THE LOST ARTIFACT LEVELS

The Lost Artifact is an expansion set of Tomb Raider III sometimes unofficially called Tomb Raider III Gold. It was released exclusively for PC in 1999. In The Lost Artifact, Lara learns of the existence of a fifth meteorite artifact called the Hand of Rathmore. She begin investigation at the castle of Dr. Willard in the Scottish highlands, and soon finds herself in the catacombs of Paris, where she is confronted by a familiar enemy. The levels of The Lost Artifact are:

• Level 1 - Highland Fling
• Level 2 - Willard's Lair
• Level 3 - Shakespeare Cliff
• Level 4 - Sleeping with the Fishes
• Level 5 - It's a Madhouse!
• Level 6 - Reunion

HIGHLAND FLING

It has been said: "Dead men tell no tales." Fortunately for Lara, Willard's wallet was screaming at her. Why would a dying man hold out his wallet to someone who just put an end to his life? Was Willard trying to tell Lara something? A warning, perhaps? "Hmmm...what have we here?" Lara wondered, picking up a monogrammed leather wallet no doubt made from the hide of some poor, endangered species. Some foreign currency; a few English Pounds, Dutch Gliders, even Japanese Yen. A map of England, and what seems like a photo of Willard's estate. " Well, well," mused Lara, "it looks like I have a fan. He has a newspaper clipping of me. I didn't know he was so ... attached." A yellow piece of paper catches her eye. It's a telegram to Willard from one of his henchmen. "Fifth Artifact found stop. Delivery confirmed to your Loch Ness Estate stop." There's more in the message, but the rest is unreadable except to mention that someone else knows about the Fifth Artifact. "So it's back to the UK for me. Where's that helicopter of mine?"

WILLARD'S LAIR

"Willard must have been holding something pretty special to have all of those guards around," thought Lara. "They must not know about the failure of his experiment - but the telegram said that the Fifth Artifact was here. It's obviously not in the main part of the castle - perhaps the Loch's natural seclusion hides a deeper, darker secret... A dungeon - perfect for subversive activities and hiding things! The best way to go? Find a locked gate and get on the other side of it."

SHAKESPEARE CLIFF

Lara, for once, was at a loss - someone else had reached the Fifth Artifact first. But who? The telegram had warned of someone else. They must have it. Whoever they were, they were good - Willard's guards continued to blindly guard something that wasn't there. And what of this glowing substance, deadly to the touch? A nasty little by-product of the missing artifact, no doubt... Stumped, Lara returned to her mansion to figure out her next move. A few days later, an unexpected intrusion on morning tea - and her next clue arrives blithely up the garden path, conveyed by a surly paperboy. The repairs to last week's tunnel explosion had begun - her morning paper reporting the destruction caused "by some unknown force." She notices that a "mysterious glowing substance" had been found in the mangled remains of the tunnel - a very familiar glow... Lara grins as she concludes her breakfast... "Ugh! Cold tea! - but a piping hot trail."

SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES

After crawling through the tunnel debris, Lara finds a secret entrance to an underwater laboratory. Her competition for the Fifth Artifact seems to be well financed. The underwater loading docks must be for some sort of clandestine operation. Is this a government installation or a private enterprise? Lara knows of only one person with that kind of money ...

"IT'S A MADHOUSE... A MADHOUSE!"

Lara has become well acquainted with the Fifth Artifact and its terrifying powers. The quest should end now, but there are too many unanswered questions. Who's behind all of this? What were they planning to do with the Fifth Artifact? Why were the mutated prisoners being shipped to a closed down French zoo? Were there further experiments being carried on at the zoo? Just what kind of power does this Fifth Artifact have? All would doubtless become clear as Lara pulls herself ashore on a deserted French coast.