and return to get the secret. Oh, and the moment you pick that dragon some fish will arrive for breakfast (or supper, I don't know, I am not a fish).

Climb out of the steel trapdoor to approach the next area and drop into the hole you find and let Lara have some fun sliding hither and thither. When the slides are over go to the right and do a safety drop through another hole in the floor. When you drop go towards the copper colored wall which is brighter than the rest of the area. You find a moveable block lying to its left. Pull it out and climb it and from there climb on to the bright area. Pull the switch to cause an, huh, earthquake (whoever heard of earthquakes that can be made to happen by flipping switches, oh well, :)).

Back in the area from where you climbed the block look at the ceiling adjacent to the left wall and you will see two holes. Also in the top right corner will be another open area. In the middle of the room is a sort of mountain of mud caused by the recent earthquake. Navigate to the top of this mountain. If you go through the opening in the right upper corner you will arrive at an extremely deep pit.

We will get back to this later, meanwhile work you way back to the top of the make shift mountain and place yourself under the left hole in the ceiling. Climb up through this hole. Look up at the copper colored ceiling just a tad bit to the right and you will see another hole. Navigate yet another mud pile to get under this hole and climb up through it to find and use another switch, which will cause the recently visited pit to get filled up with water. Start dropping through the holes in the ground till you are back in the room with the mountain.

This time go through the right hole in the ceiling and make your way to the opening in the middle of the wall to your left. Another switch, this one will open a hatch in the pit you just filled with water.

Make your way to the room overlooking the deep pit and do a swan dive (or just walk off the edge if you like to hear Lara scream :)). Once you go through the hatch you opened by the last switch you pulled some scuba divers will come to give you company. Return their compliment and keep swimming to the exit.

Jitender Saan G10@Doubt.Com
http://www.lwbbs.net/userpage/g10/index.htm