Lode Runner On-Line: Mad Monks' Revenge(PC) mini-FAQ
(This FAQ covers levels 151-187, the add-ons to those already in LRLR,
but no multiplayer strategies.)
version 1.0.0
copyright 2003 by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net
Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.
However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this
FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that
means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry.
**AD SPACE**
My home page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762
**FAQ-SPECIFIC AWESOME LINK**
http://www.daggert.net/todd/Programming/Presage/LodeRunner/Loderunner1.h
tm
The author has released this game for free. It's well worth a look.
================================
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. THIS GAME'S ORIGINS
1.2. ABOUT THIS FAQ/TERMINOLOGY
2. DIFFERENCES WITH LRLR
3. THE LEVELS
3-1. MAP LEDGER
3-2. WALKTHROUGHS
Here you can search for the level number in two ways: #167 or 167:
4. SUNDRY FRIPPERY
4.1. BUGS AND OTHER ANNOYANCES
4.2. THE ENDING
4.3. SKITS
5. VERSIONS
6. CREDITS
================================
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. THIS GAME'S ORIGINS
Lode Runner Online(LRO) contains two logical extensions of Lode
Runner: the Legend Returns(LRLR.) My LRLR FAQ has some info on previous
versions. LRO is still very retro despite online capabilities--it's LRLR
with a few more items.
1.2. ABOUT THIS FAQ/TERMINOLOGY
Before we begin: LRLR and LRO are acronyms described previously.
Second of all: I have not covered any of the first 150 levels in this
FAQ. The first part of the game is similar to LRLR down to the high
score list--the 150 levels are already in another one I submitted to
GameFAQs.com. You can refer to any tricky level on that page. That FAQ
doesn't really describe the Windows controls so I'll make them clear,
because I may also occasionally use keystrokes to describe the actions
you need to make, i.e. 7-6-7-6-7-6 describes going right and digging
left. Most of the time it'll be when you're in a tight spot. It's a lot
like the old Apple controls but you have a third, bottom, row which
allows you to use the special items.
7 = dig left 8 = go up 9 = dig right
4 = go left 5 = go down 6 = go right
1 = get item 2 = use item 3 = set bomb(which you get automatically)
Often when using the keyboard I find that I look for places to hide to
rearrange my fingers before a critical spot where I know I have to hit a
certain procession of keys. Also early on I find I mix up 1/2/3 and that
using two hands is awkward in the long term--but it's useful when I need
to make a quick move. Another thing useful when I need to move exactly
is the F7 key; often I find that I need to speed things up(and it makes
a great challenge later) to get through parts I already know or that
involve boring running. So I hit F6 a bunch of times to start.
I also use terms from my LRLR FAQ. "3-ladder," for instance, means a
ladder 3 units tall(each level is 28x16 units) and often when I mention
"dig left twice" it's implied you dig left, move right and dig left. I
try to hit the painful details less as the FAQ moves on as it's implied
that your skill will get better.
The most contentious notation may be of the sort 4->3-<2->1. This
says: dig four holes. Drop, dig the three to the right, drop, dig the
two to the left, drop, dig the one to the right.
The only anti-spoiler strategical hint I can mention that may not have
been emphasized in my LRLR FAQ. And the only other hint I can give is to
make sure the number lock is down.
See my LRLR guide for basic strategies or observations about monk
behavior.
2. DIFFERENCES WITH LRLR
Aside from the thirty-seven extra levels...new squares include pools,
which are lethal for you or monks to fall in and cannot be approached
from the side. However, using a pickaxe over a pool causes it to be
filled in. However, the biggest change is that there are now squares
that wink in and out. There are generally eight different possible
cycles for the squares, and they are often lumped together to force you
to use a sense of timing. You'll die if you're in one as it comes back,
but you can stand on one and wait for it to fall, and sometimes you'll
need to--or it can block bad guys behind from following or even kill
them.
You also need to be aware of different types of bombs. There are now
four types on the terrain(I count big bombs separately--below are bombs
you can get up to four of.)
--bombs gone for good once you get them[regular, from LRLR]
--bombs that constantly regenerate. For any one level a bomb will always
regenerate every X seconds, but they have different cycles on different
levels.
--bombs that blow up at the start and don't reappear. Very rare.
--bombs that continually blow up the area around them. Often you have to
run by them after the area has healed and before the bomb is lit.
There are also a couple of new backgrounds: levels 151 and 166 show
these off, murky brown/black and semi-fluorescent green caves.
3. THE LEVELS
3-1. MAP LEDGER
[space] = area you can walk/fall through
X = square you can dig through/bomb
* = square you can only dig or big-bomb
H = ladder
~ = rope
V = trap door down
h = ladder that forms when you've got all the gold
S = sticky gooey square that slows you down
e = enemy
u = you
1 = 1 point treasure(chest)
2 = 2 point treasure(cart)
3 = 3 point treasure(skull)
4 = 4 point treasure(gold pile)
. = bomb
^ = hide-out/cave
; = pot of goo
| = snare
% = drill
& = stun gun
$ = block containing gold chest
# = block containing bomb
T/t = to/from teleporters. If there are more than one, they are
detailed below the map.
R/r = red door, red key
G/g = green door, green key
Y/y = yellow door, yellow key
B = big bomb
` = pickaxe
! = bombs that blow up at level's start but don't reappear
**new stuff for Lode Runner Online**
i = infinite bombs to pick up
I = infinite bombs exploding
abcdfjk = "rounds" of undiggable ground that appear/disappear
NOTE: ones found in separate areas may not be synchronized.
? = rounds I didn't map out but describe instead
Note that the text for rounds is not totally synchronized, i.e. abc in
one area may not be coordinated with abc in another. The exact details
don't seem important to solving the game, so I decided to look at what
this all means for practical purposes.
3-2. WALKTHROUGHS
LEVEL #151: DEATH TRAP
gG
HH u
H aaaaaaaH e
H X3XX3XXH Hbbbbbbb
H bbbbbbbH HX3XX3XX
H XXXXX3XHaaaaaaaHccccccc
H cccccccHXXXXX3XHXXXXX3X
H X3XX3XXHbbbbbbbHddddddd
H XXXXXXXHX3XXXXXHX3XX3XX
H XXX HcccccccHXXXXXXX
H HXXXXX3XH XXXX
X HdddddddH
XX HX3XXXXXH
XX XXX H XXXXX H XX +
XXXXXXX H H XXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
This is a rather rough introduction. The timing is tricky to gauge,
but fortunately you don't have many bad guys distracting you. The
tactics to get the hidden gold look roughly similar, and they usually
are, but the skulls at the bottom can be a bit of a nuisance.
For the left side, you'll want to wait until the top side forms. Then
go above the left skull. Wait for the ground below to disappear, dig
right, then move right and dig left. Dig left in the 1x2 area to get
out. Time is somewhat short here, so you may not succeed a few times.
Ironically the three chests give you a bit more time; again, go over the
right top chest, drop and then drop right(which gives more time than
digging) and then go right and dig left. Dig right to get out.
The center has a small nuance to the left skulls there. You can get
the UL of the skills as before, but now there is a bit of a delay to get
on top of it, and that can cost you later. My preferred solution is to
go down the ladder to the left and dig left of the DL skull. Then go up
and riht when the blocks there disappear. Dig right so you fall onto the
gold, and you'll have enough time.
You're halfway there now, and it's a good idea to get the bad guy to
go the other way. Go to the bottom of the stair and a bit right. Dig
right and then go one up the right stair. You can just stand on top of
the UR gold in the center and then dig/fall for the other one.
The right side looks the same as the left but in fact is not a mirror
image. To get the DL gold you will need to use the same trick as the
center DL, since there are bricks two-deep under that gold piece. One
dig won't cut it. As for the right side, again run over the one skull,
and this time fall right and then go right and dig left. Dig right. Even
if the bad guy has appeared in the bottom right you can run over him
into the door.
LEVEL #152: PITVILLE
t
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H*aaabaaabaaabaaab**1
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *1
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *1
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *1
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *1
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *1
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 *XXX****h
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 * h
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 * h
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 * h
H* *1 *2 *3 *4 ****hXh h
1* * * * * *+*XhXheh
T* *T *T *. T*.T*****XXXX
Each teleporter kicks you to the receptacle above and perhaps one
square to the right.
This level has two parts: first, get the timing for the teleporters
right. Second, get past the two bad guys guarding the door.
Go down for the first gold. Enter the teleportal and when the a-bricks
reappear, run to the edge. Wait a half-second and drop through. Repeat,
although when above the 4-pointers you don't have to worry about time.
It'll kick you to the far right, and the level-end ladders will appear.
Now I find it expedient to use one of the bombs to get rid of the monk
that chases you. You can go to the ladder top and release, or you can
dig a hole and place the bomb as you run over the monk once he's fallen
in. Either way he appears in the right and is a nonfactor.
The second monk's a bit tougher to deal with. If you managed to dig
your way around the first monk then you can use a bomb at the stair base
across the wall from him and run U/R. But a sure enough way is to go to
the top of the ladder to the right and dig. Just before the bad guy
falls in, drop down and dig. He'll fall in and be stuck. This leaves you
a free path to the door; place the bomb on the other side of the wall
and climb up the stairs.
LEVEL #153: IDOL WORSHIP
~~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H
u H H
XXXXXXXXXXX X H
XaaaXbbXXX X?X H
XaXXXbXbX X3 3X H
XaaXXbXbX X X X H
XaXXXbXbX XVXVX H
XaaaXbbXX V V H
XXXXXXXXX X X X H
2 X VXV X H
XXXXXX X?X e X?X H
e *X X XXXXX X X X H
****X?X**X1X a1b1c X1X X X H
4 4 *X X 1X1X1 X X X X H
+abcX X aa b c d f g j k a H
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
There are a few timing issues here, and although the level doesn't
overpower you with brilliance, there's some stuff you need to recognize.
First, 6-7-(drop)-9 immediately, 6. Now fall off the platform to the
right just as the square behind you fills in. The bad guy will run
towards you and fall in the gap. Drop over him(wait for the square to
refill if you want to be cautious) and get the two gold pieces. Drop
right and dig right when you can, before moving. Note you can run right
freely as that is how the blocks fill up/disappear.
Falling at the right time is important for the rest of the level.
You'll also want to remember that the bottom squares(four are visible at
any one time) where holes will fill in above don't have the whitish
lines on top; this is important when the bad guy is running at you, and
you need to pause somewhere safe. You'll also want to dig a hole over
him so he's trapped when he wants to get up.
Whenever you drop, of course make sure you're not dropping on the bad
guy. If he's covering a place you need to get to, you may need to fall a
few squares ahead of him to the right to get him going, then dig to get
him out of the trap, and hope he winds up somewhere better next time.
Now there are three structures with trap doors at their apexes and
switching solid squares below. Drop on any of them when you can see the
solid square--for the center part, fall left or right. There are traps
below that will see you through. Now you'll need to dig your way onto
one of the gold chests and drop left/right onto the other one. Here note
the switching bricks above and below aren't synchronized, so be sure to
drop at a good time when you won't get stuck.
You will have to fall through the center three times given that there
are three golds side by side. For the third you'll still have to dig and
fall as before--just make sure the bad guy can't get to you.
For the structures with one gold in the shaft, drop on them when the
shifting squares are visible. You'll have to dig the UL platform's right
edge and wait to drop for the left one.
To get out of this, dig into the E as you started the level and dig
out. Then you'll have to drop onto the bad guy you potted originally.
Run across to the left when the rightmost square in the door's area
appears. If you fall a bit, no problem. Next level please.
LEVEL #154: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXeXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX H XXXXX 3i XXXXX X
XXXXXX H XXXX***HXXXXX3 RX
XXXXX H XXXXXXHXXXXXH**X
XXXX 3H3 XXXXXHXXXXXHXXX
XXX 3H3 XXXXHXXXXXHXXX
X u~~~~~H~~~~~e H HXXX
XXX3 H 3**********HXXX
XXXX H XXXXXXXXXXXHXXX
XXXXX3 H 3XXXXXXXXXXXXHXXX
XXXXXX ~H~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXHXXX
XXXrXXX H XXXXXXXXXXXXXXHXXX
XXXXXXXX+XXXXXXXXXXXX HXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 3eHXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The red key is a red herring(the resolution just isn't quite high
enough for you to see, bada-boom.)
What you need to do here is line the bad guys up. It may take a few
tries, but you can do it. The key things to notice are:
1. If you go right and drop and go right and dig, you just nab the guy
coming down. Immediately after,
2. If you stay on the ladder just above the two ropes at the bottom, the
bad guy at the top bounces around. You may use this trick more than
once.
3. At the top rung of the ladder, you can make bad guys go right for
some reason and then you can fall right to the rope and drop twice when
bad guys get close.
4. Bad guys regenerate in the DR. So if you kill one it impedes trying
to bring them left.
5. That bomb will regenerate after you take it, which is useful.
Given all this, hang around the top and bottom spots, digging to the
right to slow bad guys up. A last ditch defense is to go into the bomb
chamber and get the bomb, light it as bad guys climb, and repeat.
However eventually you'll want all three to come left. Once at the
bottom of the diamond you can make all three drop, then it's clear
sailing to the right. Don't stop in the center chamber but rather go all
the way and then down. This will make one guy fall in a hole. Now you
can go up to get the next gold piece, and if you really want to get a
head start, climb down the ladder so that you are a few squares below
the way back left. The bad guys will drop to your level giving all kinds
of time to get the last gold and the bomb. Now the door should open and
you can use the bomb on the two bad guys running at you and still have
enough time to get another before they come up the stairs. Go back to
the left chamber and go down the stairs. Place the bomb at the bottom
and go up. That rids the door of its guardian. Fall down.
LEVEL #155: SHOT IN THE DARK
~~~~~X ~~~~~~~2X ~~~%H
hPPPPPH*PPPPPPPHX***** 1*H
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXH 1*XH
4X 11~~~~H 1*4XH
H* XXH*h ee* 1*4*XH
HX*X HXXXXXXXX 1*4**XH
H ~H ` 1*4*1*XH
H ~~ XXX * 1*4*1*4XH
H~~~~ 1H ~ 1*4*1*4*XH
1 1 XH *** ~~~~~~~~~H
1XH1XHXH1 X iH
Y ********* X eey & h*H
*1 ~~~~~~~~~ **************H
*h 3~3~3~3~3~3~3~H
u h | a b c d a beH
****************************
This level doesn't seem all that tough, actually--more delays than
challenge at first--but it turns out to have a wicked twist at the end
which, if you don't have this walkthrough, is tough to figure out given
how contorted the level is.. The door is tricky to get to, and you ned
to have sorted a few things out before getting there.
First thing to do is to get the snare and place it and move back. A
bad guy is coming down the stairs, and you need to trap him. Next you'll
want to get the gold that's to the right. For this, move to the ladder
on the right(it takes a while; just keep running into the right wall)
and go up it. First get the bomb on the ledge above and then go onto the
rope. Now the rest is easy to figure out but impatience made this hard
for me to execute. When you see the platform appear to the left, go two
left onto the next rope. Repeat. There's no final gold over the
leftmost.
Run back right and get another bomb. Your next task is to get the
yellow key from the chamber. Drop left after the bomb and go left and
get the gun. Back up, turn left and blast the two enemies with the gun.
Run left, getting the key, and place a bomb at the far side. You'll have
time to back up(even to the key if you didn't get it) and then fall
down, and the bad guys won't drop after you. Then go back right, wait if
you need to collect a bomb so you have two, and go all the way up the
stairs and left. Two blocks away from the wall, drop a bomb. Retreat and
enter. Then place another bomb at the far left of the next chamber. Go
left across the rope and before you fall to get the one gold be sure to
leave the key behind; don't worry, a ladder will let you get to the door
at the end.
Back right and up. Now get the drill and work on the triangle below
from left to right. All you have to do is dig the leftmost, then the
next-leftmost, etc. Next thing to do is make sure again you have two
bombs. Go to the top, then left, and place the bomb right by the wall.
Fall through and trade for the pickaxe; you're done with the drill. Drop
left. Before the pit, use the pickaxe left. Walk over and fall. Go up
the ladder. Dig left and fall left. Over the next ladder dig each way,
fall left, climb up the stairs, dig left, fall left and get the final
far left gold. Back right to the three-rung stair.
Left on the two ropes, dropping once. There's a long stair up. Go
right at the top and use the pickaxe. Get the gold, go back and wait two
seconds. Dig right. Once the cave-in disappears, you'll drop. Dig right
and fall in again. Be careful weaving up the stairs. At the very top you
will want to run right. You'll make it, and the level-end ladders will
appear.
Anywhere else and you'd have little chance of getting around the bad
guys, who appear on each side. But here you can go U/L and place the
bomb. Now when you drop left there's a ladder to support you so you can
reach the left wall. Remember to get the yellow key you placed here
first. That allows you to open the door and solve the level.
It would have been neat to have more than one dark level, but I guess
you can't have everything. This was well designed.
LEVEL #156: YING YANG
XXXXXXXXXXX3 H ~~~~~~~~
XXX Ie HXXXX XXHX.
XX XXXXXXXHXXX
X XXXXX$HXXXXX
X1 H HXXXXXX
XX XXXH.H$HXXXXXXXI
XX XXXXHXXXHXXeXXXXXe
XX1 XHXXXuHXXXHX XXXXX
eXXXXXeXXHXXXHXXXX 1X
RXXXXXXXH$H HXXX X
XXXXXXH .H 1X
XXXXXH$XXXXX X
XXXHXXXXXXX XX
.XHXX XXXXH eI XXX
~~~~~~~~ H 3XXXXXXXXXXX
The hidden gold requires rooting out. The gold you can't reach, you
must get the bad guys to help you, and because of this the level can
quickly pass from the realm of challenge into tedium.
Your first task is to get two guys in the upper right and make it so
you can run about freely. Often bad guys will just wind up there from
the initial explosions, but just in case you'll want to dig whatever you
can. Bad guys will come up the bottom ladder, and you can dig from the
right and climb the ladder to the right and come back down to fake them
out.
Through all this you'll want to make sure there's only one guy in the
lower right, as you'll want to get rid of him next. 9-4-9-4-6, 9-4-9-4-6
and 9 will get him. Then 6-7 will get you out of the mess. Once
everyone's stuck again, you can go and get the suspended right gold.
Here's how. At the top ladder, dig right, drop and dig three right. Then
dig three below that--eventually you'll drop to where you can only dig
one square at a time before dropping. That's OK--you may have to wait
for a bomb to explode to get the rest of the way, but eventually you'll
get the gold. Now fall left once but wait for the squares to regenerate
before dropping again--you need to run past the bomb quickly. From the
ladder, dig down left twice.
With everyone gone it's a good time to get the hidden gold. Dig down
right from the bottom ladder. Two will appear in short order--fall right
for them. Then from the top ladder you'll want to dig down left--again,
two together will appear.
Now the last part--getting the two golds on the left--requires
patience. Bad guys may or may not appear over there, and then they may
or(more likely) may not get the gold when they fall. There are generally
two places where they resurrect, and you'll need to dig them out
continually and trap them. The bombs aren't necessary for this, but
they're fun and actually effective if you get impatient. At the top,
leave one over a bad guy and run, or on the left, dig left, fall and
leave a bomb.
For the top part, digging is a bit trickier. Dig the two squares to
the left, then go down once a bad guy is very near. Dig left, fall left,
and dig right below your first hole. This will trap him completely.
Repeating the rescue-and-entrap method will eventually get the job
done. The door appears to be at the top of the ladders, but sometimes it
doesn't show.
If you need to get bad guys away from the pits in the upper left, this
is a bit tougher. 1-dig and then 2-dig down from the left. Climb down
the ladder, and you can sucker one guy to run after you and the next one
will run after and get trapped.
LEVEL #157: DOUBLE TROUBLE
+ XX +
IXXXXH XX HXXXXI
u 3XXXXXXXH XX HXXXXXXX3 e
XXXXXXXXH HXXXXXXXX
XXXXX XHbeeaHX XXXXX
XXX3 XHXXXXHX 3XXX
1 XXXccc*HXXXXH*cccXXX 1
XXX1 XXX XH XX HX XXX 1XXX
XXXX1 XXXTXH XX HXTXXX 1XXXX
XXXXX1 XXXXH HXXXX 1XXXXX
XXXXXX1 XXHaeebHXX 1XXXXXX
XXXXXXX1 HXXXXH 1XXXXXXX
X XXXXXX HXXXXH XXXXXX X
Xe tXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXt eX
XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX
This level is rather symmetrical, and the main problem is getting to
the other side without attracting the attention of a few bad guys. First
note the teleporters send you to the lower chambers, where a quick
meeting with a monk--and your doom--is inevitable.
The first gold pieces are freebies. Drop right. The encased skull
requires some timing. Once the wall to the right holding the top two
enemies heals, wait a beat and then go up. From the top of the ladder,
7-5-7-5-7-5-7 and wait for the wall to the right to heal. 5-7-5. Now you
can wait for the floor to the left to form. Get the gold and run back
out.
The UL skull is more straightforward but requires precision. You have
to go back up the stairs(wait for the left block to appear before
running up) and then left two squares. When the surface regenerates, run
left for all you're worth, and you should just make it in time.
Stay at the bottom. Wait for the UL of the blocks sticking the monks
in to disappear, then wait one beat. Then run up and right over the top
batch of monks. If it all works well the mobile one on the right will
give chase but miss, and the UR of the trapped ones will get stuck in
the wall.
LEVEL #158: FALLING MONKS
Y
y H
jfffffH H
H H
fffffH H
H H
ffffffH jffffH H
H H H
cc H H
H H
H H
H H
H H
H H
u H eH
****abcd*****ffff****ff*****
d and j squares appear when c and d disappear, and vice versa.
This level is pretty simple although sometimes you just have bad luck
and the monk drops right near you after previous falls. Run right and go
up the stairs. You may have to pause as the ground disappears to the
right, but it's little problem. Climb up the stairs. Go to the right
edge(three away from the next stair) and when the next square appears,
jump on it. Then wait for what's below it and drop right and go up the
stairs. From here, you'll want to go left when a walkway appears and go
up the stairs and wait for the next cycle. Do it again and then the last
time you'll want to go to the edge, wait for the square under the key to
appear, and get the key. Then go back right. You may need to use the
left ladder to fake out the monk
LEVEL #159: BEWARE THE MONK CHAMBER
* *
* * 444444
* * HXXH HXXXXXXXXXX
* * H XXXXXX
* * H
Xeee+* H
HHH****** H
H H
H H
H H
H H
***************************H
H
u H
H
****aaaabbbbccccddddaaaa****
b disappears quickly after a, d after c.
Stand by the left edge of a. Run to the right edge of b and wait for
c/d to appear. Run right again to the edge and wait for a to appear, Run
right. Get the gun and bom and then get the gold in the UR. Go back to
the far left and climb the ladder. Place the bomb left of the monks'
chamber. Position yourself 2L/D of the bomb. Then move back up and blast
right when the bad guys are close. You should have easy access to the
door then.
LEVEL #160: LADDER LAND
T T T T T T T T T
HXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXX
H H H H H H H H H
H H H H H H H H H
H**H H H H**H H H H**
*et*H H H H*+t*H H H H*te*
H**HH H H HH**HH H H HH**
H H H H H H H H H
He H H H H uH H H H e
HXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXX
H H H H H H H H H
H H H H H H H H H
H11H11H11H11H11H11H11H11H11
H**H**H**H**H**H**H**H**H**
H*e**e**+**+**e**e**e**+**e*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
This is one of the indifferent levels that popped up. It'd be too easy
for early LRLR, frankly. But here's the solution...
First note that, from the left, the teleporters go to the L, R, C, C,
L, L, R, C, and R receptacles. Only the center one allows passage to the
next level, and if you take a teleport before that, you will either get
stuck with a bad guy or marooned in a cavern.
It's not too bad to get the right side. You can go right down and then
right and up when the monk is close. Dig a hole to trap him and get the
rest of the gold to the right. Then you can come around back left and
dig holes(use the upper part to cross back) where necessary. Then go
down when you're left of both bad guys and get everything else. You
should be able to run right immediately but you may need to dig in order
to get to the third or fourth teleport.
LEVEL #161: THE CHASE!
****************************
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****************************
This is another level that really shouldn't be too taxing. It's much
easier if the bad guy picks up the gold at the bottom(why didn't they
flip him with the gold?) and if he does you can just go up top, wait,
dig left(don't trap him yet) and get his gold. If he doesn't, go up
anyway, dig left and climb down. On top of the bottom ladder, dig when
he's coming down the ladder to the left. Then you'll have plenty of time
to get the gold and go back up.
In either case, the drill is very handy. Once you deal with the bad
guy, the rest is pretty easy. Drill into the 2x3 chamber with three
gold. Drill on the right side and fall for more gold. Drill in the
center of the 5x3 to fall onto more gold and climb up the pair of
stairs. Drill over the four gold in a column and then drill again. Go
right for the gold before entering the transporter.
Get the gold to the right, dig, get the next gold and drill below it
to fall on another. Then wait for the bad guy to make it up the stairs,
drill in the center and immediately go right. Drop a bomb at the stair
base, retreat for the gold, and then be prepared to run up the zigzag
ladders. FAll down and then take the ladder in the far right. At the
top, drop left into the door.
LEVEL #162: DEMOLITION BRIDGE
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****************************
There are only three runs you have to make, and they are easy, medium
and very hard in difficulty. The easiest one is actually for the hidden
gold. After falling/running left into the wall, run right for the bomb,
and then go left and up the first ladder that leads somewhere. It leads
to a small ledge, in fact, and as you climb up the ladder you'll want to
leave a bomb by the third brick up--if you miss by one square, no big
deal. It's just in the middle. Watch the chain reaction and when it's
over, go right over the disappearing square. You'll fall through with
plenty of time to spare.
Let's save the middle difficulty(gold by the ladder) for last. On the
top you need to tiptoe carefully; enter one cave, run out when solid
ground appears beneath it, and run right, and repeat. The bombs and the
disappearing floors aren't synchronized perfectly, but you need to be
prepared to make a big run early on. Your first one should be two
squares right. The next, the last safe haven from bombs(hiding doesn't
help you,) is one square right, and then you will want to wait for
floors appearing just after a big explosion. You can run six squares
right and sneak in again. Then there will eventually be an unlit bomb
below you and one to each side. After they explode, you'll need to move
right once more. From there, you have one more long run before you're
safe--should be three squares. But although you're safe from death you
can still slip. Often you have to move one square right at a time. Only
move two right if you know the second tile won't disappear soon. Near
the end you can also run two right. If you make it all the way, you can
get the gold. You can then drop left once the ground left vanishes, or
you can drop right just after the bomb explodes. Either way you can't be
totally lazy about timing.
The final obstacle is on the next ladder left. There's a long run
right to make under some bombs, and the best time to start is after a
bunch have exploded. Often two bombs will appear four squares apart, and
you can stand between them for the explosion before running right and
dropping off. Now that you've got all the gold, drop left through the
trap door and right into the door.
There's no need to use the teleport in the UL, and in fact kicking
yourself back to the start may be lethal.
LEVEL #163: HIDE AND SEEK
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This one is incredibly tough if you don't mark off where the gold is--
and then there's some hidden gold not taken out by the original bombs.
So there's a lot to map in any case, and you'll need several iterations
through this level. The skill and analysis needed here are considerable,
and there may be a nasty surprise at the end, too.
You may need to check your work as it's easy to miss gold, and you'll
want to count twenty-one hidden gold pieces to get through the level.
Now if you are very quick you can fall left, get the drill, drop down,
and go down two stairs--fall left for one gold and go right for the
second. When the bombs heal, retreat to the corner and dig right. If not
you should get the drill first thing anyway, and you can bomb there
later when the bad guys are dispatched.
The question now is how best to deal with them? One should be on the
far right, where you'll need to go eventually. The other will still be
chasing you around. You can try to dig him out of the way, although you
can get on pretty well with your tasks without worrying too much about
him. You can also use the drill to get rid of him later.
First, though, the left side. You'll want to drill the two squares
just to the right of the bomb, which itself is useless, as well as the
square to the left of it. You can loop and fall right after this.
There's also the matter of clearing the four solid squares left of the
ladder. The bad guy will trap you when you try to come out down below if
you're not careful, but there are actually several ways to get past him.
1. You can 3->2->1 dig and go down/up the stairs and drop right and just
make it in time.
2. If you forgot your drill(which ruins the point of the maneuver) or
there are two bad guys running after you, then get the bomb at the
bottom twice. Place it left of the ladder, go up the ladder, and place
it in the blown-up nook. The bad guy will try to run across.
3. With the drill and one guy to face, drill the right square, dig
right, and fall right and dig quickly.
The second time around you can just drill the second of the solid
bottom squares, then dig the three squares below for a hidden gold.
The third time around it's a lot safer. Dig left/down twice from the
ladder at the bottom to find another hidden gold. Then go around--each
time you go around you can dabble with leaving bombs behind(thank
goodness for infinite ones) to try to blow the bad guy up.
After drilling the fourth of the top left holes, you'll want to 4-<3-
>2-<3-<2 dig to get another gold chest.
If you haven't gotten the gold on either side of the long bottom
ladder, do so now. Then the gold below the bomb is next. Be sure you've
drilled L of it and the two DR of it, and then place a bomb on the
fourth-highest(space to the DR but not the R) stair rung. U/R quickly
and then dig left after you fall. You'll fall onto the gold. This is
important because of where the door appears--it's possible to drill your
way away from the door.
Now for the other side. I assume you've relegated the bad guys to the
far left by now. Have a few bombs hand here.
There's a row of four solid blocks right of the bottom ladder and far
above it. You'll want to drill the three rightmost on the bottom and all
four on the top. From the bottom ladder, R, drill(if necessary,) U, L,
U, L, drill. Now you can focus on the gold here. The reason you don't
drill all at the bottom is that bad guys will have more trouble finding
you this way.
Drill left three from the middle of the ladders you're on for one
hidden gold, and from the top of that ladder do the following
drill/digs: drill right and dig below it until you find gold. Go up to
the left, dig right and drill, then dig the two below them for more
gold.
On the top of the ladder structure, below where you drilled four
times, dig the four squares to the left for another hidden gold, then go
to the ladder just right. Drill one left and dig below that. Now for the
tough part--the right corner.
2->1 drill at the edge to get to the very bottom right(you can 2-<1
dig for the hidden gold if you time the run forward/back well but the
given path is less risky.) Then 9-4-9 and leave a bomb as you run
across. Run halfway up the stairs so that anyone regenerating in the UR
will miss you for sure.
From the ladder dig 2 left down twice, then dig left under the gold
piece to get back. You can now 2-<1 dig at the edge for the hidden gold
piece and cycle back.
You'll want to dig the five squares right of the top ladder now, and
with both bad guys scared off, you can just dig twice right down past
one early gold piece, and when you drop off the ladder, dig the two
squares right of the one DL of it for the final hidden gold.
Back over the top to the left for the final gold. When you fall down
the center you should be able to 7-6-7 and run across the two bad guys.
Note where the door is positioned; simply drilling everything to get the
one gold below the bomb would have made the door inaccessible.
LEVEL #164: DEATH TRAP 2
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This is a good reprise to level 157, and like 157 it's hard as heck.
Dig the leftmost and drop in. Then dig the two lefmost and drop, then
the three leftmost(after you get the bombs) and drop. You can now dig
two holes to catch the bad guys. This will trap them, and one may
regenerate on the left. If he does you need to be careful and follow the
procedure below.
Drop from the ladder. Dig right. Now you can drop and dig two squares.
Get the bombs, dig three squares, and drop. Now dig four squares and
drop in. Here you need to beware of a bizarre bug. Dig right from the
far left and the bad guy walks over the hole and gets you! So move right
a bit. Then IMMEDIATELY go up the ladder and off to the left a square.
The point is to get there before the bad guy regenerates; otherwise
he'll have you trapped if he appears on the left. If he appears on the
right, just go back down. But if he's on the left, fall left and try
again.
Now you've got a big run coming up. Stay at the bottom of the ladder,
and after the top two squares appear, wait for the next round to pop up.
Then run up and right(you may need to pause a split second.) Leave bombs
above the ladder and just to the right and fall right. This should cause
a bunch of bad guys to get caught. One should cough up the gold. You can
even dig left to goad everyone as far over as possible. At least two
should regenerate on the left. This makes the rest of your task much
easier.
You'll want to drop and dig toward the center as before--disposing of
two guys means you'll have to run a bit further left--beware of the bug
with the guy running over the pit and you should be ok. Don't worry
about getting rid of everybody as the door should have appeared by
now(if not, proceed as you did to purge the left of monks.) You can just
place a bomb one rung up on the ladder, allowing easy access to the
door. There doesn't seem to be any easy way to jump down from the top,
and digging down is too tedious, so why not use those bombs?
LEVEL #165: FIND THE PATTERN
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There are actually several patterns. I haven't synchronized each level
with the one below it, but there's no real need to.
Unfortunately the bad guy pops up randomly in this level, and often
he'll interfere with what you're trying to do, pushing you back down or
even trapping you. The only way to change this at the start is to dig to
the left and run right.
The lower level is pretty straightforward if not terribly easy. You'll
have to run a bit right, wait, etc. You'll always be on a four-square
platform at any one time.
On the second level, each pair of blocks disappears quickly so you
will have to tap right a few times in a row(three for me--you want to
get to the left edge of your island,) wait, and do it again once the
right side disappears.
On the third level, you can't quite make it onto the next island after
you clear the second. Wait and dig left if the bad guy is chasing. When
the island appears again, you should be able to run on to the single
square that pops up. From there go right when a plank appears, and you
just repeat as before to get to the other side.
The top part is by far the worst. Push F7 and then F5 several times to
start things off. This allows you to see exactly when blocks decay, and
this is important. You'll have to perform several tricks at a time and
there's no assurance the bad guy won't drop in on you. Step onto the 2-
island and move left when the blocks shift. You'll be on a 1-island and
you need to move Jake so he has one foot in thin air. Then watch for
when the block starts to dissolve and move left. Now repeat. You have to
get a feel for all this but six times in a row and you're through. It's
frustrating at first but slowing the game down saves a lot of time in
the long run.
The gold's on the left, and you can use the traps to fall right
through to the door to level 166.
But wait! There's a funny skit first.
LEVEL #166: MONK RAIN
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Five hundred levels too early for a stupid random nightmare like this.
The basic trick is to run right across the monks as they reappear
randomly and fall, making it to the next gold piece. Then at the far
right, you get the yellow key, dig, and proceed back left. In this level
you are allegedly introduced to pools although they were there in the
darkness level(155) but easily mistakeable for regular ground due to the
nasty lighting. Basically, fall in a pool and you die. Also, the
teleportals kick you back to the start of your run. If you've made it to
the right then you'll get bumped back to the upper right. But you
shouldn't need to go down for any reason. Just stay at the top of the
ladder.
The contrast between the long wait and the quick movement can be
rather annoying. No matter what speed you play at, you will seem to have
either slow waiting times and relative security or no waiting times and
huge risks, but fortunately there's a way to bridge this. Use the F-keys
intensively. Hit F6 a bunch of times until the monk appears just to your
right/left. Then hit F7 to slow everything down. It's easier to run
across now. There are no other real tricks to the level. Sometimes
you'll seem to have to wait forever for a monk to drop right, and the
sound is annoying, but once you get a few rungs across the rest
shouldn't be bad.
LEVEL #167: SEFL SON
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The start isn't exactly trivial. Stay for a while and wait for the bad
guy to fall in, get out and go left. Then drop right through the trap.
Get the gold and then go down a rung so the bad guy turns left. Go to
the bottom so he comes right. Now there's some timing involved in
getting to the bottom. Make sure there's no bomb lit or about to be when
you drop left and wait to get past the walls--similar checks apply as
you run back right. But then you can fall right and left and, watching
for the appearing walls, blow up the wall in your way to the right
beyond them. A mazy run gets you to the top. Avoid the repeating bomb
and take out the right wall in the top. Fall through and shuffle around
for the gold before dropping off the UR. Zigzag drops lead you to a 4-
point gold and a trap door below it. That's no problem. Run for the gun
and wait--the bad guys will drop in the pool to try to find you!
At the far left you climb up and go right. Two blasts of the gun
should help you past; don't use bombs, although combo digging/gunning
seems safe too. The bad guys will regenerate in front of you, and you'll
still need two bombs to get back up. Take the 3-ladder up and dig right
at the UR edge. Climb up the zigzags and then watch for the flashing
blocks above the solitary ladder. You can pretty much run left and drop
down. On the way back you'll run into a wall in the left in a cavern--
you bombed it before, now bomb it on the way back. Watch for the closing
squares and keep climbing up. The final perpetual bomb may require you
to wait a few cycles, but past it place a bomb 2L of the door and move
away. You can then walk in.
Making it back is rather arduous as well. The bad guys aren't a
factor, but
LEVEL #168: SEFL'S WAY
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Seems rather similar to the previous one, and in fact once you get by
the original obstacle it's actually a good deal simpler. Until the
rather nasty end.
Go left for the bomb and down. The bad guy will fall in. Go a bit up
and then back down once he goes off to the right. Then angle up and
right--fall through the trap and get the gold. Play the up/down game to
trap the bad guy again, and repeat as often as necessary until the
central square has just regenerated when the bad guy died--they all
regenerate in the UL, which is troublesome for you at the start and the
end. Then drop into the pit. You should be able to slip down and off to
the left, but fortunately the starting timing is the trickiest part of
the level.
The middle is pretty flabby--head left for one gold, wait for the
bombs to explode and head right. Fall. Dig right twice to get by the bad
guys--you'll have to kill one(regenerating him in the UL) but don't dig
more than twice. The winding path will lead to the UL and eventually to
a rope where you fall left, right, and left for three gold. Then fall
right twice and dig over the gold. The bad guy should have taken it by
now, so you can try to sucker him left a way to get him away from
treasure(if he leaves it behind,) then run right to get it. If he just
coughs it up that's OK but you want to try to get the gold without
killing him.
After getting the gold dig to get by him if necessary. Then L/U/R and
stay away from the wall if a bomb has started. Running to the right edge
is no problem and the trap door at the edge assures you you won't get
pinned by the walls and bomb you just passed.
Circle around again. Take the stair with the two gold pieces around
it. The all-clear ladder will pop up in the UL. Use the bomb near the
top after you get the gun. Now you can walk right to the next ladder.
Release a bomb left of the base of the two-ladder to the right. 2D/R and
then climb back up--one bad guy will fall in, and(if you need to--he may
still be reappearing) you should be able to gas the other one although
sometimes he's refused to play fair even though I gassed him clearly(in
that case if it happens more than once, retreat and try again.) This
should leave the path clear.
LEVEL #169: SEFL'S LAIR
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Get the gold, wait, and dig left twice. Then run across and dig behind
if you're nervous about crossing the rotating solid-square planks ahead.
I'd prefer to keep one guy alive as they'll regenerate in the next
corridor for you to tackle, and if both are there you'd have to dig down
left from the ladder, back up and dig left twice.
As it is you can just fall and dig left and go around, digging once
behind. Drop when the square below your fall to the right appears and
run right. When the square above disappears, zigzag more. Then go to
near the top and drop left again. Dig left and now you can steam up the
left side(don't forget the skull) and note the potential appearing solid
square to block you. Dig left if you're bored waiting and run right.
Also be wary of the possible pit ahead filling in. You've seen the type
before. Then up the ladder to the right and fall down. Dig right in the
2-chamber below. Get the skull and run right when it's safe. Two more
gold; now get the drill. From the top ladder, dig the right square on
the platform, drop right, and dig left. Drop onto the ladder and dig
down/right three times. When just left of the drill, wait for the
platform below to show, get the drill, and back up.
Now you can enter the transporter. Drop right and drill down. At the
bottom of the ladder, step one left when there's solid ground. After
falling, right and left to the ladder. Drill down. Go down for the skull
and dig a hole to gett past the bad guy barging at you. Then go back up
and get the final 4-pointer. Maybe you'll have to dig once more to get
by, but I think you can handle _that_.
LEVEL #170: WATERWIND
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And this is the third time using that small compartment as something
to run around in. They really are overdoing it. Wait a second, then drop
right for the bomb. 4-9-6-6-8 and when the bad guy goes left, come back
down. He may appear in the UL pit, which we'll deal with later if we
need to. You'll want to place the bomb at the top of the ladder and get
out of the way. Then it's easy access to the pickaxe, which you'll need
after R-U-L-fall as it's the only way you'll get across those seven pool
squares--cause a cave-in one square at a time.
Go up the ladder, dig down twice, get the next guy with one dig. Come
around UR and drop right and dig another hole. Get the bomb and leave
another hole right if the bad guys are close. Place the bomb right of
the wall blocking your way to the gold. Then enter and zigzag. Now there
should be 0/1 bad guys in the pit below. With zero, use the pickaxe,
otherwise just jump over. If there are two, you may need to restart the
level.
Drop into the chamber with the bomb and set it off to the right.
There'll be a big chain reaction--watch out for the tail where one bomb
in the wall is still lit. Then go to the UR, get the gold, and drop left
for the key. U/L(drop) and then R for the bomb and fall through the trap
door. Then go back left of the key. Bomb the wall to the left and go 3
right--but be careful not to fall through the trap door as you have no
bombs left. Then run left and up the two stairs and the green door's to
the left.
LEVEL #171: ESCAPE
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This has the nuisance of catching you randomly if you don't do
something right away--so it seems arbitrary but it's really just a bit
exacting.
First thing to do is to run over the bad guy when he drops through the
alternating hole(you can wait, but he will die and may regenerate on
top.) Look for when he falls--there's leeway if you do it early. Get the
drill and drop down. Then go to the right and get the bomb. Wait for the
holes left to fill up and get the skull.
Now one right of the other skull, dig down. Push right and when you're
finally allowed to, dig left and keep holding 7 so you dig again. Move
left and dig two squares right. Then dig right after the drop to get to
the rope.
First thing on the right side is to get the two gold pieces. Then go
down the stairs, dig two right, and drill below. Go right and down. You
may have to come back twice to trap anyone; in any case when one guy
regenerates, go one up on the ladder to make sure the bad guy coming
from the UR gets trapped--usually in the 3-wide pit. The second time
through you can dig from the right and actually dig below that to trap
your enemy. Get any gold--you don't need the bomb, but why not?
Now assuming all guys are trapped go and trade the drill for the bomb.
Go back to the left of the bottom stairs. At the top rung, place the
bomb; there's hidden gold to the right. Down, right(push and hold 6 just
after 2) and up. Get the drill and use it on top of the remaining
treasure. 2-<1 dig and the ladder to the left leads you up--in the rare
case a bad guy is waiting for you in the stair area, don't do the third
dig until he falls down to go after you.
LEVEL #172: CAN YOU FIND A SHORTCUT?
t
u
***abcdfgjkabcdfgjkabcdfgj
dfgjkabcdfgjkabcdfgjabc***
***abcdfgjkabcdfgjkabcdfgjHH
H
P P P P P P P P P P P P H
T T T T T T T T T T T T H
H
H~~~~H
H
H
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Compared to the compact rigor of 171, this level is nothing. All you
have to do is drop twice--just wait--to get to the bottom. Then start
running right. The bad guys will try to catch up to you, fall in the
pits or be teleported, and wind up in the UR. Then you can make it to
the ladder and drop down. From there it's a free ride left.
LEVEL #173: WATERWORLD
e
************H
~~~~~~~~4 H
PPPPPPP H
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4 ~ H H
X**VX**PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPH H
H ~H
H~~~~~~ ...eH
u+ . H XXXXXXX
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H
adcbbcdaH
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
This is not a tough level at all once you get past the beginning. You
want to run to the middle of the structure that vanishes and reappears--
might have to pause to get on there. Then wait and after you fall, pull
to the right. On the stairs, go U, R, U, R on rope, fall R, U, L-fall,
R, L-fall, L and now wait for the bad guys to go through the trap doors.
They're usually in sync but if not you can dig a hole right of the rope
to nail one. The object is to get to the rope and drop and head left
into the door and there really should be enough time for that even
without digging.
You'll note there are two gold pieces in this level, but you only get
one. That is because the bad guys eventually start regenerating in the
UL and will soon pick the chest up and fall in the goo. This is the only
part where the bombs might be useful--if the bad guys refuse to pick up
the chest you may have to go off to the left of the rope, drop a bomb,
back up and go in again.
LEVEL #174: MONKS FROM MUNCHAUSEN
XX4 ~~ XXXXXXX4bIa
HXXXX4 XXX HX X ****H
HXXXXX HXXXXPXXXX ~ e H
HX 4 X XXXXX 4 X XXXXXXXXX
HX XHXXX X XH XH X X
H XH XH XXXXXXXHX ? X +
XbXXXXXXXX***XX 4 HX H XXX
*a* e 4 I HXXXXXVXH ?
XXXHXXX*******X HX 4 X***H
` XH 4 I e XXXX XXXXX I H
************XH X XH* H
3 Xe XX****XXHX XHX H
HXXX*****XH XX e HX2 HX H
H2~~~~~~ XXX******XXXXXXXXX
XXPPPPPPXH~~~~~~ d.c.b.a uX
XXPPPPPPXPPPPPPPXXXXXXXXXXXX
About as squiggly as a linear(in the puzzle term) challenge can get at
such a low resolution. Patience is the main thing to test here.
Either get a flying start left or don't go anywhere at all until the
next cycle. From there you go L/U/R and use the bomb on the right part.
Bad guys generally appear in the pit in the UL so blowing the first one
away is OK; however, if you knock out two then they will both appear in
the UL and block you. Fortunately the next part is pretty linear and
monk-free although you have a timed bomb to contend with(patience...)
near the right and a switching door near there. I advise going U2R of
the perpetual bomb and just waiting a bit. From there L/U/L to fall
through. Fall left and then after bombing to get the pickaxe(base of the
stairs) you can go up the stairs and around some more. Try to get by
with as few digs as possible. Eventually you'll wind around to near the
pit--place a bomb one left of under there(run up the stairs) if bad guys
persist in hanging around. If a bad guy's to the left then dig down left
twice, fall left and dig.
Run across the pit(if no-one's in there, use the pickaxe) and up to
the top. There's gold to the left and after you fall right you'll need
the pickaxe. Then further along, you can dig the enemy to the right into
oblivion as you wait for good timing to pass the perpetual bomb embedded
in the sometimes walls. Fall left for the final gold. Dig left at the
stairs to fall next to the transport door.
LEVEL #175: FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
u 22 22G
H?* XtX22222 H>>
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>>>>H>>>>>H** X?XVPPPH H
PP PHPPPPP 222X?XV222H222H2
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V<<<HX HPPVX?XPPPPHPPPPH
VPPPHX HX2VX?X H H
V222H2222 HXXVX?X H H
>>>>H>>>>>>XXVX?X2222H2222H
PPPPHPPPPPPXXVX?XH>>>><<<<<
H 2222%VX?XHPPPP*PPPP
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R PPPPPPPPPPX>>>>>>>>>>>>H
<<h XPPPPPPPPPPPPH
PPh H
The concept of one-way passages here is rather funny, and you'll
notice that the green door is actually impossible to get to. I've even
managed to slip up near the end, and although this level seems as though
it should be straightforward, you'll need to calibrate some timing to
make it smooth.
With the pools below you'll want to move quickly right to start. Climb
down and go left when you can, then down and right. Now the quickest way
through is to keep going right, then up and right. You'll begin to fall
but will have time to duck left for the gold in the enclave. Then drop
and run back around left--getting the drill in the meantime. Go up to
the top and right. There are two gold above the transporter. There's no
way back, so clear them out before entering. Also, make sure that you
enter just as the corridor below the receptacle turns solid.
Once you land on the right, move right and get the red key(not the
green) and sweep back onto the ladder. Climb up and, when you can,
right. At the top there's a clockwise movement after which you can go
all the way right. At the top of the stairs, duck in right when you can
for more gold. Then go down two levels and left for four more gold. You
should be able to run left quickly once you can see access to the first
ladder you came up. Go down it and right for the remaining gold. Ladders
to the red door will appear. Climb them but be sure to wait for a new
cycle(get your fingers on the right keys too if you're a bit klutzy like
me,) as it takes time to unlock the door. I guess Jake is a bit klutzy
too but at least he doesn't forget what pocket his keys are in. That
could mean real delay trouble.
LEVEL #176: MUNCHAUSEN MADNESS
X b XXXXX X I
HXSXXSX XHX X`d X e XH**
HX S XHX XHX XHXSXXX XHX*
H 2XXHS aHX cHX *HX X HX*
*S*X HXXX*******XXX XHXXSXX*
2XHXX aIbIa e XH e X4
H***XX ***S*S***XXXXXSXXHXX
HX 2 X SX ^ a *2 2 H.X
HXHXHX X.HSXXSXXbXHSXabcHXSX
H HSH% XHXX b TXXXXXXX
****XXSXHX SSSSS*HX &X.
X XH^ S* +XH H**S*HXX
XS***S***SS* H***X*S*X HXX
t~~~~~ HSX ? XXH***XX
SPPPPPX H****XXHXXSHXXHb2a2X
XPPPPPXSSXtuabcHX1 H ?HXXXcT
Another linear winding level. Will they ever end? This one has some
nice variety, actually. First it's easy to get past the three rotating
walls, and then you can dig down right two from the ladder for the next
gold. Watch before the 3-ladder and then on the middle of that ladder,
wait and push 6 to enter the teleporter safely. Back to where you
started, a bit richer.
This time go up the ladder and get the gun. Head leftm watching for
the wall left of the 2-ladder. Drop left and when by the hidey hole,
blast left. Here's something to look for: make sure you're under the
ladder when you go up or you'll get stuck in the hole and the bad guy
will go left, trapping you. Fortunately it's not a split second thing.
Now to dupe that guy out, go up the stairs and dig left. Then climb
onto a square that appears to the right and fly through when you can.
The bad guy left shouldn't get too close, but if he does, then go down
the stairs to fake him out. You can also choke up and down here to get
the enemy to the right to fall into the revolving walls. Going up after
a two second wait after square C vanishes seems to work for me.
Once that enemy's dispatched, get the 2-pointer when C is visible, if
it wasn't destroyed with the bad guy. Then get the bomb and go up the
stairs. Dig down left twice at the next stairs then retreat and dig a
hole. Leave holes to the right behind you. Timing to get by the bombs
here isn't easy, but if they explode just as the walls open, then that
is a good time to try for passage.
Exchange for the drill after you go left and the rest is a bunch of
swerving until the final bad guy. There are two ways to get him: first,
you can dig to the right of the ladder under the pickaxe once he's near,
dig below, and then when the brick UR disappears, go down, to the top
and right to circle. You can also use a bomb two seconds after the UR
brick appears--you'll be able to go U/R and be safe when the bomb blows
up.
From there you can walk to drilling in the UL--sneak in after the bomb
explodes, of course. It's a long drop down through the traps, and you're
kicked to the start. Now to take that other transporter which leads to
the left. From there you can just run into the level-exit door.
LEVEL #177: CASTLE CHRONOS
X*X*XXX*t* .1.1~~~~ ~~~H*X
XYe *X*XaX*X*X* *XH HX*
X**hXXX*b**X*X* *eXX1HXe*H**
*XXh .. c *X** XXH*X*H*XH*3
XX*HXX*.d*H`y* HXX*H1XH*H
X*XHXXX*f***** 1| *T*HX*HXH
*X*HX***gXXX* ** XXH.*H*H
H*. jXiX* X * H*H
t uHX***aXXX* ^ ~~ HXH
XXXXXXXXbXiX* Hdcbae* VXXH
X$$$4XXXcXXX** H *V*XH
1***H**XdXiXX* H ^ *XVX.H
VX*XH*X*fXXX *X*dcba*H*2 H
VX*XH*X*g***H** tH*X? ~H
VX*XH**XjX*$HX*T H*XPPPX
e HXXXT*$$H**XPPPPXXXXPXPX
You constantly need to be on your toes here. Timing and bomb
conservation issues are critical. First thing to do is to go left, dig
right and climb up the stairs. Get the bombs and enter the "elevator" to
the right. The bricks open and close so you fall. Then go to the right
when you can(LOOOONG wait) and get the pickaxe. There's a nook with a
regenerating bomb. When you have four, wait for one to appear, run right
and use the bomb when the elevator passes, recoup your maximum bombs,
and get on the next part of the elevator as your chain reaction goes
off. Drop a bomb at the stair bottom and then drop left for the three
gold. Bomb left of the teleporter and now you've got access to the right
side.
The teleporter kicks you to the other side of the pool, and a walkway
grows to the left. Then go up the stairs and take the other walkway ASAP
once you can. Go onto the rope and go right(through the trap) once the
square in the DR appears. Back up to the left and then when the square
appears again, use the pickaxe and run right. Blast your way out near
the top. Later you can get the bomb while waiting for the blast but now
you just want to clear out gold. Bomb U2R of the gold under the monk to
get it. Then drop onto the gold next to the snare and pick it off. Now
come back around(your fourth bomb used--here, get the bomb you ignored
last time) and release the right enemy. 9-5-8-8-4-9-2-4. You should have
a snare waiting for the bad guy. Once he's trapped, R/D and place a bomb
in the cranny. R2U and wait for the explosion. Fall left into the
teleporter. Be sure to hold down 9 as you enter, as the bad guy in the
far left will come after you.
Now restock to get four bombs(including the one just after you start
the chain reaction) and go right. Two bombs get you access to the two
gold you haven't gotten yet. Pick them and the bombs up--you're back to
four. Then bomb over the transporter as before and fall in. Dig right.
The next part is tricky--you need all three bombs. Go up to the top
and dig left. Then go back down, dig three left, dig the leftmost
square, place a bomb in the right, and fall left. Now to dodge the next
monk--go right, drop a bomb one left of the ladder, and retreat. The
explosion will consume the monk, who reappears at the bottom. Lay a bomb
right of the ladder base and hook back and climb. You should have just
enough time to get the three hidden gold pieces to the left, return and
enter the transporter. From there, get the yellow key right of the
elevator, stock up on bombs, use two to get to the UR, then a third to
get back left, dig a hole for the monk, and climb up to the yellow door.
LEVEL #178: MINEFIELD
H~~~~ + 3~~~~~~~~~~
H *X*H
H XXIXH 3 +.
H XXXXX*X*H HX
H XXX3XXXIXH 3 HX
H 4XXX HX XXX*X*H HX
H XXX H+ 3XXXIXH e HX
HXXX *X*HX XXX*X*H HX
HXX XXIXH 3XXXIXH HX
HX XXXXX*X*HX XXXH HX
H XXXXXXXIXH 4XXH HX
H 4XXX XXX*X*HX H HX
H XXX XXXXIXH H uHX
HXXX XXX*X*H XXX
XXX H+ 1 XXXXIXH +
+XXXPPPXXXXX*********XXXXPP
This level requires more waiting than anything. Basically your task is
to run to the top, drop down, get the gold, and circle back a couple of
times. For starters, climb up the stairs and the bad guy in his feeble
attempts to follow you should get killed and regenerate in the bottom.
He's out of the picture. Fall right off the initial platform and take
the ladder up. Now you will need to run left just after the squares
heal, but the bombs lighting up just after add a modicum of drama. Still
you can get to the top pretty easily.
From here you'll want to recover the next gold in the bottom. Once
you've gotten the top gold, fall left at the next explosion. Now the
rest of the way you'll want to get on the top of the two-rung ladder and
go D2R when the bricks there are repaired. Eventually you'll drop to the
bottom; then proceed back to the top of the ladder. This time drop left
as before but then try to run left when you can. Fall for one four-
pointer, take the ladder up, and drop onto the other. Go back to the top
and drop right off the rope. After the explosion you can drop down to
the bottom to tackle the bad guy. Dig left when you get the gold and
then run back left once the bad guy falls in--hey, what's that door
doing in my way?!
LEVEL #179: THE GRINDER
t * * t
* . . *
* ***X***H *
*abcdfgj*H
e H* *kHXXXXXka*H *H e
H*****a*XjHXXXXXXXbc**?****H
H11 *T XgXX*cdd*XXd T* 1H
H*****a**fXXcc*ddXXf**?****H
H1| *u dX*c*3*a*Xg T* %H
H*****b**cXXbb*aaXXj**?****H
H11 *T bXX*bba*XXk T* 1H
******a**HaXXXXXXXaH**?*****
~~~ *HkXXXXXbH* ~~
X *HjgfdcH*
PPPPXPPPX ******* XPPPXPPP
PPPPXPPPXt 1eTXPPPXPPP
This level is a strong challengs with opportunities for some one-one-
one shake-and-bake. Here is how the tepleportals work: you can't reach
the one above where you start, the DL one goes to the UL, the UR goes to
the UL too, the right-middle goes to the UR, and the DR one goes to the
bottom.
To the drawing board. The first drop down is treacherous--you have a
narrow window of time after the square below fills in and before the one
next to you does the same. Take it and enter the transporter to the
left. In the upper left, go up the 1-stair and run left across the bad
guy when he's close. Climb down one rung below the snare. Then run to
get the snare and place it. Wait behind to trap the bad guy. Get the
rest of the gold at your leisure. Then go back up and over and dig
right. Fall into the hole and wait for a walkway to appear. You can make
it across and go ahead of the blocks that fill in(they do so clockwise)
but it's safer to wait.
Go clockwise as the bricks open up and enter the middle transporter.
In the uper right, again climb up the stair but this time there's no
need to duck. Pick up the drill, stopping for the gold above first, and
head left. Then drill when the bad guy's close. He'll follow you through
the hole, and it will be a cinch to outrun him up the ladder and over.
At the top of the octagon you will want to pick up four bombs. You may
need them to get the gold on the bottom. But first you'll want to chip
away at the gold in the center. You can't do it in one swoop, though. A
2->1 drill under f and g should work--you may want to dig and land on d
while it's still filled in to give yourself the biggest head start(move
right then dig,) and you'll need to be quick. Then drill over the solid
square once the d's below are filled in. You'll fall to another you can
dig. When the a's are no longer full, 2-<1 dig there and fall in. Follow
the ladders back up, enter the teleporter, and run through again. This
time you may want to 2-<1 dig over d and f. Then you can fall onto the
lower d's when they're filled in, drill over the skull, and drill again
when the b's are filled in. Go right and 2-<1 dig to get out.
Now for the final part below. Drill at the d and immediately release a
bomb. Go three left, and go immediately back when you hear an explosion
as the bad guy reappears quickly in the area. It's possible to work your
way right using the bombs, retreating a bit after gaining ground, and
it's fun to try, but dropping in is the best hope for solving the level.
Finally to the door.
LEVEL #180: JAKE'S LABRYNTH [sic]
XX ;dcbardcbaBfdcbaX2* e2t
Xe *H****************H* ***
XXXXXHX eXX. ^ 3I3I3 HXH~~~
2 XXHXX**************HX~H~~
**2 HX%X 2 t XtXHX~~H~
R****HX*X4*HV***XH X4XHX~~~H
2222 X2X~*H 2XH X~XHX2 ~H
H****HX*X4*HX**X2H X4XHXXXXX
H2222HX2X~* Hu.V**4X~ HX ` .
H***H*X*X4*HXX*V *~XTXH VXXX
He HX |X~*H2T et*Tb HXVT
H****X*XX X****SSXaX*******H
H~~~~~X2X T e2t2 TX H~~~~~H
H33333XXX******SSS*XHX33333H
H~~~~~X. 2 2 2 eX HX~~~~~H
PPPPPPX*********abcd*XPPPPPP
Another really awesome level for the timing challenges, etc. it gives.
It even shows up a control quirk. First you'll want to run left, let off
a bomb over the ladder, get the gold below, and then climb up the other
ladders. Now at the bottom you have a do-se-do around a monk to the
right.
After you fall, you can immediately go right, or you can wait for the
monk to be two spaces from the teleporter before he enters. You'll be
able to wait in the receptacle as long as you like but one thing NOT to
do is to enter the teleporter too early--the bad guy will go right and
wait for you, then.
The plan is to enter the teleporter, go left from the receptacle, wait
for the bad guy to catch up, enter left, and go right. Then there are
three gold carts to get--one is beneath some part-time ground, one is
above and the other is easy enough. There's a trap to the left so be
sure to get all three at once or you'll yet face another challenge
below.
The second time around after you got the three carts, you'll want to
get to the transporter to the right and fall right from the receptacle.
Do so when the square above the receptacle fills in. Then go right.
Enter the teleporter above--it kicks you up a few squares to get more
gold. Then go past the cave--be careful here as the eternal bombs are
not synchronized. Grab the bomb to the left of them and then let it off
a couple of seconds after the left eternal bomb starts hissing. Then
you'll have time to go right, wait, enter the hole when the bad guy
moves toward you, and go left. He'll run right and probably into the
bombs, to regenerate in the center where he won't worry you.
Get the drill and go down on the left. Then swap for the snare and dig
down. Fall through the trap and place the snare one right. Go to the
right wall and bomb. Climb up the stairs to the right, drop for the
leftmost skull, and get the others by circling around on the ladder.
Enter the transporter above.
From here a quick left and down all the way works. Dig right as you
land, then climb up the stairs. When the monk gives chase, fall through
the hole you dug. Get the pickaxe and the bomb. Use the pickaxe on the
leftmost square. Fall left. Go up the stairs and place the bomb at the
top. Then you can go along the top.
Here the big bomb is worthless, but the red key works well--you can
only make one trip, and there's a red door over there. Keep bashing
against the left wall.
At the ladder, go down. The bad guy will run to you. Do this before
you get the glue at the stair top and immediately throw it left or the
bad guy won't come as far right as he could otherwise. Remember to
recoupt the red key before you run over him, and be holding 7 as you
drop, then switch to 4 as you dig. You'll just make it out. Get the
gold, drop for some more, and hold your breath for the final chase. You
should be able to circle around for the top gold, playing matador with
the guy below. The gold beneath the rope provides a bit more tension.
You can get the left three by standing one rung up and raiding, but for
the other two, you'll need to stay above them until the bad guy gets
close, drop and go left, and repeat. You'll just inch out of there.
After the final gold, you can outrun the enemy to the door and enter.
LEVEL #181: HEART OF THE PYRAMID
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H + H
H u H
H 1XXXX1 H
H 1XX XX1 H
H 1XX1111XX1 H
H 1XXX$$$$XXX1 H
H 1XXXX$XX$XXXX1 H
H 1XXXXX1 1XXXXX1 H
H 1XXXXXXX11XXXXXXX1 H
H 1XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX1 H
H 1XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX1 H
H 1XXXXXXXXX*$$$XXXXXXXXX1 H
H1XXXXXXXXXXX*$$XXXXXXXXXX1H
HXXXXXXXXXXXXX*$XXXXXXXXXXXH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
They could have done so much putting spare rooms or hidden gold in
here, but what results is an extremely straightforward level. Drop left
and go back to the pyramid top. Drop right and go back. Now 9-6-9-9-6-1-
4 into the chamber and 4-9-4-9-4-9-4-9. Drop in for the hidden gold. Dig
over the rightmost gold in the chamber below. Drop for the next hidden
gold and get the other two. Dig your way out and now a 3->2->1 dig below
gets you out. Go back to the top.
Dig in the upper chamber again and this time 2-<1 dig at the very
left. Drop in for the last hidden gold and then the last gold. Exit as
before. Drop into the door above the pyramid at your leisure.
LEVEL #182: HEARTBEAT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~ h + h
H 3 h u h
H HXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX h
H 3H XX333 h
H 3 H XX333 h
H33 3H XX h
H 3 H X33 h
H H XX B h
H H XX.. h
H H XX%` h
H e H XX| h
H~~~~~~H XHH
H HH
e H HH
HXXXXH HXXXXXHH
The first part is easy; dig over the top gold just below you and fall
right all the way. Get the snare. Go left and use it, back up and dig
left. Then run across once both guys are caught.
Now the tricky skulls to get are the ones suspended right of the big
ladder. Make sure the bad guy's close to the top before digging right
from the top and falling, or you'll have to retreat a way to the right,
dig, and go back left. Then for the next one do a 2-<1 dig.
Now, are you man enough to survive the tedium? The upper left has
skulls you must fall on. Fortunately the bad guy is clueless as to where
you are, but even if he weren't, you could just drop from the second
rope, dig and wait.
LEVEL #183: SINKING SHIP
% .
XSSXSXSSXSSXh
XXXXXXXXXX h
X XXXXXX h X
X XXXX H X
XX u .3 HeeeeXX
XX******X***************XX
XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXX R r XXXX
XXXXXXXH HXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXSSSXSSSXSSXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXX
This level looks cute and all, with a nice theme, but WHY SO LATE IN
THE GAME?!?! All you have to do is run right. get the gold and bomb, and
run back left. When the front bad guy is one square away, drop the bomb
and run left. Everyone else blows up. You can drop through the hole.
Right across the sticky stuff gets the key, which opens the door back
left across the goop. The drill above is irrelevant.
LEVEL #184: NOT SO FAST
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
H~e h
H 1 H~~~1
H 1 H 1
H 1 H 1111&
H ~~~~~~~~H XXXXXXXX$$XXXXXV
H H XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXV
H H XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXV
H H XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXV
H H XXXXXXXXXXXXXXV
H Hh XXXX11XXXXXXXXV
H HhhhXXXXXXXXXXXXXV
H H hhXXXXXXXXXXXXV
H 1111 H h XXXXXXXXXXXV
1H HXXH. H u h XXX1XXXXXXXV
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXH e XXXXXXX+
There is a twist you don't expect here at the end, but it's smooth
sailing apart from the long trap on the right under the gun, which only
looks necessary. Note if a bad guy falls in there, then the door to
level 185 is blocked. So the solution is to take the left out first. You
can run all the way to the left ladder from where you start and dig
right, but there's no need to rush. I just go to the plateau first,
digging right along the way. Then a dig left, fall left, get the gold in
the corner, and up the ladder. Wait to be followed and take the very
edge ladder to the top. Fall right off the rope for three gold. You
won't be followed; go one square right and drop when a bad guy is close.
Dig right after you land and he's near. Then fly right over him and up
the ladder. He'll search for you off to the left.
Now that they're both in a pokey of their own mental making, take the
rope to the right. First, fall down, then fall right and attack the big
DR structure. Dig left seven times in a row as you move right; you'll
know you've started in the right place if the second and third digs
reveal hidden gold. From there on down it's a whopping 7-6-5-4-3-2 dig
and you'll hit the chamber with two gold. Dig right three times picking
the gold up in the process. Then fall, dig right twice, fall, dig left
over the final gold, and drop into it. (Without the bad guys relegated,
they might decide to go to the far right if you, say, had to dig them
before starting the 7-dig or if they regenerated above it.)
The ladders that appear make your journey a bit tougher but a couple
squares below the rope to the left of the center ladder will cause the
bad guys to turn away. Up, right on the rope, and hit the right edge to
fall through.
LEVEL #185: MORE MONK RAIN
1 1X 1 X1 1 X 1 1 X
t t t % t
~*~ ` ~*~ ~*~h X
g ~h ^ ^X
h~? ^ X ^ X
~XX ~*T X~ *
X 4 ~H ~ X a
u 4 X~ 4~ 4 b G
X~ ~ ~4X X ~ X
? ~4? . 4 ~X X
X 4 4 4 X X 4 X
T ~ X~~~ T T T T
~H~ ~H~ ~H~ * ~H~
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
This is a better more in-depth challenge than the first monk rain.
Here is how the teleportals work.
--highest one(X) kicks you to the left receptacle(#1)
--second-left at bottom and rightmost(T2 and T5) kick you to the next
right(#2)
--leftmost and center(T1 and T3) at the bottom kick you to the next
right(#3)
--second-right(T4) kicks you to the far right receptacle(#4)
Things you have to watch out for include a monk getting to the other
teleportal that kicks them where you want to go just ahead of you, which
is as deadly as you might have guessed. You don't really have to worry
about being caught when ON the receptacle, but if one of the teleporters
is glowing green, that's a sign you're backing up someone else's
progress and he'll follow soon once you move.
There's no hard and fast walkthrough, but note that falling left from
#2 sends you to T1 and then to #3. You can also drop for infinite bombs
from #2, and often you'll want to wait for bad guys below to enter a
teleportal instead of following them down.
From #2:
--drop left, dig right, fall and wait for hole below to disappear
--drop left, drop left, dig left, fall
--drop left, drop left, drop and drop right.
--drop left three times, wait over the flashing brick
Here your progress may be interrupted by following bad guys, but I
often find that they can get stuck as they regenerate, which can help.
So I recommend zeroing in on one gold, seeing how to get it, and chasing
it. For gold below switching squares, start the drop when you see the
square reappear. Also drop left/dig right doesn't leave time if
someone's just behind you.
If guys pile up around #3 below then you'll need to get a bunch of
bombs.
From #3:
--drop left, drop and fall left off the rope and right
--drop left, left, dig. This is also a safe haven.
--drop right, drop right, drop left, drop right, drop bomb, drop left
twice into T3. Repeat previous path to land on gold.
--drop right three times and dig. Drop right twice.
Now you need to get the drill and green key, in that order. Drop right
from #3 to get to the drill. From #3 again drill left of transporter X.
R/U leads into it but before you do make sure no-one's regenerating on
the left; it can happen randomly, and they just play prevent defense on
the left ladder, so you just have to retry. If they aren't there, drop
to the left from #1 and get the green key. Collect two bombs and use one
to get back to #5. From the receptacle, drop a bomb and fall left. Then
drop right in the space created. Push 2 at the elevator door, or
something.
LEVEL #186: JUST WATCH
u 3 3 3
>>>>>>>H>>>>>>>H>>>>>>>H>>>>
SSSSSSSHSSSSSSSHSSSSSSSHSSSS
3 H 3 H 3 H +3
***H<<<<<<<H>>>>>>>H<<<<<<<H
SSSHSSSSSSSHSSSSSSSHSSSSSSSH
H 3 H 3 H 3 H
<<<<>>>H>>>>>>>H<<<<<<<H>>>>
SSSSSSSHSSSSSSSHSSSSSSSHSSSS
3 H 3 H 3 H 3
<<<H<<<<<<<H<<<<<<<H<<<<<<<H
SSSHSSSSSSSHSSSSSSSHSSSSSSSH
H H H H
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Note here all non-gooey squares disappear and reappear. This presents
a timing issue and although you can often fall onto the goo and run the
way you want to, you can't do so at the bottom or when you're climbing
up, and I recommend hitting F7 to be sure you keep your balance in these
situations. But otherwise you're probably good enough by now that
speeding things up will save sanity.
From the start, R(1)-D-L(2)-D-R(3)-D-L(4)-D-R-U(5)-D-R-U(6)-D-R-U(7)-
R-U(8)-L-U(9)-D-L(10)-D-L(11)-D-L-L-U(12)-R-U(13)-R-U(14)-D-R-D-L-D-L-D
and now all the way right and U-L-U-R-U. There's probably a more
efficient solution but it is tricky to get to thefar right.
LEVEL #187: MUNCHAUSEN MANIA
XX e XXXXX X t
*********HXXX & X XX*a**X
**X 1 XH XH e X
HXXXXX XX***XXXXXXXX***
P****X 3X X
+~X1HXXXXXXXXX XXXHX a****
~hXXH 1X X X HX 3 .TX
h~ X HXXXXX XHX XHXXXPXXXXX
~~hXHXX b a XH XHXXX a
h~~ XH1X XXXXXXX*********XXH
~~hXX X cTX ab X.H
1h~~~~~X*****HXXXXXXXXXX XXH
XXPPPPPX`2 X H2 X X3H
XXPPPPPX*******XXXXXHX XXXXH
XXPPPPPXu abc 2X2 .HX e H
XXPPPPPXXXXXXXabcHXXXXXXXXXX
This isn't the cllimactic apocalyptic final level we've come to expect
from Lode Runner, really. Most of the wrinkles just involve getting a
little smoother sailing at the end.
The first two cycling walls are easy enough although you'll want to
wait to go left for the second gold. Then you can use the first bomb you
get U/L to open the chamber with the pickaxe. There is a pair of
rotating walls and then you'll want to drop down. Dig right, dig left
behind you, and get the gold and bomb. You should be able to get through
with the enemy still alive--if he dies it'll be a pain to dispose of
him, but if not the sailing's much clearer.
Place a bomb on the left and run back. A chain reaction will allow you
goclimb uup stairs and around. Then you can climb and drop left again
unless the bad guy's there--in which case dig down/left twice, run right
and dig left. Then fly to the left and wait before you enter the
teleporter--the timing here is funny and a straight run can easily kill
you.
Now kicked to the upper right, you need to fall through, drop right,
and dig over the leftmost square. Get the bomb and enter the teleporter.
Drop left again. Go right and place the bomb. Drop right and come back
left, digging left. Enter the teleporter and again fall left. Run left
and dig. Then dig behind you. The bad guy will regenerate in the center,
but that's nno longer awkward to you.
The stun gun above is useless; dig two down below it. That will trap
the final bad guy. Then run left and climb up. Use the pickaxe on the
far left to render the pool harmless, then go right to get the skull.
Climb down with side trips for gold, and at the bottom, fall right, go
left, and climb up the stairs that appear into the door that showed up
with them. You win, yay!
4. SUNDRY FRIPPERY
4.1. BUGS, ANNOYANCES, FOIBLES AND EVEN HELP
The following cheats bar you from the high score list, which doesn't
matter anyway.
CTRL + [ moves you back a level.
CTRL + ] moves you forward a level.
CTRL + = gives an extra life--up to 99.
Often if you dig deep then bad guys may jump over a hole--157 is the
first example.
Pools appear in level 155, before the skit post-165.
Darkness and goo aren't used much--although the one use of goo is
quite a puzzle.
If you run across some sticky stuff with a bad guy right behind you,
he may catch you(see level 180.)
If you cheat to get to level 180 and solve it, you're kicked back to
150. But it's easy enough to go to 181--so why'd they bother?
Hitting alt-tab in the middle of a skit may cause the application to
bomb.
Also notice that hitting alt-tab during level play pops up the
hourglass when you return, and you have to hit ctrl-alt-tab to get back
quickly. To get rid of the hourglass, hit ctrl-p. Quitting the
application may cause Windows to think you're holding down the shift
key. Tap shift to get rid of this.
BTW, LRO was made by Sierra, who used to be "Sierra On-Line." I don't
know if they made anything good after that(Leisure Suit Larry 7 does NOT
count.) So maybe this was their last artistic hurrah and the
nomenclature quirk tied this up nicely.
4.2. THE ENDING
The end of game skit mirrors the LRLR ending with Jake waiting for an
elevator that eventually breaks before he decides to just climb up the
stairs.
4.3. SKITS
Besides the ten copied from LRLR, there's only one actually. On
solving level 165 you probably deserve something. Jake climbs up a stair
and sees a no swimming sign which he throws into the pool to the left.
It's gobbled up; he throws the stick it was on in as well and climbs up.
Monks come from the left. One jumps in and gets spit out as a skeleton.
The other takes his umbrella and jumps in, and the umbrella is spit out.
End of FAQ proper
================================
5. VERSIONS
1.0.0: submitted to GameFAQs 03/20/2003, accidentally satisfying my
weird-date preoccupation. Should be complete, with text maps and
everything. Hopefully it's concise and informative, too.
6. CREDITS
The usual reviewers' gang at GameFAQs: bloomer, daremo, falsehead, MaxH,
RetroFreak, Snow Dragon, ursil(whose review helped too,) VGRevolution
and others I know I forgot. I should write a shell outline to take care
of this as it is getting a bit long.
www.the-underdogs.org for having this game(among others) and posting a
link to...
Todd Daggert, the author, for allowing users to download it for free.
That link again is:
**
http://www.daggert.net/todd/Programming/Presage/LodeRunner/Loderunner1.h
tm
Doug Smith for thinking Lode Runner up in the first place.
Since preemption is all the rage these days, a preemptive thanks for any
Lode Runner 3 that's forthcoming. Please? Someone? If it happens, I
might even shell out $15 or over for a game, a cardinal sin for me! :)
