Navigate

Back
Contents
General
Guide

Forward
General
Backplot
Level 1
Guide
Hints
Walkthrough

The Shadow of the Cat -- General Hints
1. KNOW THE TRICKS
Because the Shadow of the Cat are add-on levels to the original Tomb Raider game, all the hints for the previous game apply here as well.

However, since these are to be considered "expert levels"1 you might need a few more tips and tricks. Below are a few more tips for you.
Higher Ground
Early on in these levels, you will be hounded by various beasts. At places you will find yourself so totally outnumbered that you might think it's impossible to get through. In general2, there is always safer "higher ground" to retreat to. In some cases, it just requires a quick jump or climb up to a higher block, which also necessitates that Lara is not always running around with guns blaring, to escape enemies. In other cases, it may mean dropping into some water or climbing out of the water to avoid the enemies.

Remember, in all cases, water-borne enemies will not climb onto dry land, nor will land creature ever jump into the water to make its pursuit, even when they are the same creature, as is the case with the crocodile.
2. KNOW THE WEAPONS
Again, we would direct your attention to the Original Weapons Guide for the first Tomb Raider game. The weapons are the same, only you will pick them up a lot sooner.
3. KNOW THY ENEMIES
Surprise! Rather than just give you a lazy link back to the original Hints Page, we're going to discuss these enemies here. They're the same enemies as you might remember, but we're going to spend add a little detail here, as well as mention what order they appear in these levels.
Crocodiles
The crocodile will be the first beast you come across upon your Return to Egypt. Crocs run on land faster than they swim, and can be taken down with a single close range shotgun blast. When dealing with crocs in the water, your best strategy is to deftly swim past them and get to dry land quickly. It will be much easier to shoot the croc from dry land. Crocodiles can't climb at all, so nearly any ledge, no matter how low, is enough to escape a crocodiles' reach.
Panthers
Panthers will also appear in Return to Egypt. They are the big black cats that you might remember from your earlier visit to Egypt, but this time they have a few magical properties in these levels. In some instances, cat statues will come to life as panthers, so watch your step. Because you won't be collecting much ammo in this game, try to use pistols to deal with panthers. It will take nearly four shotgun blasts to take down a panther. When a head on confrontation with a panther is necessary, start back flipping away while firing as soon as Lara locks onto the panther. Jumping from side to side will not help you much against panthers, so either back flip away from them or jump over them as they charge you, and reverse and fire when you land.
Panther
Mummies
Fortunately there are only a couple of panther mummies in Return to Egypt and one of which will be your guide rather than your enemy. However, Temple of the Cat will be crawling with them. They are formidable enemies, but they are not as ferocious when encountered in wide open spaces. If possible, get to a safe location before fighting them. As with the panthers, a couple of cat statues in Return to Egypt will become panther mummies.

Footnotes:
  1. Please note that it is Eidos Interactive that states that these are "expert levels". In our estimate of these levels, although they can be challenging, much the same way the latter levels of the original Tomb Raider game was challenging, we don't think the skills of a "Tomb Raider Expert" is required to complete these levels.
  2. Don't be so naive. You know that generalizations are never true. But what we're saying here is that "in most cases".