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Level 7
Guide
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Walkthrough
Level 8
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Level 9
Guide
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Walkthrough

Cistern
Items: 28
Secrets:
Kills: 34
Start this level by turning all the way around and doing a drop and hang into the hole below, then climb back up. Ready the pistols, and kill the rat (1) below. Drop down into the hole after it's dead. Then push the block forward twice, and then once to the side so that it is against the wall. Climb onto the block and then throw the switch.

Ready pistols and shoot the two rats (2, 3) that just ran into the room. Then step off the block and enter the metal door Lara just opened and get the large Medi Pack (1). Then do a safety drop down into the hole that the switch opened.

Walk out onto the bridge and ready the pistols and kill two rats (4, 5) and two crocs (6, 7) below. Turn and face the right, where there is a ledge just past the hand-rails. With guns still drawn, do a running jump onto that ledge and then kill the rat (8) hiding on the bottom of the stairs.
Rusty Key #1
Grab the ledge and shimmy to the left until Lara reaches a corner. Release the ledge, grab the shotgun shells (2), and grab the next part of the ledge and continue to shimmy left until Lara can pull herself up. Once Lara is on top of the ledge, turn and face right and have Lara boost herself up onto the upper ledge. Run to the end, and grab the first Rusty Key (3). After Lara has gotten the key, head back to the part of the ledge Lara climbed up from, and then drop down to the lower ledge, head forward a few steps and drop down onto the short bridge below. Walk around the bridge until Lara comes to the column, climb up onto the column and then do a running jump onto the ledge and the doorway to Lara's right.

Ready any weapon of choice, preferably magnums or pistols, and run up the stairs. Before Lara enters the room, start to hop or back flip away and get ready to plug Pierre a few times to make him go away. Enter the pipe room, and immediately upon entering turn to the right and head toward the dark block. Climb onto the block and then climb onto the next step. Turn right and jump and pull up into the dark ledge above and grab the small Medi Pack (4).
SECRET #1
Turn right and head up the little slope and jump and pull up into the dark passage above, which is SECRET #1. Climb up three more steps, and grab the shotgun shells (5). Walk to the edge, and then slide down the ramp and just before Lara falls off the edge, jump and grab the opposite ledge and pull up. Pick up additional shotgun shells (6, 7).

Now sidestep to the right and walk forward until Lara is at the right edge of the little ledge. Turn and aim Lara to the left and jump so that she lands on the leftmost side of the first ramp. Lara will slide down the first two ramps, bump her head, and then press the action key to have her grab the bottom of the last slide, then release to safely land on the ledge below. Lara can also simply drop down and take a little damage when she lands. Turn around and walk toward the raised step that Lara used to pull Lara up to this area and turn and face right.
Do a running jump onto the pipe that is halfway across the room, then do a running jump and grab to get to the pipes that are all the way across the room. Pick up the large Medi Pack (8) and the shotgun shells (9). Walk back to where the Medi Pack was, and do a safety drop down to the slope below. Lara will immediately start to slide backwards. Press and hold the action key to grab the bottom edge of the slope, pull up and press jump. Lara will back flip over the open grate below, while still alerting the rats that are in the water. Draw pistols and kill the two rats (9, 10) from above.
Rusty Key #2
Now drop into the water and swim into the tunnel and surface quickly at the bottom of some stairs, avoiding a rat (11) swimming around. Pull up and kill the rat, and run up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, turn and race left and do a running jump and grab to get to the opposite ledge. Pull up, run forward, and turn left and then do another running jump and grab to get to the ledge with the key. Pick up the second Rusty Key (10). Draw guns and head forward and kill the two rats (12, 13) below. Hang off the ledge, and shimmy left until the ground is close enough to do a safety drop without taking any damage. Head to the end of the tunnel with the ramp and slide down back to the cistern.
SECRET #2
Run forward until Lara reaches the two gargoyles and jump into the pool. Swim forward and to either the left or the right, where there is a small tunnel in the wall of the pool that is opposite the gargoyles. Swim into the 'U' shaped tunnel and into SECRET #2. Grab the magnum clips (11) at the bottom, and swim back out. Exit the pool between the gargoyles and run back up toward the ramp. Go to either side of the ramp and climb up the blocks and back to the flat top part of the ramp.
Rusty Door #1
Do a standing jump and grab to get back to the small bridge above the ramp. Then have Lara make her way over or around the column all the way back around to the other side. Pull up to the lower ledge that Lara used to shimmy over to the bridge in the first place, and climb up to the upper ledge where the first rusty key was. Run all the way back to the where the first rusty key was and do a safety drop back down to the ledge with the dead rat. Run back up the stairs and do a running jump back to the bridge that Lara was on at the beginning of the level. Turn right and do a standing jump to get to the short piece of the bridge in the middle. Walk to the end of the bridge, and turn and face left. Do a running jump and grab to get to the ledge on the other side, and use a rusty key to open the door.

Enter the room and immediately turn around to the right and climb up onto a ledge that is above the doorway. Two gorillas (14, 15) will reveal themselves, so ready a weapon and take them out from this ledge. Take a running jump to the next ledge, and immediately ready some weapons because Pierre's back. Pop Pierre a few times from the middle of the ledge until he runs away. Do a running jump and grab to get to the next ledge and pick up the large Medi Pack (12). Do another running jump and grab to get to the next ledge. Walk forward to the edge of the ledge, where Lara can see some clips in a dark alcove across and below the ledge. When Lara is against the very edge, have her turn around so that she is facing away from the ledge, and take one single step away from the edge. Do a back flip and land in the alcove, and pick up the magnum clips (13). If Lara hasn't already picked up the magnums, then instead of clips, this will be the actual guns. Do a running jump and grab to get back to the high ledge.

Now turn around and face the wall, and do a running jump and grab onto the crevice on the other side. Shimmy right until Lara is in the tunnel and release. Head down the tunnel and drop into the room ahead. Slide down the first ramp and ready pistols and shoot at the croc (16) below. If he isn't cooperating, Lara can slide down the next two ramps to get a better shot at him. Put away the guns, and slide down the last ramp and immediately run forward and climb up onto the block opposite the bottom ramp. Lara should be able to get on the block without getting eaten by a second croc (17). Ready pistols and take out the second croc, and drop down off the block.

Ready a weapon, preferably the shotgun, and head toward the dark area below the ramps Lara just slid down from. A third croc (18) will awaken, so kill it quick. Ready pistols and enter either tunnel on the other side. About halfway down the tunnel, start hopping back and kill the rat (19) that appears. Now head forward into the tunnel and grab the large Medi Pack (14).

Return to the block and climb back up, and climb again to the higher block. Then do a standing jump and grab to get to the ledge above, and then do a running jump and grab to the next ledge. Turn and face right and to a running jump to get to the next ledge. Run off the edge and and allow Lara's momentum to carry her to the ledge below2, if Lara jumps down, she will take a little damage when she lands. Grab the crevice and shimmy to the left until Lara can pull herself up.

Pull up and throw the switch. Ready the pistols and walk forward. Shoot the first rat (20) that is running around, and with her pistols still drawn, take a jump diagonally forward to avoid the spikes. A second rat (21) will appear, so kill it. Drop down into the mossy room ahead, and kill another rat (22) that is running around below. Then drop down off the block and turn and face the doorway into the next room. Lara will see a raised platform ahead of her in the next room. Run forward and take a running jump up to the platform, or if the guns are put away, Lara can run forward and boost up onto the platform. There is a pool in the middle of the raised platform. Turn right and another rat (23) will appear from behind the right side of the platform, draw the pistols if they're not already have them out, and blast the rat.
Silver Key #1
Turn around and head up the steps until Lara reaches the wall. Climb up to the ledge, then turn right and climb up to the next ledge. Head forward and turn right and take a standing jump off the edge to the ledge below. Run forward and climb onto the next ledge. Turn right and take a running jump over to the next bridge, and then take a standing jump into the tunnel with the switch. Throw the switch and take a standing jump back to the bridge, and a running jump back to the ledge on the other side. Turn left and drop down to the lower ledge, and then safety drop back down to the ground. Enter the door Lara just opened, and turn around and face back out the door. Pick up the first Silver Key (15) and immediately draw some guns. Pierre will appear again ahead and on Lara's right, so pop him enough times to convince him him to go away. After he's gone, dive into the pool and surface in the next room.

Ready pistols and from the two corners of the room, Lara can kill the two rats (24, 25) above. The impatient need only kill just one. Dive back into the pool and continue forward until Lara returns to the cistern.
Flooding the Cistern
Again exit the pool between the gargoyles and run up the ramp and to one side and climb up to the top of the ramp. Take a standing jump and grab to get to the small inner bridge, and climb onto the column and take a running jump onto the platform and run back into the pipe room. Being careful not to fall into the hole in the grating, jump over the gap and throw the switch and flood the cistern. Exit the pipe room back down the stairs, and dive into the water. A cool trick here is to dive, roll off the column below, and flop into the water.
Silver Key #2
Swim back down through the hole in the side of the lower pool that Lara recently emerged from, and enter the room where she shot at those two rats. Swim up and throw the underwater switch, and pull up out of the water onto one of the ledges. Choose the one with the dead rat if Lara only killed one rat. On one ledge pick up the large Medi Pack (16) and shotgun shells (17) and take a running jump across to the other to grab the small Medi Pack (18). Dive back into the water and swim down to the door at the bottom and grab the second Silver Key (19), and then swim forward and back into the cistern.
Rusty Door #2
and Gold Key
Swim forward and to the right to the ledge that leads to the other closed rusty door and exit the water. Use the other rusty key to open the door, and then drop into the water. Swim forward, to the right, and then down into a room below the spikes. Swim up into the next room and grab the small Medi Pack (20) the Gold Key (21). Immediately swim forward through the underwater doorway that automatically opened and surface and pull Lara out of the water at the nearest ledge or bridge. Ready pistols and shoot at the croc (26) that is hot on Lara's tail. When the croc is dead, dive back into the water and exit the water at the ledge that leads up to a stairway with hand-rails and a silver door with pictures of rams on either side.
SECRET #3
The ram that is just to the left of the doorway is a block. Push it once and enter SECRET #33. Run forward to the area below the ledge and Lara has two choices. The first method is to turn Lara so that she is facing away from the slope, then back up until she is at the base of the slope, back flip, press jump again, and then grab the ledge and and pull up onto the ledge. The second method is to face the slope and back away from it to get a running start and take a running jump at the slope, then press jump again to back flip up onto the ledge above. Run forward and grab two sets of magnum clips (22, 23) and a large Medi Pack (24). Run back to the end of the ledge and drop down onto the slope and exit the room.
Silver Doors
Use the two silver keys in sequence to open the two doors ahead. Enter the room and climb the shorter column on the right. Then turn left and do a standing jump and grab to get to the next ledge. Ready a weapon and do a running jump across to the large alcove. Shoot the gorilla (27) that was hiding behind the left side, and then use the gold key to open the door below. Don't drop down immediately, but instead, ready a weapon and shoot the two lions (28, 29) below. Lara may need to jump back to the ledge on the other side and then back down to the column to get a better shot at them. Drop down to the floor once the two lions are dead.
Gold Door
Run forward into the doorway that the two lions emerged from. Lara will find herself in a room with a stepped checkerboard floor. When Lara enters she will be on the lowest part of the floor. Run along the left side of the lowest part of the floor. Two of the dark squares will be broken floor tiles, but allow Lara to fall into the second pit. Hidden under the debris of the broken floor tile will be a small Medi Pack (25)4. Run all the way to the far end of the room, being careful not to fall down any of the other broken floor tiles into spiked pits. Ignore the switch, which will open the door to Lara's right and release three more lions. Instead pull out the block behind the switch twice to reveal the exit. Now, pull the block four times away from the wall, then come around the block and push once more so that it is against the sloped floor. Now climb onto the block, and then onto the ledge above. Pick up the large Medi Pack (26) and the two magnum clips (27, 28).

Ready pistols and head toward the the doorway in the corner directly opposite where the two magnum clips were. As Lara approaches the slope, turn around and start backing toward the doorway, but do not enter it. Soon two rats (30, 31) will appear in front of her. Shoot them and enter the doorway. From the safety of this ledge above, kill the three lions (32, 33, 34) in the pen below. After they are dead, Lara can either safety drop down into the pen, throw the switch on the right and exit the room, or return to the large ledge and safety drop back to the checkerboard floor. Then drop into the hole behind the switch to exit this level. Lara will let out a blood curdling scream before she plops into the water.

Summary
Pickups
4 Small Medi Pack
7 Large Medi Pack

6 Magnum Clips
6 Shotgun Shell

2 Rusty Keys
2 Silver Keys
1 Gold Key

28 Total
Kills
20 rats
6 crocodiles
3 gorillas
5 lions

34 Total

Footnotes:
  1. If you have SECRETS turned on, then ignore this sentence. Your web browser is not JavaScript compliant and you should upgrade to one that is.
  2. Thanks to Andy Lucas for mentioning the fact that, by running off this ledge, Lara will take no damage.
  3. Aaron Holland reports that in his Sega Saturn version, there is no SECRET #3. He pushes the block and finds a solid wall behind it. If you're a Saturn owner playing Tomb Raider and that third secret is nowhere to be found, then this may give you some peace of mind.
  4. Thanks go to Mike va Scherrenburg, for finding item #25 in this level. I don't know if he accidentally fell down that pit or was brave enough to try his luck in all the pits, but either way, thanks.