Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (PlayStation) > Reviews (15)

Tomb Raider 3 is obviously the third game in the series featuring Lara Croft. This game came out in 1998 and the graphics are so much better than the first two. The images of Lara her self are much more rounded and pleasing to the eye and the decorations in the background of the scenes in the game are really good. The game play covers a much bigger area so there are lots of places to explore and sometimes you find goodies hidden around the place where you wouldn't think of looking. I have the game for the Play Station 1 so this is what I am reviewing.

The save games are back to the blue diamond that they had in the first game but this time you can collect them and use them when you want instead of having to save the game at a certain point. The secrets are back to the same kind of thing in this game too where you find goodies and not just artifacts like in Tomb Raider 2.

Lara can do some different moves in this game, things like using monkey bars and also crouching and crawling which she couldn't do before. She can also sprint which comes in handy on some levels where she is on a timer.

The first area you visit is India. This is divided up into 4 levels, Jungle, Temple Ruins, The River Ganges and Caves of Kaliya. In the first level you have to try to avoid killing the monkeys as if you do they attack you where as if you leave them alone they can sometimes show you the way and do not attack you. There are tigers on there though and these are much more scarier than the tigers in Tomb Raider 2. You are making your way through the jungle in this level so there are lots of trees and plants to make your way round. The second level starts in the jungle with some nasty big snakes added in plus the monkeys now attack you so you have to shoot them too. Then you go inside the Temple Ruins and you have to find keys and work out where switches are etc. It is an enjoyable level to do and quite hard to complete the first few times you play it.

The third level is back outside again and along the edge of the River Ganges. There are two separate ways to get through this level so you can choose which way you want but one way takes you to a secret which you cant get if you go the other way and at the end of the game if you have all the secrets it unlocks a bonus level so its best to get this now. You also get to ride on a quad bike for the first time on this level so this is exciting. The final level on this area is in the Caves of Kaliya and you are in a maze of underground passages which have three levels to them and lots of nasty snakes waiting round the corners to surprise you. It is easy to get lost in these caves and we have been known to spend ages going round and round coming back to the same place again and again while trying to reach the end of the level.

When you have finished this area completely you have a choice of where you want to go to next. There are three areas to choose from, Nevada, South Pacific and London.

I will tell you about Nevada first. There are three levels in Nevada, the Desert, High Security Compound and Area 51.

The first area you are out in the desert to start with, with some rattle snakes to avoid or shoot and some big birds coming down at you. The level is more about doing lots of awkward jumps and getting from A to B without slipping and falling into the water and having to start over again. There are some switches to find later on that involve swimming under water and there are men trying to stop you finish the level a well. At the end of the level you find your self in front of the High Security Compound and as long as you don't touch the electrified fence you will be fine and get to the next level.

The next level is inside the afore mentioned fence once you have found a way of getting in. On this level there is a prison with cells and convicts inside. You mustn't kill the convicts as once you free them they help you by killing the guards for you so you can get one with the level. There are lots of switches to find and doors to open in this level plus you have to keep out of the way of the guards or shoot them.

The final level in this area is Area 51 which is where they are supposedly keeping a body of an alien. You have to find code discs and cards and also keys to get through the level and at one point you have to set off a space rocket without getting killed by the burn out from the engine.

The next area I will tell you about is The South Pacific area. This has 4 levels on it, Coastal Village, Crash Site, Madubu Gorge and Temple of Puna. The first level stoats in a lovely picturesque beach with palm trees and pools and you have to find your way into the cave to get to the village. There are some really scary tribesmen who come out of the trees and chase after you in this level and they really make you jump. When playing this with my 14 year old daughter she screams when they come and makes me jump even more. They can also fire poison darts at you so you have to keep and eye out as if you are poisoned you have to take a medi pack to get rid of it.
The next level is the Crash Site where an aeroplane has crashed and you find some creatures that you are not expecting. There are raptors and they are more deadly than the ones in the first game. There are other smaller reptiles too and a big T Rex which is really hard to get past.

The next level is the Madubu Gorge where you get to ride in a kayak and have to paddle through rapids. It is quite an interesting area to play. The final level is the Temple of Puna where there are some weird creatures that spit green poison at you. You also have to get through boulders and spiked ceilings and all these kinds of traps to make you way through the Temple.

The other are you can choose to go to is London. There are 4 levels on this area, Thames Wharf, Aldwych, Lud's Gate and City. The first of these starts with you on the roof of a high rise building and you have to find your way across the buildings some how with out falling plus there are men about hampering you. The next level is Aldwych where you are in an abandoned underground station and you have to find rooms and keys and things which are hidden about the area.

There are more men and also trains you have to avoid.

The next level is Lud's Gate where you have to go into the Natural History Museum, and you find yourself in an exhibit of the Egyptian times. The final level is back in the City where you have to fight against Sophia Leigh who is the level boss. You cant actually kill her by shooting her so have to find another way of defeating her while jumping across the high level buildings with out falling or being shot by her.

You can complete these three levels in what ever order you like but once you have completed all three then you go onto the last area of the game Antarctica. There are 4 levels on this area Antarctica, RX-Tech Mines, Lost City of Tinnos and Meteorite Cavern. The first level is obviously in the cold, snow and Lara is wrapped up in coat and suitable attire but some of the time she is in the water and if she stays in too long her body freezes and you lose your life quicker so you can only stay in there a short time.

The second level is the Mines where Lara has to ride on a mine car which travels on rails. This is quite fun as you have to duck to miss low level beams and have to hit the brake on corners, you also have some points to go past and you have to stand up and hit a switch as you go past so that the rail changes and you move over to the next runway. We really enjoy doing this level and can play it over again and again. There are also some horrible mutants about that you have to kill before they get you.

The next level is the Lost City of Tinnos where you have to make your way through the city carefully jumping across broken bridges etc. and finding hidden switches along the way. You have to find some masks as well and a key. There is another maze in this level too which is quite confusing to get through as you have to open door ways but as you open them others close.

By the time you have finished this level you should have 4 artifacts in your possession and you now have to defeat the big boss at the end of the game. He is like a big spider and you have to avoid him shooting at you while you try to shoot him. He only has to shoot you once and that is it so you have a hard time of avoiding him while trying to get some shots off yourself. Once you have managed to defeat him you have to find your way out of the cavern and the game is over.

This is a brilliant game and we still play it a lot. Once you have competed it you can access all the levels again and save your game as you go on but if you decide you want to leave an area and play a different one you can do that as it does not wipe off the other levels.

I give this game 5 stars for longevity as you cant complete it in a day and not only that you can play it over and over again.

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