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LEVEL 9: TOMB OF TIHOCAN

• Kills: 17
• Items: 26, including 4 keys and a piece of the Scion
• Secrets: 2

(Note that one of the regular pick-ups here will be the MAGNUMS if you didn't get them in one of the earlier levels.)

Objectives: Find your way through a series of rooms and passageways to the tomb itself. The path is fairly linear, but you will need to take a few detours and flood/drain several areas to proceed. When you find the tomb, you can finally kill Pierre DuPont and take his piece of the Scion (the second of three). Lastly unlock the tomb to find clues to your next destination.

Walk-through: Swim down and forward. When you reach the silver grate, swim down towards it, turn around and swim forward until you reach a lever. Pull it to lower the water level, turn around and swim back up to the surface. Climb out on the ledge and use the switch to open the door to the right.

Draw weapons and proceed along the hallway and through the door you just opened. Kill the crocodile in the next room. Notice the block that looks like it should move but doesn't? It actually moves UP. Here's how: Climb the green steps to the top and hop down on the other side. Take a running jump from here to the greenish ledge next to the square block at the top center of the room. Pull up onto this block on the right side, taking care to avoid the darts that begin to shoot out from the walls and across this block.

Turn to the right and take a standing jump from the corner of the block to the ledge ahead. From here, take a running jump to the ledge just beyond the dart pipe. Climb into the alcove and use the switch to raise the water level again. Now that immovable block has floated up to the opening above. Swim down to where the block was and retrieve a small med-pack, then climb onto the block and enter the passageway there.

Follow the passage to an opening and swim down and forward, down again towards a silver grate, then forward to the underwater lever. Pull this to lower the water level once again and speed up the water current. Return to the opening above to breathe, then swim down and forward along a very long passageway. With the current working in your favor, Lara will be swept along to a room where she can surface.

Climb out of the water and kill a rat. Pull the movable block out once and use it to climb up to the ledge above. Then climb onto the square ledge above, then the rectangular gray block. There are 2 doorways at the top of this room. Jump to the square block near the doorway on the right, and from here jump into that doorway. Draw pistols and proceed into the passageway. Pierre DuPont will be waiting there ready to do some damage. Shoot him a few times then back up into the doorway. He should vanish when you do. If not, try the same again. (You'll get to kill him at the end of the level, but for now conserve your expendable ammo.)

Continue down the passageway, but don't run. You'll soon reach a pair of chomping blades. Stand as close to them as you can without getting chomped. Listen to the sounds they make and on the second "clang," take a standing jump through them.

Continue down the stairs and kill a crocodile at the bottom. Pick up some magnum clips and 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Now take a close look at the floor. There are 3 squares that look different from the others--two in the northeast and southwest corners and one near the steps. Step on all three pressure pads in any order to open a concealed door, SECRET #1.

Inside is a small room with a low ramp, 3 angled blocks and a small ledge above. Position Lara with her back to the ramp and her chest against the side of the lowest angled block. Back flip onto the ramp and hold the Jump key, and Lara will spring off the ramp then jump forward onto each of the 3 angled blocks in turn, landing on the ledge at the end. Pick up the reward: a large med-pack and a box of shells. Drop down and return back up the stairs, past the blades, to the doorway above the small pool.

Hop down to the square block and from there take a running jump across the gap to grab the edge of the alcove. Pull up and pick up the shotgun shells. Jump past the blade to the ledge on the right. The blade will now begin to swing. Turn and face it. Stand Lara toward the right side of the ledge, just forward of the faint line between the two floor blocks nearest the blade. As soon as the blade begins to swing to the left, take a running jump past it to grab the door sill ahead. Pull up.

Follow the passage to a gap above a mossy room. Turn around and drop back to grab the edge of the floor. Traverse to the right until you can pull up. Go down the short passageway to a switch and pull it to flood the room below. Drop down into the water and surface right there. (Don't swim ahead to the opening near the stairs where you killed the crocodile earlier.) Swim to the other end of the rectangular opening, climb out of the water and kill a rat.

Go to the end of this short hallway and jump into the water again. Swim down, then up again through a twisty passage until you can climb out of the water in a room with spikes on the floor. Stay on the step at water level until you've killed the lion lurking in the room. In the U-shaped passageway on the side of the room opposite the spikes you'll find a switch. Pull it to open a door above and awaken 2 gorillas. Return to the spike room and climb into the alcove and onto the step. From here you should be able to kill the apes. When they're dead, take a standing jump to grab the floor above and pull up. Cross to the gap above the spikes. Take a standing jump to grab the crevice to the left of the doorway and traverse right until you can pull up. Enter the room and pick up a large med-pack and a GOLD KEY. Take a standing jump from the doorway over the spikes. Then drop down into the room below.

Climb into the alcove then out the other side, where you'll find the keyhole your gold key fits. Use it to raise the blocks in the pool. Take 3 running jumps and a standing jump to get across. Pick up the small med-pack to the right of the door before going in.

Here you'll see a locked door with two keyholes straight ahead, two closed doors on the left and another room to the right beyond some square pillars. Inside this room are two more closed doors at floor level and a higher door. There are also 4 dark squares on the floor with writing on them (pressure pads) and a movable block between two of the pillars. Pull the block twice to position it on top of one of the dark squares. Hop back and jump onto the block. One of the doors in the other room opens, releasing a gorilla. Kill it from the block then go to the room you just opened to get some magnum clips and shotgun shells.

Pull the block twice more until it is on the dark square below the high door. Again, jump on the block. The door high on the wall opens, along with the second door in the other room, which lets out another gorilla. Shoot it from the block. When it's dead, turn and take a standing jump from the edge of the block to grab the doorway. Pull up and enter cautiously. Another chomping blade trap is in the way. Go past it as you did the last one, and take the large med-pack and RUSTY KEY. Coming back you won't be able to jump through the blades without banging Lara's head, so run through instead.

Drop down and go around the other side of the block. Pull it twice onto the dark square, hop back and jump on top of the blocks to take out the 4 rats that come swarming out of the room on the left. Jump down and enter to find a small med-pack.

Go back to the block and move it onto the last dark square. This opens the remaining door. Walk forward to the edge of the door sill. Then take a running jump across and into the alcove to avoid being flattened by a pair of rolling boulders. Pick up the second RUSTY KEY, then the small med-pack in the boulder path, and return to the far room with the locked door.

Don't forget to go into the other small room you opened to get some more shotgun shells. Then use the two rusty keys to unlock this door. Here you'll find a long ramp leading down to an underground lake.

Before sliding down, pick up a secret. Save your game if you can. Then position Lara at the right side of the doorway facing down the ramp. Turn her about 30 degrees to the left then take a standing jump forward to the spot just beyond the high angled block. Keep holding the Jump key, and she'll take a series of 5 jumps off the rocks flanking the ramp to land in a doorway.

Ahead is a rectangular room with 5 break-away tiles jutting out from the two sides--two on the right, three on the left--and an alcove at the far end opposite the entrance. Stand in the middle of the doorway nearly at the edge then do the following series of jumps to land on the tiles: standing jump forward, side flip to the right, jump forward, jump forward, side flip left, and jump forward to land in the alcove. If you fall through you can climb out easily, but you'll have to reload a saved game to try for the secret again.

Once in the alcove, pick up SECRET #2, clips for the magnums and Uzis. Drop down, cross the room, climb out and continue down the slide to the lake.

Swim forward without hesitating. On the far side of the lake is a square gray ledge on which you can climb out. Kill the crocodile in the water below, then turn around and enter the passageway. Climb up the rocks until you reach a gap high above the lake. On the far side you'll see a switch. To the left is a flat block with slopes on two sides. Walk up this block, turn around, slide down the back and grab the edge. Pull up and immediately back flip to land on the square ledge behind. Turn around and pull up near the switch. Use it to open an underwater door.

Slide or dive down into the water, reverse and swim to the right through a twisty tunnel to the other side of the lake. Surface and face the temple door, which is flanked by two centaur statues. Swim down and around the right side of the underwater column that holds up the walkway in front of the temple. Here you'll find a well concealed underwater passage. Swim into it, through the door you just opened, to a room where you can surface. Pull the switch here to open the temple door. Swim back to the lake but don't climb out right at the entrance. Instead, go to the left side and climb out onto the sand.

Draw weapons and cautiously approach the door. The centaur statue on the left comes to life and begins to hurl fireballs. Back flip onto the flat sandy area. When you see it launch a fireball, side flip out of the way. Keep shooting and eventually it will explode. Alternately, run past the statue into the building. It will animate as you pass, then you can kill it from inside, using the doorway for cover.

If you haven't already done so, enter the temple now. (The other statue won't animate yet). Prepare for your final showdown with Pierre. This time you can use the magnums, if you've got them, to take him down fairly quickly. When he's dead, relieve him of a GOLD KEY, the SECOND PIECE OF THE SCION that he took from the pedestal at the center, and his MAGNUMS. (You won't have two sets of magnums if you've already got them, but the pick-up will be added to your total.)

Now, if you like, you can go back outside and take on the second centaur. Once you awaken it, it's easy enough to kill it from the safety of the doorway. It won't come inside. Just get a lock on it, hold that Action key and be sure to side flip whenever it launches a fireball.

Lastly, use the square blocks to boost Lara up to the ledges on the side of the Scion room to pick up 2 sets of magnum clips. Then jump over to the balcony at the back of the room. Pick up a large med-pack. Then use the key you lifted from Pierre in the lock up here to open the door below. Drop down and enter Tihocan's tomb to finish the level.

A cut scene ensues: Lara enters the crypt. She examines the hieroglyphics on the wall and reads aloud: "Here lies Tihocan. One of the two just rulers of Atlantis, who, even after the curse of the continent, had tried to keep rule here in these barren other lands. He died without child, and his knowledge has no heritage. Look over us kindly...Tihocan."