About This Site

I have been slowly putting this site together one level at a time so that players of any caliber can derive some benefit from the information contained in this site. I've visited the various sites that offer help on Tomb Raider and it seems most either just give hints, saved games, or a walkthrough. There is no "one-stop shopping" web site for people to refer to whether they just need a few tips to get past a tricky part, are helplessly stuck and need a walkthrough to guide them on, or anything in between.

The majority of the walkthroughs that are available on the internet are often confusing and not very detailed where detail was needed most. Some walkthroughs seem to have a knack for choosing the hardest way to accomplish something. After all, if you were not stuck in the game, then you wouldn't consult a walkthrough, right? But if you've been spending the last 2 to 5 hours in one place in the game, wouldn't you want the exact details as to what to do to get out of that situation?

Site Contents

Enter the Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide. This project is an attempt to create a comprehensive and detailed level by level guide to Tomb Raider. All the information for each of the levels of the Tomb Raider games is divided into three categories: the Guide, Hints and the Walkthrough.

Experienced players who are looking for a little preview of a particular level in the game should read the Guide. Information here includes what enemies are present, what the general hazards are, what to objects to look for, and what the objective of each level is.

Other players -- who can manage to get around in the game but are stuck on a particular puzzle in a level, may need a pointer in the right direction but don't want everything fed to them in a walkthrough -- should read the Hints for the level.

Finally, there is the Walkthrough for those, who are either hopelessly stuck or don't want to miss a single thing, or who want it all handed to them on a silver platter. The walkthrough, which in my opinion is the most detailed one available on the web shows the easiest way to explore every corner of each level, and includes strategies for dealing with tough enemies.

In addition to game play, we've included plot points, where applicable, in the walkthrough in the form of narrative plot descriptions and dialogue transcriptions of the game's full motion video sequences and cut-scenes in order to help clarify what's going on in the game. This was done so that the walkthroughs could be read like a coherent story or novel, revealing the plot details of each game. The user will only see the relevant part of the story arc, instead of having the whole story revealed at one time. In areas in which we felt the plot lacking, we claim poetic license and inserted our own interpretation of the events (These areas are footnoted).

Top all of that off with detailed descriptions of Lara's moves, her weapons, the enemies, and other tips and strategies which can be found in the General Guide and General Hints section. If you need any [non-technical] help with Tomb Raider I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for at this web site. If you're looking for technical support or information not related to game play check our Frequently Asked Questions listing.

Keeping Secrets a Secret

Users have the option to hide information we publish concerning finding the "Secrets" for each level. We respect the rights of those players who want the satisfaction of locating the secrets for themselves. By default, secrets are turned on. Either using the remote console (Netscape Navigator/Communicator version 4.0 or later only) or the checkbox on the table of contents pages, users can toggle the Secrets on/off. You must have a JavaScript 1.0 compliant web browser and must accept cookies, as that is the only way for us to remember your preferences from page to page. (Note: A bug that we've recently discovered in Netscape version 3.0 prevents this feature from working correctly in [possibly all] versions earlier than 4.0. I am looking into a workaround for this problem, but for now I recommend that users with earlier versions of the web browser do not hide secrets, as it causes large portions of the text to be hidden.)

Reader Contribution Policy

From the inception of this web site, we have welcomed comments, corrections and additions from our readers. If you find any errors or anything missing from our guide, you are encouraged to e-mail me and tell me about it. However, in the Internet age, intellectual property has become a muddy issue and as a citizen of the United States of America, I am aware that people will sue you at the drop of a hat, so I have written up the following policy for all reader contributions.

All information or corrections ("BOO BOOS") you ("YOU") share with us becomes the property of the Guide ("GUIDE"). We reserve the right to edit the information ("HACK UP BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION") you send to us in any way we see fit so that it conforms to the style of the rest of our guide. This may mean that your information may be incorporated directly into one of the guide pages, listed only as a footnote on the relevant page, or ignored altogether because we don't have the time or energy to make the changes you suggest. However, if your suggestions are used in any way, we will definitely credit you ("FAME AND GLORY") with a footnote on the page in which your information appears. If you do not wish your full name to appear on our web site, please let me know and we will be glad to make your contribution anonymous ("NO SPAM PLEASE"). Contributors will not receive any other recompension other than my sincerest appreciation.

If or when the number of contributions of a single individual exceeds some arbitrary amount ("WHEN I GET TIRED OF FOOTNOTING YOU"), we will remove all the footnotes with that person's name in it and add him or her to our Staff Section ("STAFF") below where I will write a glowing paragraph describing his or her contributions to this Guide, pending his or her acceptance of being part of the Guide Staff. Staff members do not receive ownership of this Guide, partial or otherwise, and the information in this Guide will still remain my sole property ("SELFISH JERK").

Sending any e-mails containing corrections or additions ("FLAME-BAIT") to our Guide represents your tacit acceptance of the terms listed above.

Bandwidth Conservation

In its basic form, this web site contains no pictures or screen captures to facilitate fast loading. It uses no frames for simpler navigation, and it is best viewed on a browser that supports fonts and tables. (Enable JavaScript, if it is not already enabled, and read the information below for details about images in this web site.) The guides, hints and walkthroughs have been split up into different web pages by levels to help them load faster. (Otherwise you would have to wait for a 170 Kb web page to load, and because I use HTML tables to format my pages, you wouldn't be able to see a single word before the entire page loads. This meant to be a "feature" not a "drawback".) The information contained within is based on the PC versions of the Tomb Raider games, but details that are relevant to the console version are mentioned when I know of any differences. Our goal for this site is that you will find more items, kill more creatures, and use fewer medi packs than with any other walkthrough.

... owner, publisher, staff writer, columnist, senior designer, chief bottle washer... (you get the picture) That would be me. I am the primary author of the stuff you'll find at this web site. All hate-mail should be directed me.

Brian has been on staff at The Traveler's Guide since early 1998. His primary job function is to go through the walkthroughs with a fine tooth comb, insuring that they are as accurate and detailed as possible. He also provides input ideas for the design and layout of this web site. He is the sole author of the transcripts for the training levels of the games, and is coauthor of the material we include in order to fill in the "plot holes" left in the Tomb Raider games. His contributions are scattered throughout this web site and far too numerous to name individually. My thanks to him for all his work and input.

Don joined our staff in early 1999 to offer his skills as an English teacher. His attention to detail and strong writing skills have been invaluable to the Guide in correcting everything from typos, spelling errors, grammatical errors, as well as suggesting alternative methods to complete sections and finding items that we've missed. His handiwork appears on just about every level of our Tomb Raider III walkthrough pages. The Traveler's Guide extends its sincerest thanks to Don for his efforts.

We welcomed Bruce to the staff in late 1999. He is a retired systems engineer who currently hails from the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys flying a small aircraft which he built with is own two hands. His diverse experience and sharp eye has been an enormous asset to the Guide. His efforts include formerly undocumented pickups in the The Golden Mask walkthrough, and countless corrections throughout the The Golden Mask and Tomb Raider II walkthroughs. Our thanks to Bruce for his faithful efforts.