*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                              Tomb Raider 2                                  *
*             Completing the Game Without Using ANY Health Packs              *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Version   Completed          Change(s)
1.00      25 December 2004   ---------
1.01      28 February 2005  *Fixed ONE lousy typo and updated my email address
1.10      20 March 2005     *Added an easier approach to the Barkhang Monastery
                             level.
1.11      29 October 2005   *Updated my email address -- AGAIN
1.20      01 June 2006      *Added section IV describing the two different 
                             versions of the game.
                            *Added a LOT of hints in levels 2 - 6 about how to
                             minimize damage in a start-from-scratch game where
                             you do not have the M16 from the beginning.
                            *Improved strategies for many other battles 
                             throughout the game.  
                            *Found and corrected a couple of typos and cleaned
                             up the formatting on my "bullet points."
                            *Added some new wisecracks (see if you can find  
                             them.)
1.30      26 July 2007      *Played through the game while reading the
                             walkthrough and added a couple of new strategies.
                             Added difficulty ratings for levels.
2.00      09 August 2007    *Added information about weapons and amended some 
                             strategies for "continued" games.

Written by Bill Russell

The Tomb Raider series is (c) Eidos Interactive and 
The Playstation version is (c) Sony Computer Entertainment of America.

This FAQ is copyright 2004 -- Bill Russell

This publication is protected by United States copyright law.
It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly 
without advance written permission of the author. Use of this guide on any 
other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a 
violation of copyright.  If you wish to post this FAQ or any portion of it to 
any other site, please write to me.  

Questions or comments can be sent to me at 

brussell15@austin.rr.com

PROVIDED that they conform to the guidelines stated in Section VI below.  
PLEASE read those guidelines before sending me anything.  Thank you!

===============================================================================

Table of Contents

I.    Introductions
II.   Tips, Tricks, and Tactics (DEFINITELY read this!)
III.  About Lara's Weapons
IV.   Index
V.    Before You Begin -- a VERY Important Decision
VI.   Walkthrough
VII.  Where Do I Go from Here?
VIII. Final Notes and Credits

===============================================================================

I.  Introduction:  

Tomb Raider 2 is the first game that I bought for my Playstation, and it 
remains my favorite action/adventure game.  I have probably completed the game 
at least a dozen times, and after the first couple of times, I started looking 
for ways to add challenge to the game.  As I became more familiar with the 
game, I found that I used fewer and fewer health packs until one day I asked 
myself whether it was possible to complete the game and collect every single 
Secret without using any health packs at all.  It took some doing, but I found 
that this was indeed possible, and I thought that I would share my adventures 
with the gaming community.  So, if you, like myself, enjoy this game and would 
like to approach it with a different focus, give this challenge a try!

I definitely would NOT recommend that you try this your first time through the 
game.  This challenge is for the experienced player only.  I am therefore 
assuming that the reader has completed the game at least once and is familiar 
with the controls, enemies, weapons, puzzles, etc. Likewise, I will not attempt 
to describe every detail of the game.  For this, there are several other good 
FAQ's posted and I suggest you refer to those for particulars on how to proceed 
if you get stuck.  Likewise, I will not remind you to pick up items (you 
may not need the ammo and you definitely don't need the Medi Packs unless you 
just want to see how many you can collect).  I will assume that you want all of 
the Secrets, and I will remind you to get them when appropriate without 
necessarily detailing how.  Rather, the focus of my writings will be how to 
minimize damage to Lara so that she can survive each level without using any 
health packs.

In my "Overview" of each section, I will tell you approximately how much life I 
had remaining at the end of the level.  Factor this into your thinking as you 
read along.  For example, if I indicate that I survived the level with 50% of 
my life remaining and tell you in the walkthrough to strive for losing no more 
than 10% of your life in a certain encounter, figure anywhere from 10% - 20% is 
OK.  The reason I give these low numbers and finish easy levels with lots of 
life remaining is that it is good practice for the more difficult levels where 
we will have to conserve every minute fraction of life we can.  Take personal 
pride in every encounter you can survive without taking any damage at all--it 
will pay off later on.

Let me say for the record -- and this will become increasingly obvious as you 
progress through this guide -- I genuinely dislike having Lara lose health.  I 
take every decrease in her life bar as a personal affront to my gaming skills, 
and I often reload and replay sequences many times until I can avoid all damage 
even knowing that I will finish the level with 80% life remaining or more.  
Although it is not necessary for you to adopt this mania for perfection, I 
would like to suggest that it is something to strive for.  Most gamers can make 
it through the game from beginning to end.  Distinguish yourself by trying to 
complete the game taking as little damage as possible.  You get no superior 
weapons or accolades for doing this.  "All" you get is the personal 
satisfaction of having achieved something above and beyond the ordinary demands 
of the game.   In the end, that is worth more than any more tangible rewards 
that the game can give you.

One final feature that I added recently is a completely subjective difficulty 
rating for each level.  These ratings are based on a scale of 1 - 5 with 5 
being the most difficult, and I tried to allocate approximately an equal number 
of each rating.  I'm sure that many of you will disagree with my ratings, and 
that is fine (I myself would probably rate the levels differently if I were to 
blindly rate them tomorrow.)  Take these ratings as approximations of my 
perceptions and nothing more.

Regarding my sources for this work, I am personally indebted to Sinjin's very 
well-written and nicely illustrated walkthrough at
 
http://www.the-spoiler.com/ACTION/Eidos/tomb.raider2.1/tr2text.htm 

for helping me through the game my first time or two.  This is the ONLY outside 
source that I used for help with the game.  This statement has two primary 
implications:

1)  There are certainly other cheats or tricks available that I have not 
described in my writings.  They do not appear here because I did not figure 
them out on my own.  Thus to some, my FAQ may appear to be incomplete.  Rather, 
it is the complete accounting of my own discoveries summed with what I learned 
from Sinjin's walkthrough.

2)  If a trick or cheat DOES appear in my FAQ, I am not crediting any other 
source -- even though I'm sure that this trick does appear elsewhere -- because 
I did not use any other source in discovering it.  Again, any information 
written here came either from Sinjin or from my own experimentation with the 
game.  I do not claim to be the first person to discover -- or write about -- 
these tricks, only that I did figure them out without outside help.  The one 
exception to this principle is the easier approach to the Barkhang Monastery, 
for which I have given due credit to the person who apprised me of it.   

In the above paragraphs, I am referring primarily to the following three items:

1)  A shortcut through Level 2 (Venice);
2)  An easy way to kill some of the Xian Guards in levels 16 and 17; and
3)  A foolproof way to defeat the final boss (using only your pistols, if you 
like!) while sustaining zero damage.

I would like to re-emphasize that I am not plagiarizing these ideas but rather 
am recounting things that I stumbled across in my own quest to complete the 
game without using health packs. Now that we have that settled, I would like to 
add that if you consider any of these to be "cheating", then simply don't use 
them. Let your conscience be your guide.  Whatever you decide, you may want to 
try each of them at least once just for fun.

===============================================================================

II.  Tips, Tricks, and Tactics (DEFINITELY read this!)

*  You begin each level with full life.  Therefore, it is only necessary to 
   reach the end of each level alive.
  
*  Mercifully, you can save your game anywhere, any time.  USE THIS TO YOUR 
   ADVANTAGE!  Save just before any major encounter and, if you sustain an 
   unacceptable amount of damage, just re-load the game and try again.  (You  
   will do this a lot!)  Unfortunately, the Playstation version only allows you
   to save one game at a time, so be sure that you have done your best before 
   saving and proceeding.  In the interest of avoiding excessive repetition, I 
   will NOT constantly remind you to save - when in doubt, just do it!

*  When you have accomplished something significant and want to save your game,
   retreat to a safe place and be sure that your environment is peaceful and 
   stable before you save.  It is really annoying to save your game and then,  
   as soon as you exit the menu and start playing again, have Lara immediately
   get shot by someone you didn't see before.  Be certain before you Save.

*  Remember that eliminating enemies takes priority over collecting dropped   
   items.  I can't tell you how many times I've had Lara bend down to pick up 
   dropped ammo only to get blasted by a final enemy I had forgotten to 
   eliminate. The dropped items aren't going anywhere -- clear the area first, 
   then pick up the loot.

*  This may seem really obvious, but proper use of the "Look" button can be 
   very helpful.  It allows you to see around corners (and sometimes, due to 
   glitches, through walls), thus telling you exactly where your enemies are 
   and when they are going to be within your sights.    

*  Know where enemies will appear and, just as important, what triggers their 
   appearance.  You will sustain much less damage when you can fight one enemy 
   at a time.

*  Likewise, know the movements of your enemies, especially those with 
   firearms.  Generally, Lara is much more agile than these guys, so use this 
   to your advantage.  When confronted by an enemy with a gun, I generally will 
   run directly towards him, firing as I approach, then run past him, execute a 
   roll, and continue firing.  Most enemies are VERY slow to turn and will 
   continue firing in the direction from which Lara came, giving you adequate 
   time to take them out.  If necessary, you can run past the enemy and roll 
   again.  Henceforth, I will refer to this technique as the "Run and Roll" 
   technique.  This is also effective on enemies without guns who are 
   encountered in confined spaces.

*  Unarmed enemies who come towards you can be efficiently dispatched by 
   hopping backwards while firing.  This delays their approach and often kills 
   them before they have a chance to reach you.  Henceforth, I will refer to 
   this method as the "Backhop" technique.  If you run out of room when 
   backhopping, you can run and roll past them or, if you are near water, dive 
   in and wait for them to pass before trying again.

*  When an enemy is on a higher level than you, it is often possible to hide 
   behind some kind of shield -- a trench or pit, for example -- then leap up 
   vertically and fire as soon as Lara targets the enemy, then drop back down 
   behind the shield before the enemy has a chance to target you.  Henceforth, 
   I will refer to this method as the "Vertical Leap" technique.  You may want 
   to use the Look button to be sure that your enemy's back is turned when you 
   jump, though, as some enemies can target you during the short time that you 
   are vulnerable.

*  When none of the above strategies are effective and Lara must confront an 
   enemy face to face, have her jump from side to side while shooting.  Lara is 
   an excellent shot while jumping but her enemies are generally much less 
   accurate.   

*  Finally and perhaps above all, if you try something repeatedly and it just 
   isn't working for you, your best option usually is to take a break and come 
   back and try again later.  You'd be amazed how often you will be successful 
   on one of your first couple of tries after taking a break.  We are trying to 
   accomplish something that is pretty difficult, so it is natural to become 
   frustrated.  Be patient, get away from the game for a while, come back 
   refreshed, and things will often go much more smoothly.

===============================================================================

III.  About Lara's Weapons

Eventually, Lara will have 6 different weapons from which to choose, and each 
has its particular strengths and weaknesses.  Knowing these strengths and 
weaknesses will help you make the best choice of weapons as you proceed.  
Below, I will detail each weapon for you, describe its particular 
characteristics, then at the end of the section, I will summarize my findings.

I had always thought that all hits with bullets inflicted the same amounts of 
damage, but some experimenting that I did recently proved this not to be the 
case.  For example, the automatic pistols inflict exactly twice the damage per 
hit as the regular pistols do.  Also, different weapons can fire at different 
rates.  For purposes of comparison, I called the firing rate and damage rate 
for the pistols a simple "1" and rated all other weapons relative to this 
value.

I realize that this is somewhat out of order, but if you are uncertain about 
what I mean when I mention a "fresh" game or a "continued" game, please refer 
to 
section V of this FAQ.

*  Pistols -- Firing rate = 1 (360 rounds/minute); damage = 1
   
   Advantages:  Unlimited ammunition -- you don't have to worry about 
   conserving ammo.

   Disadvantages:  Second lowest ranking in terms of maximum possible damage 
   per minute.  You really only want to use the pistols when either you have no 
   other option or when you are in absolutely no danger of taking any damage 
   while you are plugging away at your enemy from a safe location.

*  Automatic pistols -- Firing rate = 1 (360 rounds/minute); damage = 2

   Advantages:  Inflicts twice the damage per hit and per minute as the regular 
   pistols.  These represent a much better option than the pistols, especially 
   before you find the Uzis.  In a "fresh" game you get these pretty early (the 
   second level).  In a "continued" game, there is not much reason to use them 
   because the Uzis offer a much better option and are available with unlimited 
   ammunition from the very beginning of the game.  The exception to this rule 
   is the "Offshore Rig" level, where you get these weapons back before you get 
   your Uzis back, therefore forcing you to use the Automatic pistols.

   Disadvantages:  In a "fresh" game, you need to conserve ammunition. In a 
   "continued" game, they are outclassed by the Uzis.

*  Uzis -- Firing rate = 2.5 (900 rounds/minute); damage = 1

   Advantages:  The Uzis have the fastest firing rate of any weapon and for 
   most purposes represent your best all-around weapons.  Hit rate is nearly 
   100%, even when Lara is jumping or running, making the maximum possible 
   damage per minute very high.

   Disadvantages:  Damage rate per hit is low (same as regular pistols), 
   meaning that you have to score a lot of hits to take down most enemies.  In 
   a "fresh" game, ammunition must be conserved.

*  M16 -- Firing rate = 1.25 (450 rounds per minute); damage = 2.5

   Advantages:  High firing rate, unmatched range, and exceptional damage per 
   hit make the M16 your best weapon in terms of possible damage per minute.  
   Although its firing rate is only half that of the Uzis (this makes sense, 
   since you are only firing one weapon and not two), the damage per hit more 
   than makes up for this.  The most important characteristic of the M16, 
   though, is its extraordinary range.  With the M16 equipped, Lara can get far 
   enough away from enemies with guns that they cannot target her, yet she can 
   target them.  This is a HUGE advantage in a game where we are trying to 
   minimize damage.

   Disadvantages:  The biggest drawback to the M16 is that Lara cannot fire it 
   while moving.  Thus, in many major battles, it has limited use because Lara 
   must evade enemies while firing.  We can temper this disadvantage in some 
   battles by blasting advancing enemies with the M16 until they get too close, 
   then switching the Uzis and blasting while running.  In addition, ammunition 
   for the M16 is very scarce, so in a "fresh" game one must be especially 
   careful to conserve ammo.

*  Shotgun -- Firing rate = 0.16 (56 rounds/minute); damage = 2.5

   Advantages:  The above statistics are somewhat misleading.  Lara can fire 
   just less than one shotgun shell per second, but each shell counts as 6 
   rounds fired.  Of these 6, the number that actually hit depends very much on 
   distance -- at close range, she can score 6 hits per shell, at a distance 
   she may score only 1.  Notice that each hit does as much damage as an M16 
   round.  Thus, at close range, the shotgun can do a lot of damage, making it 
   very effective for "Run and Roll" maneuvers.

   Disadvantages: From a distance, the shotgun is not very efficient.  The low 
   hit rate and slow firing rate quickly diminish its effectiveness.  As with 
   most weapons, ammunition in a "fresh" game is at a premium, so you will want 
   to use the shotgun sparingly.  Overall, you will not use this weapon in very 
   many battles, but when you do use it, you will find it very effective.

*  Grenade Launcher -- Firing rate = 0.09 (34/minute); damage = 30

   Advantages:  I think that the damage stat says it all.  No other weapon 
   comes close to the grenade launcher's damage per hit.  This is why, in a 
   "continued" game, the grenade launcher is your default weapon.  With this 
   weapon equipped, Lara can only target enemies within a certain range, but, 
   as we shall see, she can still use grenades to eliminate enemies that are 
   too far away to target.  In a "fresh" game, this is going to be 
   indispensable.

   Disadvantages -- The firing rate says a lot, but the problems with the 
   grenade launcher go far beyond this one low stat.  Grenades are launched 
   rather slowly and in a straight line, meaning that unless your enemy is 
   running directly towards you (or standing still), the grenade will likely 
   miss its target.  This makes grenades very hard to aim, especially if you 
   are trying (as described above) to take out an enemy who is too far away to 
   target.  Like the shotgun, the grenade launcher is irreplaceable in certain 
   fights, but more often than not, its sheer power is outweighed by the 
   greater accuracy and speed of the Uzis.

*  Harpoon Gun -- Firing rate = 0.07; damage = 4.5

   Advantages:  The harpoon gun is the only weapon that Lara can fire when she 
   is swimming.  The damage rate per hit is surprisingly high.

   Disadvantages:  Even in the water, the harpoon gun is next to useless.  It 
   is ridiculously difficult to score a hit, its range is very limited, and 
   firing rate is the lowest of any weapon.  The damage per hit has to be high 
   because it is very unlikely that you will ever hit anything with this piece 
   of garbage anyway.  In most cases, it is much easier to lure a swimming 
   enemy to a place where you can pull out of the water and use guns than it is 
   to try to kill it using the harpoon gun.  If you want to really make 
   yourself crazy, try playing a "continued" game where you use no weapon other 
   than the harpoon gun.  After a level or two, you will want to shoot your PS 
   and kill this game forever -- just don't shoot it with your harpoon gun 
   because you will be unlikely to actually hit it.

As promised, here is a chart summarizing the above information.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Weapon      |Rounds/minute |Max hits/minute |Damage/hit  |Max damage/minute|
==============================================================================
| Pistols     |     360      |       360      |     1.0    |        360      |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Automatics  |     360      |       360      |     2.0    |        720      |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Uzis        |     900      |       900      |     1.0    |        900      |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| M16         |     450      |       450      |     2.5    |       1125      |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Shotgun     |      56      |       316      |     2.5    |        790      |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Grenades    |      34      |        34      |    30.0    |       1020      |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Harpoon gun |      25      |        25      |     4.5    |        112.5    |
==============================================================================

The bottom line here is that when you can use the M16, you should.  It beats 
all other weapons in terms of damage per unit time, and it is pretty much 100% 
accurate.  If you have to be on the move, the Uzis are probably your best 
choice.  Even though grenades look a little better in terms of maximum possible 
damage/minute, the key word here is "possible."  The low accuracy of the 
grenade launcher makes this number very difficult to achieve in most combat 
situations.  Overall, the greater accuracy of the Uzis makes them the clear 
choice over the grenade launcher for most situations.  

===============================================================================

IV.  Index

To jump to the walkthrough for a specific level, click on "Edit" then "Find", 
type in the level number (e.g., "L01" without the quotation marks), and either 
click "Find Next" or hit the "Enter" key. 


Level 01 -- The Great Wall                             L01
Level 02 -- Venice                                     L02
Level 03 -- Bartoli's Hideout                          L03
Level 04 -- Opera House                                L04
Level 05 -- Offshore Rig                               L05
Level 06 -- Diving Area                                L06
Level 07 -- 40 Fathoms                                 L07
Level 08 -- Wreck of the Maria Doria                   L08
Level 09 -- Living Quarters                            L09
Level 10 -- The Deck                                   L10
Level 11 -- Tibetan Foothills                          L11
Level 12 -- Barkhang Monastery (The Easy Way)          L12E
Level 12 -- Barkhang Monastery (The Hard Way)          L12H
Level 13 -- Catcombs of the Talion                     L13
Level 14 -- Ice Palace                                 L14
Level 15 -- Temple of Xian                             L15
Level 16 -- Floating Islands                           L16
Level 17 -- The Dragon's Lair                          L17
Level 18 -- Home Sweet Home                            L18

===============================================================================

V.  Before You Begin -- a VERY Important Decision

You need to be aware that if you have already completed this game at least 
once, you will need to choose which of two different versions of this game you 
are going to play in attempting your "No Health Packs" run.  I will outline 
your choices and the advantages and disadvantages of each below.

Your first possibility is to start a new game (henceforth, I shall refer to 
this as a "fresh" run.)  This version of the game will be identical to the 
version that you played when you first got the game.  That is, you begin with 
only your pistols and shotgun as weapons, and you will have to find (and 
ration!) other weapons and ammunition as you progress through the game.

If your memory card already contains a completed game -- one that you 
completely finished, waited through the closing credits, and then saved after 
all that -- you have a choice of choosing "Continue" (or if you have already 
powered down the console, you can choose "Load Game") and beginning the game by 
simply loading Level 1 (The Great Wall).  Henceforth, I shall refer to this as 
a "continued" game.  The advantage of playing a "continued" game is that you 
begin the game with all of your weapons and unlimited ammunition.  Sounds like 
a pretty sweet deal, doesn't it?  Unfortunately, there is a catch.  When you 
play a "continued" game -- and I only just discovered this recently (June 2006) 
-- the enemies are going to be harder to kill.  To be more specific, each enemy 
can endure roughly TWICE as many hits as in a "fresh" game.  For example, do 
you remember that very first tiger that you have to kill in the first level?  
In a "fresh" game you can take him down with 22 hits.  In a "continued" game, 
it takes 43 hits to level that same enemy.  The final boss (the Dragon) can be 
defeated in a "fresh" game with 300 hits or 10 grenade hits.  In a "continued" 
game, it requires 600 hits or 20 grenade hits to kill him.

You would think that the advantage of having all weapons and unlimited ammo 
would outweigh the disadvantage of having to pump twice as many rounds into 
each enemy.  I mean, it isn't as if you're going to run out of ammo, right? 
Well, in the early levels I would more or less agree with this logic.  However,
in the later levels more durable enemies means that the battles will 
necessarily last longer, and in some cases this can be a REAL problem.  For 
example, you do not want to have to dodge an attacking Xian Guard any longer 
than you have to.  I have recently played the game both ways, and I am 
convinced that overall a "fresh" game is noticeably easier than a "continued" 
game, and would therefore be more suitable for your first attempt at a "No 
Health Packs" run.  Although admittedly it is very nice to have the M16 at the 
beginning of the game, the unlimited ammunition is of limited usefulness, since 
I have found that the amount of ammo that you pick up during the game -- 
especially if you pick up all of the Secrets -- is more than sufficient for 
your needs.  I will leave this decision to you, but my personal belief is that 
the faster your enemies fall, the less life you are going to lose.    

When I originally wrote this walkthrough, I was playing a "continued" game. 
Consequently, you may find some of my strategies unnecessarily elaborate.  For 
example, I originally eschewed the use of grenades because I found that killing 
anything required two of them.  However, if you are playing a "fresh" game, you 
may find that a single grenade is very effective against many enemies, 
especially those who are charging at you very quickly.  To cite another 
particular, at the beginning of Level 17, I recommend pumping M16 rounds into 
an attacking Xian Guard, then switching to your Uzis, running past the enemy, 
and continuing the battle.  It turns out that in a "fresh" game, that last part 
is completely unnecessary, because you can finish the Guard with the M16 before 
he gets to you.  

With this new knowledge in hand, I had to decide how to address the two 
differing levels of difficulty in my FAQ.  After some consideration, I decided 
that it was best to leave my narrative as it is -- describing strategies for 
the harder ("continued") game.  This way I feel that you, the adventurer, are 
prepared for the worse case scenario, and that it will be easier for you to 
adjust my suggested strategies down in difficulty than it would be for you to 
crank them up.  In some situations -- particularly in levels 2 - 6 -- I have 
added notes for those of you who are playing a "fresh" game and need to defeat 
enemies without the use of the M16.  Otherwise, I will leave it to you to 
adjust my suggestions to meet your particular needs.

Enough of this chit-chat--let's grab the controller and play this game.

=============================================================================== 
 
VI.  Walkthrough

Level 01 -- The Great Wall (L01)

Overview

This level is so short and easy that I did not bother writing about it in my 
original FAQ.  However, I had some time on my hands recently and added this 
section for your reading enjoyment.  It is very possible to finish this level 
with Lara's life 100% intact, and you should keep that as your goal as you 
progress through it.  Although occasional minor damage in this level will not 
prevent you from attaining your "No Medi Packs" goal, it is important for 
future levels to begin developing the mindset that almost all damage can and 
should be avoided.  This way, when you really need to play a near-perfect level 
(as you will need to do in the not-so-distant future) you will have the skills 
and the patience to do so.  So, let's give it a try -- see if you can rack up a 
perfect level here.  Difficulty:  1/5

Stayin' Alive

Run into the water, roll, and take out the tiger.  Climb the rocks, collecting 
a Secret on the way up.  There will be another tiger below that you can waste 
if you so desire, but there is no reason to do so.  Climb up into the structure 
and fall through the collapsing grate into the water.  Throw a switch, go 
through the door and kill three very durable birds.  Slide down the rocks into 
the water, swim into a tunnel for a key, and climb out to kill a tiger.  When 
the tiger gets too close to you, just jump back into the water.  If you do so 
without taking any damage, save your game.  If the tiger damages you, reload 
the game and try again.  When you have eliminated the tiger without sustaining 
any damage, use the slimy looking green rocks to climb back up and open the 
door with your new key.  Stand in the doorway to kill three spiders, then climb 
the ladder to eliminate a fourth and get another key.  Open the door and kill 
four more spiders

Move the block, slide down the ramp, and take a sharp left when you hit the 
water.  Jump up and shimmy right, then drop, roll, and swim under the disc-
shooting machines (that are powered by what?) to pull out on the opposite side 
of them.  Walk up to the collapsing floor, save, and pause because this next 
sequence can be tricky.  Run across the collapsing tiles and take a sharp 
right.  When the camera angle changes on you, I suggest hitting the L1 "Look" 
button to put it back to normal so that you can see to jump over the spikes and 
slide down the ramp.  If you are willing to bypass the ammo sitting there (as I 
would suggest), then you can simply side jump left once and climb safely out 
before the spiked walls close in on you.  Keep trying this sequence until you 
get everything right and suffer no damage at all.  Then walk up to the next 
collapsing tiles and save and pause again.

Execute three consecutive running jumps over the swinging blades, hit the 
brakes long enough to pick up the not-very-secret Secret, and run down the 
right side of the hall to avoid the spiked walls and slide down the ramp.  It 
can take Lara a moment to recover from the fall down the ramp, but if you 
immediately hit the "Roll" button, she will recover much more quickly.  
REMEMBER THIS TRICK -- you will want to use it many more times throughout the 
game.  Head for the collapsing tiles and fall down to the next area.  As an 
alternative, you can roll onto the ramp and slide down backwards while holding 
the X button to make Lara grab onto the bottom edge of the ramp.  She can then 
safety drop down and side jump right onto the collapsing tiles.

Walk carefully up to the Medi Pack, jump back, then go to the far left to get 
past the rolling blades.  Run around the open area until you have killed four 
or five more spiders.  Drop over the edge onto the moss-covered rock, then 
shimmy right and pull up.  Follow the path, descend the ladder, and save at the 
entrance to the large open area.  The first T-Rex is triggered when you are 
roughly even with the second skeleton, so advance close to that point, roll to 
trigger the T-Rex, and run back to the safety of the little cave through which 
you entered the area.  From here you can blast the dinosaur safely.  Remember 
that if you get too close to the opening, the T-Rex can get to you, so play it 
safe and be patient.  When the beast moves no more, go to the far end of the 
area to claim the third Secret (and, if you are playing a "fresh" game, the 
grenade launcher that you are going to need in the next level as well).  
Another T-Rex will be waiting for you when you turn around, but it can't harm 
you in this sheltered area, so blast it back to extinction and return to where 
you entered the area.  Climb back up the ladder, drop down, position Lara in 
front of the hand trolley, and save.

As you ride the trolley down, carefully note the positions of the two tigers 
that await you and adjust your drop to the ground accordingly.  If both are in 
the cave in front of you, drop off early and just face them and blast away.  If 
one of them is close to the cliff edge, then land between them, roll, and 
charge at the one closer to the cliff edge while firing.  Then when the first 
one is finished, roll and take out the second one, being careful not to run, 
roll, or backhop off the edge.  When both tigers are sleeping peacefully, make 
your way to the door for a quick video and a very satisfied feeling for 
completing the first level without using any Medi Packs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 02 -- Venice (L02)

Overview

This is the first level with enemies that can shoot at you.  It can be 
relatively short and easy (especially if you capitalize on one of the game's 
glitches.) In fact, I completed it in less time than level 1 took me.  
Therefore, you should use this level to practice the basic survival strategies 
that will be essential in later levels.  Remember to save after every 
satisfactory battle.  You should be able to complete this level with at least 
two-thirds of your life remaining.  Difficulty:  3/5

Stayin' Alive

When you get about halfway down the first alley, a dog will appear.  Shoot it 
while hopping backwards.  In the open space ahead of you, there is a sniper 
above you and to your right.  Run out and to your left, roll, and take him out 
with your M16 if you have it; if not, pistols work just fine.  If you have to 
use your pistols jump from side to side while shooting and you will suffer MUCH 
less damage.  Slowly enter the alley opposite the sniper to lure ONLY the dog 
towards you, and do the backhop maneuver on him.  Slowly go down the same alley 
again to lure out a club-wielding thug, and kill him, again by backhopping.  

Run forward, dive into the canal, swim under the boathouse door, climb out to 
your right and flip the switch.  Return to the hut you passed on the way and 
climb the ladders to the top.  Shoot out the glass and beware of the dog in the 
passageway.  If he appears before you jump inside to room, you can use the 
Vertical Leap technique on him.  Otherwise, just go in, lure him out, and do 
your Backhop move.  You may retrieve the boathouse key from the sniper 
(although it really isn't necessary), then back inside you flip a switch, shoot 
out another window, jump to the awnings, go left to flip a switch, and dive 
into the water.  You can now either unlock the boathouse and motor through the 
opened doors or, if you are interested in conserving our natural resources, you 
can simply swim through them.  However, be aware that if you open the boathouse 
and jump into the water to get to the boat, a gunman will appear on the deck 
opposite the boathouse.  With a little patience, you can take him out from the 
platform where you inserted the boathouse key without taking any damage.  The 
only reason to fight this guy is to get the automatic pistols that he drops, 
but if you already have them, it is probably safer and healthier to swim. AT 
THIS POINT YOUR LIFE BAR SHOULD BE AT OR VERY NEAR 100%.

In the next area, collect the two Secrets and kill some rats.  If you brought 
the boat, you will want to drive it through the large metal doors (near the 
glass window) and leave it there.  There is only one gunman in this area, and 
he is in the room with the glass window.  As soon as you step on the window 
ledge, he will come from your left, so run into the room from right to left 
with pistols drawn and firing, and take him out with the Run and Roll method.
With luck, you will take no damage at all.  Flip the switch, swim under the 
now-closed metal doors, flip another switch in the water, and motor or swim 
into the next area.

Here, you have a choice of going right or left.  To your right, the canal takes 
a bend to the left, and at this bend is a very bad man patrolling the dock with 
a gun.  Isn't it a shame that you can't shoot him from your boat?  Instead, you 
must swim carefully to the edge of the dock, pull up when he is walking away 
from you (use the "Look" button) and take him out by the Run and Roll method.  
You'll take some hits, but don't feel bad -- you made it this far completely 
unscathed.  Keep trying until you lose no more than about 15% of your life, 
then Save.  Dive back into the canal and take the first right (under the 
clothesline), then left and a quick right, and another left.  Swim fast and 
deep past the opening on your right, for in here is another gunman who can hit 
you as you swim past if you dally.  Turn left and run up the ramp to collect 
the third Secret and a mess o' ammo.  We now want to return to take out the 
gunman we passed on the way.  Quickly swim under the door as near to the 
surface as possible.  Turn sharply left, pull up onto the ledge, and fire away.
It is possible to take him out without being hit at all, but taking a couple of 
hits in acceptable.  Swim over to the ledge where he was standing and face the 
switch in the middle of the wall.

You now have the option of capitalizing on one of the glitches in the game and 
going directly to the end of the level.  The switch in front of you opens the 
doors at the end of the level.  If you have a boat (as the game designers 
intended), re-entering it will start a chiming clock, and you must race to the 
doors before the clock stops chiming.  (You actually cannot do this at this 
point because we did not open all of the necessary passages that create a short 
enough route for you to reach the doors in time.)  However, since we did not 
open the door to this area and thus couldn't get a boat in here, the clock does 
not chime and you can merely swim to the exit with no time constraints!  So, if 
you want to go directly to the end of the level, just retrace your steps 
(strokes?) by going back under the door, then left, right, left, right (under 
the clothesline), left (past the dead guy), right (past the door where we 
entered this area), then right and straight ahead past a gunman (who will 
inflict some damage, but so what?), through the mines, and through the doors, 
ending the level.  The amusing thing about this approach is that even though 
you swam through the doors and never even used a boat, when the next level 
begins, Lara is in a motorboat!

If you are the "honorable" type (or if you are playing a "fresh" game and want 
the extra ammunition that you can collect from the additional fights) and feel 
that taking the above shortcut is cheating, here's how the designers intended 
for you to slug your way through the rest of the level.  Return to the point 
where you entered this area, but this time take the left fork instead of the 
right one.  Climb onto the boxes and jump onto the awning.  There is an 
overhead walkway ahead, but as soon as you touch it, a dog and henchman appear, 
so jump over, backflip back to the awning, and fire away.  Jump back to the 
walkway, look ahead and to the left and you will see a gunman.  If you have the 
M-16, use its superior range to pick him off. Otherwise you can use your 
pistols but be aware that when he is within range of your pistols, he can hit 
you as well!

Another gunman lurks in the courtyard to your right, but he won't appear until 
you enter the courtyard (you'd think that the guy would come to investigate all 
that gunfire but, lucky for you, he's not very good at his job.)  Use the Run 
and Roll method to take him out while sustaining virtually no damage.  Open the 
door, drop down into the pit, and throw the switch.  This releases another 
gunman above, so quickly climb out, wait for him to come into the room with 
you, and use Run and Roll to minimize the damage that he does.  Your Life bar 
should still be at about 75% or more.

You can now use the nearby boat to ram the gondolas and blow up the mines in 
front of the doors to the exit.  Swim (since your boat is no longer seaworthy) 
back past the first guy you killed in this area (back, then left, then left 
again) only this time instead of going right, go straight to the end, then 
right.  You will see a dock area and some gondolas.  Pull up onto the near end 
of the dock and a guy with a club will appear.  Shoot him until he gets too 
close, then jump back into the water and repeat until he croaks.  Enter the 
room from which he came, shoot two rats and throw a switch.  Go back into the 
water and take the narrow passage to your left (just in front of the gondolas) 
and then turn left when it ends.  Climb onto the dock and go through the open 
door (do not retreat here because another gunman appears to your right as soon 
as you climb out) and grab the key.  You will hear a barking dog and there is 
also a guy with a club up here.  There are two possible ladders you can climb -
- the one that is to the right of the corner will make you pull up into the 
room and the other will force you to backflip off the ladder.  I find the one 
to the right is much better.  Once your feet hit the ground, roll, draw your 
weapons, and fire while hopping backwards.  (Remember to release the X button 
to switch targets when one enemy is down.)  You may take some damage, but 
should still have well over half of your life left.  

Throw the switch to open the door.  There is a gunman pacing the walkway below 
you, but you can actually hit him from up here!  Draw your weapons and stand 
with your face against the brick wall opposite the switch with your left foot 
in front of the crack between the brick wall and the wooden door.  Take one 
step backwards and rotate counterclockwise about 45 degrees.  When the gunman 
appears through the crack, Lara will target him and can shoot him!  To make 
things even better, he appears unable to hit Lara from this position.  You may 
have to hit the "Look" button to get the cameras aimed right, but once you get 
in position, you can safely take him out, even with your pistols.

You must now return to the area near the overhead courtyard and open the door 
behind the guy you snipered from the walkway.  This will release a gunman.  You 
can either Run and Roll or jump back into the water, swim back to the boxes 
near the awning, and pick him off safely from there.  When he is dead, go 
inside and flip a switch to raise the last gate, completing the "shortcut" to 
the exit. 

Why did you put yourself through all the grief of the last five paragraphs?  
Why, so you could have all the "fun" of a very frustrating race against time to 
the exit in your boat.  If this is your idea of a good time, get in your one 
remaining seaworthy vessel, motor back to the switch that opens the exit doors 
(you will need to smash the other gondolas on your way), and race through the 
narrow passageways to the exit before the clock strikes twelve.  The path is 
well documented in other FAQ's - have a great time.  Me, I'm ready to move on 
to . . .

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 03 -- Bartoli's Hideout (L03)

Overview

The name of this level would lead you to believe that "Bartoli" is "hiding out" 
somewhere within this level.  In fact, he awaits you in the Opera House, a 
"House" without any "Operas".  Misnomers aside, this area IS heavily defended, 
and you will experience a couple of encounters with multiple enemies who 
threaten your health simultaneously.  We will use some more creative means to 
minimize our damage here while continuing to practice and perfect our basic 
moves.  Our goal will be to lose no more than half of Lara's life. Difficulty:  
3/5. 

Stayin' Alive

Drive your boat to cover the roughly 20 feet from the end of level 2 to the 
dock (this reminds me of Steve Martin in "LA Story" driving his car from his 
house to his next door neighbor's house).  Get on the dock and shoot 2 rats in 
front of the door and 2 more back to the left where the stairs go up.  Shoot 
the guy who comes down the stairs to your left, then climb up, killing 2 more 
rats on the way.  Throwing the switch will open the doors and release another 
(unarmed) thug, so be ready to take him out when he heads up the stairs towards 
you. None of these encounters should threaten your physical well-being.  

Peek through the now-opened doors and all seems peaceful within, but looks can 
be deceiving.  Draw your weapon (M16 if possible) and take one step onto the 
tiles -- a gunman magically appears on the balcony to the right, so take him 
out quickly.  You can afford to take one hit from him.  Switch to automatic 
pistols and venture in a bit further, and another gunman will appear under the 
same balcony.  Run straight in, using the right front column to shield you, and 
you can run up behind him and use the Run and Roll to best him taking no more 
than one hit.  Having cleared the area of evildoers, you can proceed to the 
area to the left of the entrance, pass the statues with swords, and throw the 
switch.  If you are in need of ammo for your automatic pistols, blast out one 
of the two windows to the glass-enclosed room, terminate the two charging 
hounds, and pick up the small medi-pack, which also comes with some flares and 
some ammo.  (How those dogs got in there is a mystery to me.  Were they put in 
there and then sealed in when the ornate windows were installed?  And what, 
pray tell, is the point of having a room with no entrance or exit?  Oh, well -- 
enough musing for now -- on with our quest.) 

Make your way to the balcony, climb the ladder, and save.  If you go outside, a 
gunman will appear on a balcony to your right.  Put your back against the 
ladder wall and position Lara so that she appears to straddle the step up to 
the outside balcony.  If you do this correctly, Lara will be able to target the 
gunman but will run very little risk of being hit.  When he goes down, the 
coast is clear and you can go from balcony to awning to balcony to platform to 
awning.  Jump into the opening with weapons drawn and take out the two dogs 
that come to greet you.

When you enter the room upstairs, a gunman appears, but give him the old Run 
and Roll and suffer nary a scratch.  Grab the Secret here and then go back to 
the room and shoot out the window.  A gunman is going to appear outside as soon 
as you land on the windowsill.  If you have the M16, you can jump onto the 
sill, then quickly backflip, roll, and run back out the door and pick him off 
from the hallway, out of his range for hitting you.  Otherwise, do your Run and 
Roll and settle for minor damage.

Go along the outside balcony to the next window where you will face a real 
challenge.  Stepping inside this seemingly empty room will trigger a dog and a 
guy with a club in front of you as well as another guy with a club behind you!  
I actually had my best success here using the grenade launcher, suffering zero 
damage, but with a little practice you can do almost as well with automatic 
pistols.  Just run to the back of the room firing as you go at the targets 
already in the room, then jump to the side, roll, and Backhop until all three 
enemies are deceased.  At this point, my life bar was still around 80%.

Go through the fireplace, kill a rat, jump over the blade, and jump over the 
burners.  Stepping from the wood floor onto the bricks will open the door in 
front of you, revealing a gunman and two dogs within.  You can gain a small 
advantage on the gunman (who is obviously your primary target here) by hopping 
back into the far corner after triggering the door.  With luck, he'll go down 
without ever hitting you.  You are now free to swing amongst the chandeliers, 
throwing switches and killing rats as necessary.  There is one club-wielding 
henchman amongst the rafters, whose presence is triggered by your proximity to 
a brick wall.  Take him out by backhopping, but be careful not to hop over the 
edge to a grisly and untimely demise.  Make your way outside, jump into the 
water, retrieve the Secret, and unlock the library door.

When the doors close behind you, you are confronted by your first foe, who 
fortunately is armed only with a club - easy pickin's for someone with your 
training.  Going topside and throwing a switch, however, releases a gunman.  Go 
below and wait for him behind a corner - you can Run and Roll without taking 
any damage from him.  Go through the door and climb the bookcases.  To avoid 
taking any damage getting to the opposite balcony, slide backwards down the 
awning, grab the edge, then pull up and backflip to the balcony.  Now make your 
way to the water on the other side of the brick wall.  Pull up and cautiously 
enter the room, knowing full well that doing so will trigger a gunman inside -- 
can you say, "Run and Roll"?  Grab the Detonator Key from the table.  

Returning to the door across the water, you find yourself a sitting duck, for 
as soon as you try to pull up out of the water, the door opens and a bad guy 
starts shooting at you.  Equally bad, he blocks the doorway so that you can't 
run past him easily.  What to do?  Well, approach by land rather than by water.
Go back to the deck across the water and take a running jump (while holding X) 
to the step in front of the door.  As soon as you land, backflip into the water 
and swim back to where you can pull up onto the wooden deck.  With luck, the 
gunman will be running around the courtyard, giving you time to grab your M16 
and pick him off from a safe distance.  If you don't have the M16, that's OK 
too.  Jump and backflip as described above, staying close to the door you want 
to enter (if you swim away from it, the gunman can hit you while you're under 
water.)  Use the "Look" button to find an opportune moment to pull up, run into 
the area, and execute a "Run and Roll."  I took maybe one hit from him, 
knocking my life down to 70% or so - an acceptable number for this far into the 
level.  Best of all, he coughs up a large Medi-Pack which you can use to -- oh 
wait, we aren't using those, are we?  Never mind.

If all of that is too complicated, try the direct approach.  Run and jump to 
the step as described above (to avoid the time delay of pulling up out of the 
water), but immediately pull your weapons and do a "Run and Roll."  The gunman 
will score a hit or two (even before the door opens, it seems), but if you can 
squeeze past him in the doorway, that should be the extent of the damage that 
you take.  

Back inside a real challenge awaits you. Throwing that last switch inside opens 
a door to a room, and entering that room releases not one but TWO gunmen 
simultaneously.  To minimize damage, divide and conquer.  Look into the doorway 
and find the dividing line between the dark wood doors and the lighter wood 
walls within.  When you cross that line, you will trigger the gunmen.  Stand a 
little in front of that line and execute a roll into the room, then retreat 
into the room with the bookcases.  Soon, one of the guys (but probably not 
both) will come after you, and you can do a Run and Roll to take him out.  If 
you took no more than one hit from him, save, and then wait for his buddy to 
show up and give him more of the same.  You will probably take some damage -- 
my life meter went down to about 60% -- but the good news is that the worst is 
behind you for now and you are very near the end of the level.

Run along outside now, swim, pull up onto the wall, shoot out a window to 
retrieve the third Secret (did you ever wonder if Lara made her fortune 
investing in a glass company?), then come back and activate the detonator.  The 
noise will activate a gunman overhead to your left, so be prepared to take him 
out (with the M16 if possible.) You may have wondered whether it is possible to 
access the balcony with this dead gunman, and in fact it is.  I encourage you 
to make your way over there if you are interested in collecting absolutely 
nothing, because that is precisely what is waiting for you there.  The 
efficiency-minded explorer will make his way directly through the rubble and 
wreckage created by the blast and will proceed ASAP to the end of the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 04 -- Opera House (L04)

Overview  

This level will put your life-conserving techniques to the test.  It is 
definitely the hardest of the first seven levels.  Not only will you encounter 
numerous enemies with guns -- often two at a time -- and suffer considerable 
damage from an unavoidable fall, but you must also save up a good deal of life 
for a final up-close-and-personal boss encounter with Bartoli.  If you are 
playing a continued game, you will be fortunate to survive with 10% of your 
life remaining.  Sound like fun?  Well then, let's get down to it.  Difficulty:
4/5.

Stayin' Alive  

There is a gunman just beneath the platform where you land.  Jumping to the 
brick square to your right will give you a clear shot at him but, 
unfortunately, it will put you within his sights as well.  If you can catch him 
walking away from you, you can shoot him in the back and take him out before he 
gets off a single shot.  Again, the M16 is preferred but not essential.  Dive 
into the canal, climb the ladder to the left, throw a switch, and return to the 
starting point of the level, where a new challenge awaits you.  Avoiding the 
swinging box (Has anyone told these game designers about the impossibility of 
perpetual motion?), you must draw your guns, jump through the opening in front 
of you, get to your feet, and Run and Roll the guy with the club.  The fall 
alone will knock about 20% off your life, so keep re-doing this part until you 
can completely avoid being hit by this lug.  As you head up the stairs, the 
dead guy's evil twin comes down them, but simply Backhop and he won't lay a 
finger on you.  Continue up the stairs and return again to the level's 
beginning.

Go left, shoot the window, walk through the broken glass, climb ladders, and 
cross the rickety roof until you come to the portal to the room with the dome 
protruding from the floor.  There is at least one gunman patrolling the dome 
who can be picked off from here.  If he shoots you first, reload the game and 
try again.  You are about to enter one of my favorite battles of the game.  
Jump into the room BEING SURE TO LAND ON THE DOME and get ready for some heavy 
action.  Roll to face the oncoming guy with a club and Backhop to take him out.
Now run forward and roll again, facing the direction you faced before you 
jumped in.  Take out the two dogs if you can, but stay on this side of the 
dome, near the entrance.  On the far side of the dome, there will be two guys 
with guns coming from left to right.  The dome will shield you somewhat from 
their shots while you pick them off one at a time.  If the dogs are down and 
you have the M16, just wait on the ground directly below where you entered and 
use your range advantage to waste them. (BTW, these guys CAN come around behind 
you, but they rarely seem to do so if you stay on this side of the screen.) If 
you don't have the M16, you can wait in the recessed corner more or less below 
where you entered the room and wait for the gunmen to come around the corner.  
One grenade each should do the trick. You can actually survive this encounter 
with NO additional damage if you practice, and, may I add, it is very 
satisfying to do so.

Completely irrelevant but somewhat interesting aside -- In this particular part 
of the game, I have twice encountered a really strange bug in the game.  
Occasionally, when I have killed a gunman when he was standing on the dome, the 
deceased enemy, rather than falling to a prone position, as any decent dead 
person would do, remained in an upright position.  That is, he looked for all 
the world as if he were still alive, except that he did not move or shoot and 
Lara would no longer target him when she approached with weapons drawn.  It was 
kind of spooky, really.  Anyway, back to our story . . .

Jump past another physics-defying box to throw a switch, releasing two enemies.
Make the one with a gun your top priority.  Standing on the box in the pit (the 
one that OBEYS the laws of physics), you can monitor his movements and jump up 
and shoot him when his back is turned.  It may sound cowardly, but he would do 
the same to you if given the chance.  Then waste the guy with the club and 
enter the new area.

Throw some switches and climb some ladders to get to the opening above the 
opera house.  Hitting the floor will bring a gunman from your left, so wait for 
him against the wall, then Run and Roll.  There are two dogs in the hallway to 
the left -- waste them now to clear that hallway.  Go ahead and trigger the 
overhead sandbag so it doesn't fall at an inopportune moment, then slowly head 
for the doors at the other end of the hall.  Here we have a problem, for when 
you get close to these doors, they open and release a dog and a gunman.  Stand 
near the last pillar before the doors and execute a roll (to trigger the door 
opening), then run like crazy back to the hall where you killed the two dogs 
(jumping also helps avoid enemy gunfire).  If the fates are smiling on you, the 
dog will get there first and you can take him out, then lie in wait to Run and 
Roll to the demise of the gunman.

Head towards the doors that just opened, take a left, and jump across the gap 
to the square piece of floor.  From here you can take out two dogs and a club-
wielding henchman through the square gap across which you jumped (pistols work 
fine).  There is also a gunman across the way to your far right, and taking him 
out is going to be a bit tougher.  If you have the M16, you can easily pick him 
off with the M16's superior range.  If not, you are going to have to hit him 
with a grenade, which can be tricky.  Stand just in front of the opened doors 
right next to the square hole in the floor and face the gunman.  It will take 
some trial and error to find a position that allows the grenades to hit the 
floor near the gunman.  Using the "Look" button seems to help angle the 
trajectory up or down.  Once you can dependably hit an area, taking this guy 
out becomes a matter of waiting for him to move towards your ground zero and 
anticipating his moves.  It will probably take you several tries, as Lara does 
not actually target him -- you're just kind of lobbing grenades in his general 
direction -- so be patient.  If you don't take him out now, he will plague your 
existence for the rest of this level, and believe me when I tell you that this 
is the only way to eliminate him without taking any damage.  At this point, I 
only had 7 grenades, so I would take a maximum of two shots before resetting 
and trying again.  Eventually, the gunman and the grenade will occupy the same 
coordinates in time and space, and he will blow up with a very satisfying 
explosion.

Make your way down to the floor and approach the water, which should cause the 
arrival of a gunman on the stage to your right.  If you have the M16, he is 
easy pickings.  If not, go all the way to the back of the opera house, climb 
the block, and pull up one level (you will be as far as possible from the 
stage.)  Follow the grenade plan outlined above, trying to sacrifice no more 
than 1 - 2 grenades.  This time, it's much easier -- I blew him up on my first 
try.  Swim over to the block in front of the stage.  Don't stop and wonder what 
a pool of water is doing inside an opera house -- just remind yourself that 
this is Venice and there are canals everywhere.  Pulling up onto the stage will 
trigger a dog from your left and a gunman behind you.  Run to the right rear 
corner of the stage (watching out for falling sandbags), roll, take out the 
dog, then release the X button and fire some more to take out the gunman.

Go in the direction from which the dog came (I'll call it left), and throw a 
switch.  To the right, there are two club-wielding thugs who are easily 
defeated by Backhopping.  Make your way to the top of the room, being wary of 
heavy falling objects (Geez -- why wasn't this place condemned and torn down 
years ago?  It's a major safety hazard!)  Jump into the newly-opened hole in 
the floor and thank your lucky stars that the basement here is flooded because 
the water cushions your fall.  The easy way to be sure that you land in the 
water is to slide backwards down the ramp while holding the X button so that 
you grab the edge.  At the bottom, pull up and backflip into the water.  Get a 
Secret, throw a switch, grab a relay box and head up the ladder.  Go up one 
level, return to the hallway with the two (recently deceased) canines, use the 
relay box to activate the elevator, climb the ladder to the Secret (and the 
UZIS if you don't have them yet), take the elevator down, and prepare for one 
of the biggest challenges yet. 

A couple of steps past the elevator, you will be attacked simultaneously by two 
guys with very rapid firing guns.  I found no way to trigger them separately, 
and there is no place to run or hide. This is a prime example of how much more 
difficult a "continued" game is than a "fresh" game. If you are playing a 
"fresh" game and still have some grenades left, you can sidle along the left 
wall, blast the first guy as soon as Lara targets him, and then rotate left and 
give the second gunman more of the same.  It costs you two grenades (which you 
will be able to replenish at the end of this level anyway), but with a couple 
of tries you can survive with zero damage.

If you are playing a continued game, this battle is MUCH more difficult.  If 
you choose to use grenades (which you won't), it takes two grenades to take out 
each gunman.  By the time you launch four grenades -- even if they all hit 
their targets (which they won't) -- these gunmen will make mincemeat out of 
Lara.

I had my best success with sidling against the left wall and blasting the one 
coming from the right with the Uzis until he went down.  Just about then, his 
buddy appeared from the left, and I was able to take him out using the Run and 
Roll technique without taking a single hit from him.  However, the first guy 
shot Lara many times before she could take him down, and after this encounter, 
my life bar was just below half.  

Send the elevator up so that you can dive into the water, retrieve the circuit 
board, and start climbing out to dry land, killing a rat en route.  At the top 
will be a gunman, a dog, and two rats.  If the gunman makes frequent passes by 
you, you can use the Vertical Leap trick, but he tends to go past once and then 
wait for you off to the far right.  You should be good enough to take him out 
with Run and Roll without getting hit.  The rats and dog are easy pickings (if 
the dog gets too close, just hop back into the water and try again.  It is 
time-consuming but remember that our motto here is, "Safety First".)

Follow the hall, shoot some very decorative glass, drop down, open a door, and 
jump some fans, retrieving a key and a Secret in the process.  Open a door, 
stack some blocks, and climb out of here, pausing at the top to kill the guy 
with the club.  Return to the rat-and-dog carnage, climb up and out, open the 
door, and return to the control room to install the soggy-but-apparently-still-
functioning circuit board.  Throw the switch on the right and the curtain will 
rise, revealing another roving gunman.  Enter the opera house area as before 
and pick him off with the M16 (or a grenade) from as far away as possible.  
Alternatively, you can nail him with your guns by standing near the water's 
edge, although you may have to do some side-jumping if he starts firing at you.
If you take any damage, just reload and try again.  

You know that you need to go through the small door on the stage, but you are 
equally sure that perils await you there.  For openers, there is another 
overhead sandbag to trigger and avoid.  This really clutters the entrance, 
making it hard to maneuver, but fortunately Lara is very agile.  Walk to just 
past the fallen sandbag and execute a roll to trigger two guys with clubs and 
two dogs.  This is no time for heroics -- we have a major battle just ahead of 
us -- so jump forward twice, off the stage and into the water to avoid these 
enemies.  Swim back until you can plant your feet and draw your weapons, and, 
as you blast these guys to kingdom come, suggest to them that it would have 
been worth their while to have learned how to swim.

Pull a box twice, throw a switch, climb to the top, jump a square hole, and 
throw a switch.  You will see a guy with a club below you, but there is really 
no reason to go down there and fight him.  Do an angled jump to the slope to 
the right, then run past the sandbag and Save your game at the edge of the 
opening.  You are approaching the final encounter of this level, and it's a 
doozy.  When you cross the plane of the opening, you will be pursued by two 
dogs, a gunman, and Bartoli, who shoots you with two shotguns simultaneously.  
These guys can hit you when you are up on this ledge, so it is better to get 
down on the ground and mix it up with them in an area where you have some 
mobility.  The gunman is triggered when Lara goes nearly all of the way to the 
end of the passageway immediately in front of her, so we want to avoid going 
there until we are ready to deal with him.  We want to take out the canines 
first, so that they won't-- well -- hound you while you are battling the boss.  
Jump down and head down the right passageway, but do NOT go more than halfway 
down that corridor lest you release the gunman.  The dogs should appear one at 
a time, allowing you to mow them down handily.  Roll and head back to where you 
dropped down.  Bartoli should approach you from far end of the same aisle where 
you just took out the dogs.  You want to fight him in the big open area so that 
you have some room to maneuver. If the gunman accompanies him, you might as 
well reload your game, because you really can't fight them both at the same 
time.  However, if you were careful not to release the gunman when you were 
fighting the dogs, this shouldn't be a problem.  Switch to your shotgun and 
wait for Bartoli to round the corner, then give him the old Run and Roll.  He 
has an annoying tendency to wander off, but don't pursue him -- he'll be back.  
Just wait for him there and keep running behind him and shooting him in the 
back.  Once he goes down, if you have at least 10% of your life left, you can 
safely Save.  You can now switch back to conventional weapons (or not) and go 
trigger and hunt down the gunman and take him out at your leisure.

You still need to climb/jump on the boxes and throw an elevated switch at the 
front of the room.  Doing so will release one more gunman, but you should be 
able to pick him off from your elevated perch (if you have the M16) or you can 
drop down and do a Run and Roll (if not).  Exit the level through the door at 
the back, and congratulate yourself on surviving a lot of gunfire without 
having to use a single (or half) Medi-Pack.  Nice job!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 05 -- Offshore Rig (L05)

Overview

This level seems relatively easy after the mayhem of the Opera House level.  
You begin the level with no weapons, but you also seem to face fewer enemies 
with guns, so overall, especially if you enjoy swimming, this level can be kind 
of fun.  It is even possible to complete this level with full life (if you want 
an additional challenge.)  Difficulty:  1/5.

Stayin' Alive

Move the box, throw the switch, and escape from your cell (what kind of idiot 
locks a prisoner in a room that contains a switch that opens the door?)  Dive 
into the water, pull the switch near the fan, and swim down the passage until 
you can surface for air.  Throw the switch and swim back for the Secret, then 
return here.  

Pull up out of the water and follow the passage back outside.  Run and jump 
over the gap (beware of gunfire from within), then drop down and push the 
switch.  Swim into the plane's opening and push another switch.  Now retrace 
all of your steps from the underwater passage to dropping down next to the 
switch, only this time run, jump, and grab onto the plane and pull up.  Drop 
through the hatch and reclaim your pistols.  Swim back to where you first dove 
into the water and pull out to confront a guy with a club and a guy with a gun.
I took out the club guy first, then dove into the water and pulled up next to 
the door.  When the gunman came out, I did a Run and Roll and killed both 
enemies without suffering any damage.

Use the yellow key card to open a new passage, push the switch to turn off the 
alarm, and follow the path to the right.  When you open the hatch and enter the 
room, a rig worker attacks from BEHIND you.  When he enters the room, sidejump 
right, then left to lure him to the side (firing all the time), then run like 
mad back to the switch that turned off the alarm.  You now have room to Backhop 
and take him out without ever getting hit.  Return to the hatch and the room 
beyond.  Another guy with a club awaits you in the next room, but you have 
plenty of time to kill him before he ever gets close.  Open the hatch and 
Backhop out the door and up the ramp to kill another guy with a club.  Head 
back into the bunk area and reclaim your automatic pistols and get a really 
useless harpoon gun.  Push a switch and do the timed run up and out the top of 
the room.

Slide BACKWARDS down the ramp, climb down the ladder, move some boxes, and jump 
over the burners (the purposes of which are unclear) to climb up a ladder.  A 
guy with a club awaits you in a long and narrow space at the top.  Your auto 
pistols should finish him off just before he reaches you.  Climb up the ladder 
for a Secret (and some fresh air!), then return to the path.  When it 
terminates, you will find yourself above a familiar pool of water.  Dive in, 
climb out, go outside, jump the gap, blast out the window, and take the left 
path inside.  A dog and a gunman await -- try to fight the dog first, then Run 
and Roll the gunman.  When I finished them off, I still had 100% of my life.  
Sadly, that won't last long.

Side jump to avoid the oil drums, then use the red pass card and Save.  When 
you enter this room you will have a gunman to your left, a rig worker to your 
right, and, just to make things interesting, another rig worker behind you.  
When I entered, Lara immediately targeted the gunman, so I ran forward and took 
him out first, which is probably good.  I then rolled and charged at the two 
rig workers with automatics blazing, and one of them went down.  I then did 
another roll and Backhopped until the second rig worker went down.  I got 
clubbed once, but still had probably 90% life remaining -- pretty darned good 
if you ask me!

Push the block into position, jump up into the overhead passageway, and take 
out a guy with a shotgun. (He was walking away from me and never even got off a 
shot.  You'd think that getting shot in the back would be enough to make him at 
least turn around and see what was going on, but apparently these guys were 
hired for their muscle, not their mental acumen.)  Throw the switch in the 
control room to fill the pool, backtrack to the room with three corpses, then 
take a nice refreshing dip in the lovely green water(Ewwwww -- let's hope that 
it is water!) and pull up on the other side.  Throw the switch around back, 
swim back across the pool, and return to the control room.  

Drop down into the new area and go left.  There are some armed frogmen in the 
water, but you can hit them from up here if you are patient (and better yet, 
they can't hit you.)  Start following the overhead path, looking carefully 
around each corner before proceeding.  When the first gunman walks away from 
you, jump around the corner shooting, take him out, and reclaim your shotgun.  
The next two enemies carry shotguns which seem to lack the range of your 
pistols, because I was able to take them both out without them even firing a 
shot.  Follow the path to the end, where the green pass card sits on display in 
a non-bulletproof glass case that might as well bear a huge sign reading "STEAL 
ME".  Do so.  

Dive into the water, lure any remaining frogmen to one of the pillars (but NOT 
the one with the third Secret!) then climb out of the water and waste them.  Go 
to the pillar with the Secret, being aware that pulling up here will trigger 
the arrival of two guys with clubs (don't bother asking yourself where they 
were prior to your arrival.)  Pull up in front of the Secret, then run all the 
way across the base of the pillar and into the water on the other side so that 
you trigger both henchmen.  You can now swim over to the next pillar and take 
them out in a leisurely fashion.  Go back for the Secret, then swim to the 
pillar diametrically opposite the one with the Secret.  Climb the ladder and 
proceed clockwise until you come to the overhead Exit (just after the third 
jump.)  Drop down and kill a rig worker, then use the green key card in the 
control room.  Throw the switch that transfers the green water-like substance, 
then dive in and follow the passage to the end of the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 06 -- Diving Area (L06)

Overview

This area is very much like the previous one both in length and in difficulty.  
Overall, if you have been practicing the basic techniques you can avoid nearly 
all damage in this level.  In fact, if you are playing a "fresh" game, it is 
entirely possible to have a perfect level and sustain no damage whatsoever.  In 
a "continued" game, a perfect level may or may not be attainable, but finishing 
with about 85% life remaining is a realistic goal.  Difficulty:  2/5.   

Stayin' Alive

Notice that if you are playing a "continued" game, you now have ALL of your 
weapons back, even though you did not find the M16 or grenade launcher in the 
last level.  Sweet!

Jump to the ladder, throw the switch, dive in, pull a switch, and pull out.  Go 
part way down the corridor until you can target the thugs on the other side of 
the water and take them out safely.  When you enter the next area, a dog and 
two guys with guns will come from your left.  Side jump into the space so that 
you will be facing them and pick them off.  Using the M16, I suffered nary a 
scratch.  Cross to the other side, slide down to get the Secret, then slide and 
jump across the toxic liquid.  Climb up a REALLY tall ladder and back up to the 
left side of the hole in the floor.  Slide down (backwards!) and grab, release 
and grab again, to find a guy with a gun waiting for you.  You can't dangle and 
wait (he can shoot you) and you can't drop down and shoot him from below, so 
you must pull up and take him out as quickly as possible.  I think that some 
damage is inevitable, but try to lose no more than 10%.  

Go left, jump down to get the blue pass card, pull up, return to the LONG 
ladder, and return to where you iced the gunman.  Now go right and use the pass 
card, opening a way with many new playmates for you.  In particular, there will 
be two dogs to the right, and two dogs and a flamethrower guy to the left.  
Slowly inch to the right until the dogs appear and try to send them to doggy 
heaven without Backhopping (as this will only move you closer to the two behind 
you.)  Then roll and get the two dogs coming from behind you.  Finally, wait 
for the flamethrower guy and dowse his dreams of sending you up in flames.  
This was all pretty easy with the M16 -- with other weapons, it may take a 
couple of tries.

Directly opposite where you came in is a door with a wheel.  Open it and finish 
off the guy with the club by Backhopping up the stairs.  Jump into the water 
and lure the frogman into the open area, then climb out and blast him.  Now 
that the coast is clear, take a deep breath and swim a clockwise loop through 
the underwater passage, throwing switches as you go, and return to this pool. 

Go back to the main corridor and open the door that is 90 degrees clockwise 
from where you are now.  Go up the stairs, being aware that in the room at the 
top are three enemies and two of them have guns.  Again, your M16 is your best 
friend -- it can take out all three without you getting hit even once.  Without 
the M16, lure the three thugs down the stairs and wait for them at the bottom, 
where you can Run and Roll them one at a time.  I managed to take out all three 
of them with my automatic pistols, and didn't get hit even once.  Go past the 
helipad and throw the switches and jump the burners to get the machine chip at 
the far end.  If you don't have the M16 yet, your life is about to change for 
the better.  Flip the right switch again to shut off the front burner, run and 
drop into the pit, and pick up the best weapon in the game.  Don't forget to 
climb back out and run to safety before the burner re-ignites.
     
Return to the room that is 90 degrees counterclockwise from you off the 
main corridor.  Pull the box, install the chip and a new area opens.  Run into 
the room with guns blazing to take out the rig worker coming at you and also to 
avoid the flamethrower who is coming from your left.  After the rig worker goes 
down, roll and shoot the flamethrower from across the pool, which is out of his 
range.  Push a switch and get a Secret, then swim into the underwater passage 
to lure out two frogmen.  Go to the far side of the pool, pull out, and side 
jump left and right while firing at them.  With a little practice you can 
escape this encounter unscathed.  Health check:  about 85%.

When both frogmen are floating, the coast is clear and you can swim through the 
passage and pull out of the water.  Use your pistols to take out the two 
hapless club-carrying henchmen, then climb up and throw the switch.  Another 
frogman will appear, so be ready to put some holes in his air tank.  Swim back 
and climb out of the pool, but be aware that when you opened the door you also 
released two thugs, one of whom has a gun.  Fight them straight up or wait with 
your M16 in the corner farthest from where they enter and blast them from 
outside the gunman's range.

You can now access the control room and flip a switch that allows you to cross 
to the saw.  Go behind the boxes and flip a switch, then head back to the main 
corridor.  There are two dogs and two gunmen somewhere in the area.  I'll do my 
best to describe where I found them, but be aware that their locations may 
vary.  When you exit this room, you will probably encounter a guy with a 
shotgun coming from your left.  The dogs and the other guy with a gun are 
probably on the stairs that go up to the helipad.  Run to that area and wait 
for them at the bottom of the stairs, and you can hopefully take them out one 
at a time.  When all four are down, go down into the recessed area past the 
helipad and prepare to drop down through the square hole.  Down below you will 
find a guy with a club (he came from my left) and a Flamethrower guy (who came 
from my right) in a rather cramped space.  I used two grenades on the club guy 
first (because he appeared first) and then turned and fired two more at the 
flamethrower.  I lost a bit of life jumping down there, but the level is nearly 
over and my life bar is still about 75%.

Go back to the room with the saw, insert the machine chip to stop the saw (??? 
Wouldn't you expect inserting a machine part to make the saw operate rather 
than cease to operate?), get the red pass card, and return to the central area 
where I just used grenades.  Use the pass card to open the door.  A guy with a 
shotgun awaits you below.  If you are very lucky, Lara will target and take out 
this thug from above before he ever fires a single round at you.  If you are 
less fortunate, you can sidejump into the hole so that you are facing the 
correct way to Run and Roll this guy.  Proceed into a familiar area where 
you previously iced (from a distance) a couple of "hapless" guys with clubs.  
Gather the items they dropped, then exit this room, drop down into the water, 
follow the passage, and be prepared to shoot two guys with guns when you enter 
the open area.  Grab the Secret before approaching the guy on the ground and 
ending the level.  I finished with my life bar around 2/3 or so.  (Update June 
2006 -- on a subsequent "start from scratch" run, I completed this level with 
100% life remaining.  It CAN be done -- try it!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Level 07 -- 40 Fathoms (L07)

Overview

I really dislike this level!  Let me list the various reasons behind that 
statement.  First, you will die several times at the beginning just trying to 
find your way to safety.  Second, this level contains two really annoying timed 
"puzzles" -- one with burners and one underwater.  Third, it is easy to get 
lost in the rooms towards the end of the level as they all look pretty much 
alike.  Fourth (and worst of all) is that in nearly every enemy confrontation, 
you are at a severe disadvantage.  For example, since your harpoon gun is such 
a worthless weapon, you are unable to kill your aquatic enemies when in the 
water (unless you are willing to take LOTS of damage), so you have to resort to 
evasion (Don't you wish that Lara had the kind of harpoon gun that her enemies 
use?  Those things fire fast and true and never seem to miss their mark.)  
Also, at the very end of the level you have to very slowly pull up out of the 
water and into a room where a guy with a shotgun is already blasting you before 
you can even get your feet on the floor.  The only two good things about this 
level are a) that it is mercifully short and 2) that you can complete it with 
about half of your life remaining.  Let's get this thing finished!  Difficulty:
3/5.

Stayin' Alive

Follow the trail of debris to the ship and enter up by the anchor.  Surface for 
some air, then swim through the maze, throw a switch, and surface near some 
floating boxes, all while outswimming a shark (yeah, right!)  Swim down to 
throw a switch and exit through the opening near the top of the screen.  Look!  
A Secret just sitting there unprotected!  (If you believe that, I have a bridge 
in Brooklyn that I'd like to sell you.)  Crossing the plane of the ledge on 
which you are standing triggers a guy with a shotgun from your right, so be 
proactive and jump down there, run behind him, and give him what for!  Grab the 
Secret, open the trap door but stay topside.  Down below are two enemies that 
you can pick off from up here.  Be aware, though, that one of them has a gun 
and can hit you.  When the coast is clear, climb and jump your way into the 
next area.

Throw the switch to your left and run to the timed door before it closes.  Save 
your game, then swim down to get the Secret.  Try to make the round trip 
without getting nipped more than once.  My life bar was around 90% at this 
point.  Back inside, pull up near a ladder-like object to throw a switch and 
prepare for the annoying burner race.  I'll not describe the particulars as the 
path is well documented in other FAQ's.  All I will say is, "Have fun!"  When 
you make it across the burners, open the door, wade in the water, and shoot the 
approaching fish.  Now do the annoying swimming maze.  I would advise against 
getting the Secret just yet -- concentrate on getting safely to the top first, 
then Save and dive back down to get the Secret and race the fishies to the top 
before they gnaw your legs off.  There aren't many other life-threatening 
encounters left in this level, so I Saved when I emerged with about two-thirds 
life remaining. 

Follow the path, safety drop down, pull a box, and throw a switch.  Climb up a 
level, enter the opening at the top and throw another switch.  Drop down to the 
lowest level, go up through the hole to the far right, and make your way to the 
hole near the top.  Enter and throw a switch.  Go back down a level and head to 
the opening opposite the block you pushed.  Follow the passage to the now-
flooded area.  I tried unsuccessfully to lure the frogman into a position where 
I could shoot him, so eventually I just swam down and took him out with 
harpoons (one of the rare times that I found harpoons useful).  Ironically, 
that one stupid frogman sapped more of my life in this level than all other 
enemies combined, but then I finished with life to spare and that is what 
really matters.  Swim down the passage and pull out quickly -- a guy with a 
club and one with a shotgun are waiting for you.  Take them out with extreme 
prejudice, throw the switch, and enter the passage to end this level (and 
emerge a couple of feet later with your life miraculously renewed.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 8 -- Wreck of the Maria Doria (L08)

Overview

We have a REAL problem here.  During this level you will necessarily take two 
falls which will combine to eliminate around 85% of your life!   You must 
therefore find a way to survive the rest of this very long level with much 
gunfire while losing no more than the remaining 15%.  Sound challenging?  Well, 
we've been training for this for some time -- let's put our practice to the 
test. Difficulty:  5/5.

Stayin' Alive

There is a frogman in the pool ahead, and your first challenge is to prevent 
him from damaging you.  He is difficult to target from above, and if you try, 
there is a very high probability that he will injure you before you kill him.  
Using the M16, I managed to target him and dispatch him without getting hit, 
but in retrospect I think that I got lucky.  Rather than kill him, you can dive 
in to lure him out of the tunnel, pull out of the water, wait for him to swim 
to the left, and dive in again and hightail it for the end of the tunnel.  By 
swimming evasively up and down you can avoid all of his shots and surface 
unscathed.  Sometimes conflict is best resolved by nonviolent means.  If you 
use this strategy, be sure that he is not still firing at you from the water 
before you save.  Above all, remember that you cannot afford to take ANY damage 
here -- there is simply no margin for error in this level.

It is now time to take the first (and more perilous) of the two life-consuming 
falls.  Slide backwards down the slope and grab the edge to safety drop to the 
breakaway floor, then let go and watch your life meter plummet as you fall to 
the level below.  NOTE -- I hate to keep harping on this, but you must 
understand that you cannot afford to lose ANY life in this level, except where 
noted that such loss in unavoidable.  Trust me when I tell you that even so, 
you will barely make it through this level alive. Keep reloading and retrying 
until you can face each encounter perfectly.  If you are uncertain about 
whether or not you sustained any damage (wouldn't it be nice if we had a 
numerical display instead of just a bar?), do it again.  It is much better to 
repeat a single skirmish than to get the end, run out of life, and find that 
you have to repeat the entire level.

Stepping on the next raised level will bring uninvited guests.  Equip the M16, 
jump forward to trigger the bad guys' arrival, then backflip to get out of the 
gunman's range. Keep an eye on your life meter.  If you suffer even one hit, 
reload and try again -- there is little margin for error in this level!  Cram 
all of the boxes into the left hallway, then go up into the hole in the ceiling 
at the other end of the room.  Run and Roll the guy with the shotgun who comes 
around the bend -- redo it until you suffer zero damage.  Then give more of the 
same to the guy who sneaks up behind you when you reach the end of the duct.  
Drop down to get the Secret, then backtrack to where you moved the boxes.  
Stand up on the ledge and get ready for some major action.

As soon as you hit the floor below, you will trigger two guys with wrenches -- 
one in front of you and one behind you -- and a guy with a shotgun to your 
right on the other side of the wall.  To make things really interesting, there 
is also a sniper in the room on the second level and to your left.  You want to 
drop down, run into the room, take a hard right (running past the guy with the 
shotgun), roll, and fire like crazy with your Uzis.  It is actually possible to 
waste all three of these guys without taking any damage, so keep trying until 
you can do this.  Retreat to the safety of the previous room and Save, then use 
your M16 to take out the sniper.  

Now follow the wall to the end and drop into the pit to get the key.  You will 
lose a TINY sliver of life (only perceptible because your life meter will flash 
briefly) from the glass when you drop down, but I'm pretty sure that this is 
inevitable.  Climb out and use the key in the room that was sealed off by 
blocks.  Push the switch, roll, and take out the guy with the wrench.  Push the 
switch inside the doors, and then GO BACK AND PUSH THE FIRST SWITCH AGAIN TO 
CLOSE THE DOUBLE DOORS!  If you don't do this now, you will get trapped later 
on.  Return to the Ballroom (I wonder how people danced in here with all of 
these ramps sticking up out of the floor?), then jump, grab, and shimmy past 
the door you opened, past the recently deceased sniper to the end of the path, 
then jump over to get the circuit breaker and return to the door you just 
opened. 

Open both doors with wheels and enter the one on the far right.  Pull a box to 
access a switch, throw the switch, then pull another box to pull out of this 
room.  Pass through the next room, and around the next corner will be a wrench-
carrying lug who needs to be stopped by Backhopping.  Move a box to get a key 
and access a switch to pull (a twofer!), then pull out of this room.  Use your 
new key in the lock at the beginning of the hall and enter the new area.  Move 
the box on the floor in line with the others, then, from atop this row of 
boxes, pull the first box out and push the second one in to reveal a path to 
the right.  Get past the broken tiles and barrels, then climb into the hole in 
the ceiling (dodging another barrel) for the Secret.  

Around the corner and up a bit is a guy with a shotgun.  Take him out by the 
Vertical Leap method.  Drop down to the boat(?), dive in and pull the switch 
and go through the timed door to pull another switch.  Slide backwards down the 
ramp and grab its edge until the trap door closes, giving you firm footing.  
Then pull up into the hole and throw a switch.  Proceed cautiously towards the 
new area.  Inside there will be a guy with a shotgun just below you and two 
guys with guns roaming the perimeter of the level just below him.  Monitor the 
shotgun guy's movements with the Look button, then jump down behind him and 
give him the old Run and Roll.  You can then pick off the other two guys from a 
safe distance with the M16.  (NOTE:  At this point, we have only suffered 
damage at two places in this level -- the drop at the beginning, and a tiny bit 
from dropping down past the broken glass.  Lara's health meter should be right 
around one-third full.)   
 
Now if you want to, you can head left, push the switch, run around, and jump 
through the timed trap door to get the second circuit breaker.  Really, that 
seems the hard way to do it, and the fall might cause you some damage.  Lucky 
for us, the Safety Drop Bug from the first Tomb Raider game is still in effect 
here.  Stand on the sloped tiles just clockwise from the trap door and make an 
angled running jump/grab to the tile just to the right of the trap door.  If 
you drop down from here, you will slide down into the broken glass below, an 
especially cruel fate for barefoot Lara.  Instead, pull up onto the tile.  Drop 
down and hit the X button as if you were going to grab the edge, but release X 
before Lara can actually grab the edge.  She will drop safely onto the square 
directly below where she was standing.  Much easier, don't you think?  

Go clockwise around this level and push the switch to drain the water around 
the boat.  Touch the tile that had the breaker to open the exit back up to the 
next level and return to the no-longer-floating boat.  Yes, you have to drop 
down to it, and yes you will lose about half of your remaining life doing so.  
It's not like I didn't warn you about this eventuality.  That little red 
flashing rectangle (it should be about twice as long as it is tall) is all the 
life you have left, and we still have a LONG ways to go.  Follow the path to 
the right, ignore the path to the left, and then go up and drop down behind the 
double doors that you closed earlier in the level.  You DID close the doors, 
didn't you? Because if you did, then you can get the third circuit breaker, but 
if you didn't, then you have to go back and shut them now and then backtrack to 
here.  Return to the left path you previously ignored which now terminates with 
an opened trap door.  Down below are two guys -- one with a shotgun (who CAN 
hit you up here) and one with a wrench.  Run into the hole with guns blazing 
and hope you target the gunman first.  Again, you need to keep re-trying this 
until you take out both bad guys without taking any damage.  I seem to have 
better success side-jumping into the hole rather then running in head first, 
but do what works for you.  

Return to where you originally dropped down and lost most of your life.  Dive 
into the pool, pull the switch, and prepare for our last major battle of this 
level.  You are going to swim through a tunnel and pull up into a room where a 
guy with a wrench, a guy with a gun, and a guy with a shotgun are waiting to 
end your adventure.  Your success here will depend on where these guys are when 
you emerge.  I died many times because the guy with the shotgun blasted me 
before I ever got out of the water.  On my most successful attempt, I climbed 
out and was approached first by the wrench guy.  Two grenades took him out.  I 
swam back to the starting point and saved, changed to the M16, and swam up 
again.  This time the guy with the shotgun was walking away from me, and I 
dropped him before he got off a single round.  The other guy was quite a ways 
back in the room and posed me little difficulty.  If you are playing a "fresh" 
game you won't have the grenade launcher back in your inventory yet (it 
reappears at the end of the next level.)  In this case, you just need a little 
bit of luck.  Emerge from the hole with Uzis blazing.  With any luck the two 
guys with guns will be way back in the next room.  Take out the guy with the 
wrench, then run into the room and get the other two. If you think that they 
are going to start shooting, remember that side-jumping while shooting is a 
very effective defense.  Either way, I survived this encounter with no 
additional damage -- and you can too!

Insert the three circuit breakers into their receptacles from right to left 
(this somehow turns the burners off???) and (you'd think that even the 
extinguished burners would be hot on Lara's bare feet) pull the box in front of 
the opening above.  Advance slowly until the henchman (wrenchman?) appears, 
then shoot him risk-free using the Vertical Leap technique.  Make your way 
across the room by using the beams and get to -- oh no!  Not another long fall!
At least this one is cushioned by water.  Swim a short distance, kill a fish, 
and pull out to trigger a henchman.  If he gets too close, retreat into the 
water, which, apparently, makes you invisible to him, as he will wander off for 
a bit.  Repeat as necessary until he goes down.

Open the door with the wheel, throw the switch, and run through the timed door 
to push a block and throw another switch.  Go to the now-opened hole in the 
floor and Save.  You now must dodge dozens of deadly and dastardly denizens of 
the deep to retrieve a key from the bottom of the water, then swim back and 
climb out without becoming fish food.  Good luck.  Wasn't that fun?  Well, if 
you want all of the Secrets, you get to do it again!  Hooray!  (I suppose you 
could get the key, then the Secret, then come back, but I generally have 
trouble finding the Cave with the Secret from where the key is.)

Back inside, unlock the cabin, throw a switch, go outside the cabin, push a 
box, throw another switch, return to the cabin, and climb into the hatch in the 
ceiling.  Follow the path and enter the pool room.  There are two guys with 
guns in here, and they are on the level just below you, probably almost 
immediately below you.  Run to the opposite side of the room (to maximize your 
distance from them, so that they can't hit you), then turn and blast them with 
your M16.  Drop down through the hole to the right and watch for two frogmen in 
the water.  If you are like me and have trouble remembering how to safely go 
down one level, consider using the Safety Drop Bug.  Don't forget to pick up 
the 5 (!) clips of ammo for your M16.  Now try to pick off the frogmen with 
your M16 if you can, but really you should be able to survive with some evasive 
swimming.  Dive in, find the barrels, follow the path, take a left at the first 
giant eel, then swim for the open area to finish this seemingly endless level 
with (a sliver of) life to spare!  Whew!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 09 -- Living Quarters (L09)

Overview

After the incredibly long and nerve-wracking level before, this one is a 
breeze.  It is not very long at all, and none of the encounters are especially 
dangerous, especially for a seasoned gamer like you.  In fact, I only lost life 
in one place (jumping up out of some glass) and I'm pretty sure that damage is 
unavoidable.  So just sit back and enjoy this one, knowing that we have greater 
challenges ahead in levels to come.  Difficulty:  1/5.

Stayin' Alive

Swim through the opening and to the left to throw a switch, then go up through 
the hatch you just opened.  Pause a moment and admire your once-again full 
health bar -- isn't it comforting?  Anyway, as you move forward, you will be 
greeted by a workman who can be easily dispatched.  He drops a small Medi-Pack 
for you to add to your growing collection. (Can you believe that some wimps 
actually use those things to help them get through the game?)  In the next 
room, there might be a sniper above you and to your right, and we will take 
care of him later when we have a better angle.  For now, if you notice your 
life meter mysteriously dwindling, reload the game, back up a little bit hoping 
that the sniper retreats, and try again.  When you can do so safely, go through 
the room with the pistons, through the winding hallways, and into the pit.  As 
you advance, you will be confronted by three enemies -- first a wrenchman 
(Backhop), then a shotgun guy (Run and Roll), then a guy with a club (Run and 
Roll if you are quick; if not, grenades will do the job).  BTW, the hallway is 
booby-trapped with barrels, and this third enemy (the guy with a club) doesn't 
release until you venture into the hallway.  This suggests that you should stay 
out of the hallway when you are dispatching the first two enemies, then roll 
and retreat to trigger the barrels and the third enemy, then dispatch this last 
enemy.  Proceed into the room with the burners and shimmy across above them to 
reach the switch that shuts them off.  (Isn't it interesting that Lara doesn't 
lose any health when her feet are dangling a couple of feet above the burners, 
yet she does lose health if she is standing within a couple of feet to the side 
of them.  It seems that in the world of Tomb Raider, heat does not rise but 
rather radiates primarily sideways.  Also, I have to wonder why these burners 
were burning in the first place and how one is supposed to shut them off in the 
normal course of events.)  Anyway, when you finish pondering these and other 
mysteries, climb up, go up a ladder, throw a switch, and drop down the hole to 
return to the piston room.

You can now jump from piston to piston, taking a brief side trip to the right 
to grab a Secret.  Eventually, a guy with a shotgun will appear on the ledge 
ahead of you -- the sooner you take him out, the better.  If he does not appear
until you hit the ledge, give him a Run and Roll and he, like so many before 
him, will go down.  Go to the end of the hall, push a box, drop down and throw 
the switch (moving the pistons back to their original positions), go back to 
the ledge, and jump back across the pistons.  Turn right and jump and grab to 
get to the platform and throw the switch.  To avoid damage, jump back to the 
piston and then to the flat area at the end.  At this point, your life should 
still be full or very nearly so.  

Go back to the pit, which is now full of water.  Dive in and swim to the burner 
room to throw the switch on the wall.  Go back to the pit and catch your 
breath, then swim through the door and lure the frogman back to the pit area, 
where you can climb out and blast him until he -- well -- sleeps with the 
fishes.  Fill your lungs with air for a looonnnng swim out the hatch to the 
cave across the way.  Stay left and low to avoid the jaws of the Giant Eel, 
throw the switch, then go back out and through the opening above you surrounded 
by seaweed.  Move left and look up to see the guard patrolling above you and 
take him out with the M16.  You may have to move forward a bit to trigger him.  

Go up to the level with the door and the switch.  The game designers want you 
to open the door and go through an elaborate sequence of pulling switches and 
running around to open a trap door that I have never found it necessary to 
open.  On the level with the switch and the door, stand on the second blue 
square away from the switch with the switch to your right.  Here you can jump 
and grab the duct and pull up.  Then pull the box, jump around the box, shimmy 
past the gap, and follow the obvious path.  Enter the blue area and summarily 
dispatch the workman approaching from your right.  At the end of the hall from 
which he came is a pit with a Secret.  You will take minor damage from the fall 
and from jumping past the broken glass, but this should only total about 10% of 
your life, an amount that we can easily afford.

Follow your original path, slide down a ramp, and kill a pesky fish in the 
pool.  Step on the breakaway boards then quickly retreat to kill another fish.  
You now need to swim through the opening (and hopefully back!) to get the third 
Secret of this level.  I don't think there are any enemies out there (other 
than the one fish that emerges when you destroy the breakaway boards), but keep 
your bearings because the opening is well camouflaged.  Head to the next room, 
jump, grab, and shimmy to pull up, then proceed to the top of this room and 
drop down the pit.  As you enter the area with red carpeting, a guy with a gun 
will come down the steps to your right.  Target him early and you can ice him 
before he fires a single shot.  Go up the ramp and turn left, and another armed 
guard is patrolling the room to your left, but he is far enough away that he is 
no match for your M16.  Pull the box at the end of the hall, jump over the 
balcony, and make the guy with the shotgun and the guy with the club who attack 
from your left eat hot lead.  Go into the pit, move the box, and get the key.  
This will trigger the appearance of a shotgun guy who you can take out at your 
leisure by the Vertical Leap method.  Luckily for you, he's not bright enough 
to make the association between gunfire coming from the pit and the possible 
presence of an enemy in the pit, because if he did, he would probably come down 
there and shoot you instead of ambling aimlessly around the room while you 
empty round after round into him.  

Take your new key and head towards but past the theater.  There is a guy with a 
club in the cubby at the far left end of the hall, so you may as well take him 
out just to be safe.  Now unlock the theater, rotate counterclockwise, and back 
up towards the guy you just killed, because another guy with a club is going to 
come after you from inside the theater.  Take him out by backhopping, then go 
left, then right.  Another guy with a club will come up the aisle towards you -
- show him no mercy.  To your right, you will see a balcony with two enemies -- 
one with a club and one with a gun.  If they are nice enough to stay in the 
open, you can hit them from here with the M16.  If they hide off to the right, 
you can jump and pull up onto the edge of the balcony, then backflip to safety 
and blast away when they appear.  When the dust settles, climb into the balcony 
and throw the switch, then head to the stage.  As you approach the curtain, you 
may see a lug with a club coming from backstage.  If so, simple Backhopping 
will take him out easily.  Pull the box, climb over the barrier, jump over the 
glass-filled pit, and throw the switch.  Head back to the theater entrance and 
a shotgun guy will try to block your exit.  Give him the old Run and Roll.  
Retrace your steps to where you got the theater key, swim across the pit, and 
climb out to exit this really easy level with your life bar nearly full, having 
only lost life while pursuing the second Secret.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 10 -- The Deck (L10)

Overview

Do you remember the long fall you had to suffer in level 8?  The one that 
knocked out two-thirds of your life, forcing you to avoid pretty much any other 
damage for an interminably long level?  Well, that was nothing.  In this level, 
one fall will take about 90% of your life, meaning that any other damage in 
this level is unacceptable.  When I first undertook this challenge, this is one 
of two or three levels that I thought would absolutely require a Medi-Pack.  I 
was wrong.  Think you're up to the challenge?  OK -- let's do it!  Difficulty:  
5/5.

Stayin' Alive

Before we begin, let's make absolutely sure that we understand each other.  
Aside from the two places where I will indicate that damage is unavoidable, you 
cannot afford to lose ANY life ANYWHERE in this level -- not a sliver from a 
clumsy fall, a wayward harpoon, or a distant gunshot.  If Lara suffers any 
other damage, you MUST reload and try again or you seriously risk having to 
repeat the entire level.  This level is really that close.

Move ahead, face right, and wait for the flamethrower guy to appear so that you 
can cool him off with your M16.  Advance towards that area and a guy with a 
club will come after you -- taunt him by using your lowly pistols to snuff him.
Go back to where you entered, climb up on the ledge, and dive into the water, 
pulling up quickly on the left so that you can put some holes in the two 
fishies who had designs on making you their dinner.  Go clockwise around the 
rocks to get the key.  Dive back in and follow the path, surface, and shoot the 
approaching workman.  Move towards the deceased workman, go left onto the blue 
mound, and turn right to use your M16 on a flamethrower guy.  Go to the pile of 
boxes ahead and to the left and move them to reveal a door and a lock that 
matches your key.  Enter, take a swim, pull a switch, exit the room, hop on the 
box to your right, and waste the guy with the gun to your right.  

Go to where the two dead guys are, step on the hatch and fall down a shaft, 
then climb a ladder and throw a switch.  Return to the no-longer-flooded room, 
drop down and move a box, and follow the path to the water.  Swim about as far 
as the raft and then hang a left and pull up to shore.  Take out the 
approaching workman, then turn and pick off the two frogmen in the water.  
Again, your M16 has greater range than their harpoons, so you should take no 
damage.  Dive down deep to get the Secret, catch your breath, then go back down 
through the tunnel and surface to waste the barracuda.  Follow the path until 
you see a white opening to your right.  There will be a shotgun guy there, so 
jump up on the blue rocks to your left, sidle to the left until he appears, and 
take him down from a distance with your M16.  Continue forward (ignoring the 
path to the left) until you see a large Medi-Pack and a hole in the ground -- 
not a good sign at all.  The side of the hole with the Medi-Pack is as good as 
any, so do a safety drop from there and watch 90% of your life go away.  Bye-
bye!

Take the key and clear the area of 3 sharks.  You should be able to target two 
of them from the raft.  For the third one, you will need to dive in, swim to 
the area where you got the Secret, turn and swim back to the shore, and take 
him out from there.  Now go all the way back to the "path to the left" that you 
ignored in the last paragraph.  Follow the long and winding path until you see 
the deck.  There is a guy with a shotgun patrolling the area, but you are safe 
in the trench in front of the deck.  Wait there, and when the guard passes by, 
give him the old Vertical Leap.  When he goes down, you can head down the 
corridor in front of you, and when you get to the end, a workman will appear.  
You've got to take him down sooner or later, so it may as well be now.

You now need to get down to the next lower level.  Stay on this near side of 
the deck and head left from where you entered.  When you try to cross the gap 
in the fence, a workman will come after you, but he should be easy to take out.
Slide down the ramp.  This level looks peaceful enough -- for now -- but look 
down a level and you will eventually see a guy with a shotgun patrolling.  Try 
to take him out now so that he doesn't give you trouble at an inopportune time.
When you approach the pool, a guy will appear on the far side, but you have 
plenty of time to waste him.  Go ahead and kill the creature in the pool -- 
it's as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, really.  Diving into the pool will 
trigger a flamethrower guy next to the building, so you want to dive in the 
side of the pool next to the building, quickly swim across, surface, and pull 
out so that you can shoot him from across the pool.  When he bites the dust, 
repeat this maneuver swimming close to the door in the pool from which a 
frogman will emerge. You can sink him from the safety of dry land and then 
safely swim in and get the Secret.  

Head over to the far side of the area (closest to where the Secret was) and 
drop down a level.  Jump your way over to the orange roof.  You will pass the 
cave with the third Secret, but we will come back to it later in order to 
minimize backtracking.  Go to the far side, hang off the edge, drop, grab, and 
shimmy left until you can stand up and jump into the cave.  Wind around the 
path and jump from block to block until you almost reach the top.  When you hit 
the top level, two workmen will come at you so be prepared to take them out.  
You may need to slide back down to the bottom to avoid being hit.  (Isn't it 
nice that THEY, unlike Lara, can walk on the slopes without slipping?  Maybe 
she could get better traction if she'd thought to wear some shoes on this 
adventure.)  

The end of this path gets you close enough to jump and grab the roof of the 
building.  Cross the roof, take a left, and jump to the next roof near a trap 
door.  Fall through the trap door, Backhop the workman, pull out the box, and 
throw the switch.  Go out the self-opening door, turn right and then right 
again to enter the door you just opened.  Use your Cabin key in the lock, and 
make your way across the collapsing floor to push the switch.  Head back 
towards the door, but be alert!  Somewhere near the door, you will be attacked 
first by a workman (easy) and then by a guy with a shotgun (Run and Roll).

Now that the coast is clear, you can go to the door you just opened, do some 
climbing and jumping, and wind up on another orange roof and in possession of 
the Storage Shed Key.  (Did you ever think about how much trouble Lara could 
save herself if she got some basic instruction in picking locks?)  While musing 
over that thought, slide off the roof and make your way down several levels to 
return to where you did the jumping sequence to reach the first orange roof.  
When you hit the last walkway before the roof, turn right and go get the 
Secret.  You will lose a little life backing out across the glass, but the 
level is nearly over anyway.  When you return to the ground, you will see all 
kinds of activity on the level below you.  There will be two flamethrower guys 
making futile efforts to toast you even though you are out of their range. 
They, however, are perfectly within the range of your M16.  Get the idea?  Now 
you can go back to where you started the level (just head back towards the 
building on this level), repeat your swim, pull out, and go behind the area 
where the dead flamethrowers lie to open the Storage shed and claim the Seraph 
-- with life to spare!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 11 -- Tibetan Foothills (L11)

Overview

I don't know about you, but I welcome the change of scenery at this point.  I 
was growing a bit weary of all those aquatic images. Besides a new environment, 
however, this snow-covered level contains new perils for Lara to overcome.  
Among them are quicker and more durable gun-toting enemies and snowmobiles that 
are equipped with machine guns.  (At least Lara is no longer barefoot, even if 
she is wearing shorts in this frigid clime.)  In two of the three necessary 
fights against snowmobiles, you will likely lose a lot of life.  This means 
that we are going to be very careful not to lose life except in these two 
battles so that you can survive the level without health supplements.  Still, 
despite these increased threats to Lara's well-being, it is entirely possible 
to complete this rather long level with over half of your life intact.  Come 
along with me, and I'll show you how. Difficulty:  4/5.  

Stayin' Alive

Locate and kill the eagle and follow the path.  Jump over the first wave of 
snowballs, the duck into the cove to the left to avoid the rest.  Zero damage.  
Jump through the plate of ice and then, as you slide down the slope, jump again 
and grab onto the ice in front of you.  Climb right until you are over the 
"doorway", then drop to safety.  Go through the cave until it ends, and kill 
two eagles who, for some unknown reason, consider you a threat.  Do you see 
that camp across the way?  That's where we're headed.  Drop down two levels to 
a cave entrance.  Follow the path but do NOT jump across the small pool.  I 
know that water must be cold, but you need to drop into it anyway.  Climb up 
the ice wall, and when you reach the top, immediately jump back to avoid the 
icicles.  When you get outside, keep to the right and follow the passage behind 
the rock face.  Climb up once, then drop down to the left and slide down to 
another pond with icicles.  Carefully pick your way through the falling ice 
spears (hugging the left wall will get you through safely), then exit and jump 
over the hump.

Make a running jump to the next stone pillar and an eagle will attack from 
almost directly overhead.  You may want to jump back to your previous position 
so that you have some room to maneuver.  Return to the pillar and jump across 
the water to the Medi-Pack -- a rather phenomenal leap, if you ask me.  Climb 
up towards the hut but pause behind the last snow bank.  There are two guards 
with guns up there, but they do not appear until you cross the near plane of 
the snow bank.  Sidle over to the apex ahead of you, step forward to release 
the guards, then jump back behind the snow bank.  Let the guards make one pass 
across the area and then back to the outside.  We are going to use the Vertical 
Leap method of taking them out, but they are excellent shots and can often 
target you during the brief time you are in the air.  Your chances of avoiding 
damage are much better when only one of them is on the screen.  Be patient, 
save after every couple of hits, and re-load any time they damage you.  (Again, 
we are fortunate that they are not bright enough to search in the direction of 
the gunfire, because if they were you would be toast.)  In my game, each of 
these guys eventually got stuck beside the hut and was unable to move, allowing 
me to pull out my trusty M16 and blast them safely.  One way or another, you 
can -- and should -- avoid all damage here, and your life bar should still be 
completely full.

Head into the cave on foot and clear out any riff-raff (I believe there is just 
one such punk.  If you are bold, you can do this on the snowmobile and try to 
run him down, but I always got shot trying to do this and zero damage is our 
goal.)  When you get to the clearing, jump into the opening on the left.  Watch 
for two leopards to attack from the left -- they should go down before they can 
get to you.  In a "continued" game, you may find it necessary to roll onto the 
square that triggers the big cats, retreat to the opening, and jump back onto 
the ramp to shoot them from safety.  Either way, stick with it until you 
sustain no damage.  Head into the large chamber and move the two ice blocks 
away from the opening.  If you do not have the snowmobile with you, go back 
through the cave and bring it to the clearing.  You will probably encounter two 
frisky kitties on the way, so put them to sleep.

I would like to go on record as saying that I really HATE the snowmobiles in 
this game.  Whoever told the game designers that having them would be "fun" or 
"challenging" needs to be fired.  They are ridiculously difficult to control, 
resulting in the tedious repetition of segments of the game that you'd rather 
just pass by and move on, and the upcoming jump is a case in point.  At one 
time, I very carefully studied whether you could get through this level without 
ever using a snowmobile, and sadly I found that you cannot.  I particular, 
there are two places in the level where use of a snowmobile seems mandatory.  
Otherwise, I will probably advise you to progress on foot.  It may be a bit 
slower, but it is less frustrating in the long run.  Anyway, back to our quest.

Use the central ramp to jump the snowmobile onto the long ramp (aim for the 
wide part of the ramp to the far right), then use the long ramp to jump it into 
the large chamber.  Once inside, make another jump over the left side of the 
chasm (you will need to hit the X button for a power boost to make it across).  
Then park your vehicle and hoof it down the right path.  Climb the wall of ice 
and throw a switch, and come back down to find two mercenaries -- one across 
the gorge and another back where the path split.  Your M16 should easily handle 
both of them.  Now go down the left path (on foot for now) until you come to a 
narrow bridge.  About halfway to the top another mercenary will appear, so be 
ready to retreat a little (to avoid his gunfire) and then outgun him.  A fourth 
merc will appear near the end of the bridge -- deal with him as you did the 
last one.  There is a fifth merc lurking inside the cave, so enter the cave 
(with M16 in hand), do a roll, and run and jump back towards the other end of 
the bridge.  Then roll and fire at the advancing merc until he goes down.  You 
should still have full life at this point.

Exit the cave and jump to the ledge on the right to get the Secret.  This will 
release two leopards that you can safely dispatch from here.  You can climb 
down the ladder to get some grenades if you really need them, but you will also 
release three leopards that you otherwise could just leave alone.  I'll leave 
this up to you.  Either way, go back to where you parked the snowmobile and use 
it to execute a daring leap over the gap in the ice bridge.  You can see a 
climbable wall ahead and to your right, and you can access it from here -- but 
not until you get rid of those giant snowballs.  You can dislodge the first two 
by just walking in front of them and then hopping back.  For the others, you 
are going to have to ride the snowmobile as close as possible to the edge on 
your left to avoid them.  (This is one of the places where I believe that 
snowmobile use is not optional.  You can jump across this pit, but if you do 
the snowballs will get you.)  When you reach the other side, walk over to the 
ladder, jump above it, and slide down to grab it.  Then climb down, do a drop 
and grab, and pull up to reach the small cave with the Drawbridge key.  Since 
you can't exit the way you entered, drop down and follow the path.  There is a 
mercenary behind that sheet of ice, and he is much quicker and harder to bring 
down than the gun-carrying thugs in previous levels.  Hide behind the wall with 
weapons drawn, then side jump left while firing (to bring him out), then side 
jump right back to cover.  Wait for him to advance, then do your best Run and 
Roll on him.  I still lost about 10% of my life here but deemed that 
acceptable.  Now follow the path, watch for dropping icicles when you throw the 
switch and open the door, hop backwards out the opening and grab on so that you 
can climb back up to where you entered.  Do a jump and grab across the pit just 
in front of the ladder and you will be back to your vehicle.

Leave the snowmobile where it is.  You will want to use it to jump back over 
the gap in the ice bridge, and if you ride it into the cave ahead you will lose 
it and have to return via the much longer ground path.  Proceed on foot into 
the open area, use the Drawbridge key, and get up on the ramp to the cave.  
Dislodge more snowballs and enter the cave, triggering a massive avalanche.  
Jump and grab the left wall of the pit and shimmy across, then pull up at the 
end.  Exit the cave and find the Hut key in the snow, but Save and arm yourself 
before stepping on the square with the key, because you are about to face a 
really tough battle.

When you approach the key, a guy riding a snowmobile equipped with a machine 
gun will attack you from over by the drawbridge.  There is no place to hide -- 
you have to fight this guy straight up (which is one reason we've been so 
conservative with our life.)  Start by ducking behind the ice block beside the 
key and let your enemy charge at you and then drive away from you before you 
come out.  Keep moving, shooting (I recommend Uzis) and rolling, and do not let 
him run into you.  As with any shooting enemy, try to stay behind him as much 
as possible.  If you can survive with 70% or more of your life left, you did 
really well, but that will probably take several tries.  However, it is rather 
necessary because we have several more grisly encounters (including 3 more of 
these shooting snowmobiles) to survive before the end of this level.

I would like to point out that this is one of those battles that highlight the 
enhanced difficulty of the "continued" game.  Unlimited ammunition and use of 
all weapons give you absolutely no advantage here.  Moreover, the longer the 
snowmobile guy stays alive, the more damage you will take.  In a "fresh" game, 
it only takes 100 hits to stop this guy -- something that, with a little 
practice, you can do while taking virtually no damage.  However, in a 
"continued" game, it requires a full 200 hits to win this battle, meaning the 
battle will last roughly twice as long.  You can dodge his shots for a while, 
but as time goes on, the probability that he will never point directly towards 
you and shoot you goes down dramatically.  To give you some idea of the 
difference, I went into this battle with 90% health remaining, having only 
taken damage from the mercenary down near where I got the Drawbridge Key.  In 
my "fresh" game, I finished this battle with at least 80% life remaining; in my 
"continued" game, I felt fortunate to survive with two-thirds remaining.  

Hop on your snowmobile (or walk -- the snowmobile will not make it through the 
cave nearest the hut anyway) and go all the way back to the hut.  (BTW, it IS 
possible for you to ride the black snowmobiles, but since the X button fires 
bullets instead of giving a speed boost, the black snowmobiles will not make 
the big jump across the gap in the ice bridge.  This is why I advised you to 
park your other snowmobile in a safe place.)  If you didn't get them earlier, 
there will be two leopards to eliminate as you near the hut -- do so.  Open the 
hut, stand in front of the switch, and Save.  Throwing this switch will release 
three mercenaries from over by where the first Secret was, and you want to 
fight them one at a time.  Throw the switch, then quickly run out of the hut 
(easier said than done with that stupid table and chairs in the way) and back 
deep into the cave, using evasive jumping to avoid their gunfire.  When you can 
arrive at the cave without getting hit, Save.  Now you can slowly advance and 
pick them off with your M16 one at a time as they venture into the cave (They 
will only advance up to about the first snow drift).  You can -- and should -- 
survive this encounter with zero damage.

Head through the new area until you come to a hexagonal opening into a large 
open area.  Hitting the ground will trigger an all-too-familiar encounter with 
a shooting snowmobile -- only this time the rocky terrain and limited 
visibility will make the battle much more difficult.  I had my greatest success 
with running forward, jumping onto the second rock, aiming left, and pivoting 
as the enemy moved from left to right.  When he turned and aimed for me, I 
jumped over to the long rock ledge across the pit and pivoted some more.  By 
jumping back and forth between these two rocks, I was able to knock him out 
after taking only a couple of hits from him, leaving my life right around half.
With practice, you can surely do at least this well.

Shimmy across the pit, climb down to get