This is the walkthrough and video walkthrough for Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft. Find all the secrets and puzzle solving below. The video walkthrough was extracted from Youtube thanks to Tartancroft and the text walkthrough thanks to Stella.
1. Highland Fling | 2. Willard’s Lair | 3. Shakespeare Cliff | 4. Sleeping with the fishes | 5. It’s a madhouse! | 6. Reunion
3. Shakespeare Cliff
(NOTE: The regular pick-ups in this level will include the MP5 submachine gun, shotgun, Uzis and harpoon gun if you don’t have them already. Also, you may get one fewer kills on your final stats screen even if you do kill everything. This is noted in the section TRAIN WRECK ABOVE DEEP PIT.)
OUTDOOR AREA WITH CRATES:
Kill the gunman lurking behind the crates near the truck. Pick up some flares on top of the yellow crate between the starting position and the truck. Between the truck and the door in the far corner of this area is a movable box (it’s blue). Get between the truck and the box and push it once to get the Desert Eagle clips underneath. Also get some MP5 clips on the low cement ledge near the door.
INSIDE THE BUILDING:
Use the switch to open the door and go inside. The tunnel worker in the orange jumpsuit won’t attack Lara right away, but he’s not exactly friendly. He’ll go into the next room to get 2 buddies. Then the three will attack together when Lara comes in. So kill the first guy, then the other two, rather than all three at once. Get the small medipak near the bank of computers.
Find another movable blue crate in the inner room. Push the crate from the side toward the black grating. Pick up the shotgun shells underneath, then pull the crate back to its original position. Doing this opens the black grate so you can get into the room behind. Here you’ll find more shotgun shells and, if you climb behind the yellow boxes, a large medipak, which is secret #1.
Now find the ventilation ducts with horizontal slats to the left of the stairs. Shoot the slats with pistols to break them. Climb onto the ledge and wait for the fire traps to cycle off before running past each one.
DRILL SHAFT:
At the top of the stairs is an open hole with a huge drill above. Note the location of the ladder on the inside wall at the far side of the shaft. Go around to that side, position Lara with her chest against the outer wall and her back to the small gray plaque with the red lightning bolt on it. Then back flip onto the sloped ledge above the ladder. Hold the Action key to grab the edge. Now you need to climb down the ladder as quickly as you can to avoid the descending drill. Rapidly pressing and releasing the Action key will help Lara make a quick descent. Climb down only as far as the bottom of the blue area. Below that, there’s a fire trap. Wait for Lara’s legs to come back up onto the ladder before climbing over to the ledge on the left and dismounting. Stand close to the wall after letting go of the ladder to avoid being toasted by another fire trap on the ledge. When the flame abates, move to the other side of the ledge and pick up the MP5 clips. (NOTE: If you don’t yet have the MP5 SUBMACHINE GUN, you’ll get it here instead of the clips.)
EXHAUST FANS:
Wait for both drills to go past. Then take a running jump across the shaft to the opposite ledge, near the huge fan. Use the switch on the side of the metal block to open a trapdoor beyond the fan. Climb onto the block and climb into the crawlspace. Quickly crawl to the corner where Lara can stand and kill 2 rats. Use the switch to turn off two of the big fans. Pick up the small medipak. Then crawl to the end of the passageway opposite the switch, turn around and safety-drop to the floor.
Lara lands in a doorway. Instead of going down through it, turn left and climb into the hallway with the round “Euro Chunnel Ltd.” sign on the wall. Continue to one of the fans you just turned off. Climb onto the ledge to the right of the fan and shoot the vent with horizontal slats. Enter the passageway behind. Shoot the vent at the end and slide down to get some grenades.** Take a standing jump back up the slope to the passageway and return to the fan that’s not running. Go past it to the trapdoor you opened earlier. Slide backwards into the opening, grab the edge and drop to the walkway below.
IN THE TUNNELS:
Go around the corner behind the support pillar to get some flares. Then slide down the sloped wall ahead, or safety-drop from the ledge, taking care not to get too near the burning barrel. Cross the room and climb onto the metal ledge above the deep drill shaft. Take a running jump across the shaft to the other side. (You’ll hear a door opening farther on.)
If you wait at the right side of this ledge for a moment, you’ll get a nice, clear shot at the gunman in the doorway above on the left. Take him out, then hop down off the ledge, climb up onto the uneven cement ledge on the right, then hop back down and kill an orange-suited worker who comes over the ledge. Take his small medipak.
Climb over the ledge, go behind the support pillar and climb onto the walkway where the gunman was. Go up the ramp. Watch out for the fire trap at the top. When the flames abate, run through, then turn around. Take a diagonal standing jump onto the ledge on the right above the fire trap. Notice how the middle vent of the three on the wall has horizontal slats. Shoot this vent and go to the end of the short passageway behind it. Turn around and climb into the passageway above. Continue to a room with a grating floor above where you were earlier. Pick up a small medipak and shotgun shells. (NOTE: If you missed the SHOTGUN in the earlier levels, you’ll get it here instead of the shells.) Return down to the ramp near the fire trap.
Head to the left. (You’ll hear the yellow door closing at the bottom of the ramp where you entered.) Slide down the ramp onto a small ledge above the train tracks. A brief cut scene shows a large gate opening at the left end of the tracks.
THE TRACKS:
Hop down onto the tracks and quickly take a standing jump up the slope to the ledge near the yellow door to avoid the high-speed train. Now if you like, you can take a detour for a secret.
Run down the tracks to the right (i.e., where the gates opened; this is to the right if Lara’s back is to the yellow door). Stay close to the left side of the tunnel. You’ll notice a medipak on the tracks ahead and hear dramatic music just before another train emerges from the tunnel. When it gets close to Lara, just hug the left tunnel wall while running, and the train should miss Lara.
Pick up the large medipak. Then turn around and walk back along the tunnel to an opening on the right side. Take a standing jump up the slope to get inside. This is secret #2. Pick up a rocket and continue along the tunnel into a cave with an antique steam engine. Behind the engine you’ll find the ROCKET LAUNCHER (loaded with one rocket). Exit the way you came.
Return up the tracks to the yellow door. Use the switch to open it. It’s timed to close but the timer isn’t particularly fast. Enter and kill an orange-suited worker and another guy with a gun. One drops flares when he dies. You’ll also find the QUAD BIKE behind the yellow boxes.
(NOTE: If you’re new to TR3 or need a quad bike refresher course, see the Vehicles section of my Controls page.)
Get on the quad bike and ride up the ramps clockwise beginning near the yellow door. Line up a straight run from this room over the tracks to the opposite opening. Use turbo to jump the tracks (another high-speed train goes past) and speed on across the deep pit lined with toxic goo. At the top of the ramp beyond the pit, cut sharply to the right to avoid going over the edge into another pit. Once you’ve reached this area, carefully turn the bike so the fenced opening is be behind Lara. Line up a jump across the second pit using the right edge of the uneven cement ledge as a ramp. Use turbo to jump to the opening beyond. Keep on going into the next area. Run over the orange-suited worker on the right side of the train, or dismount and shoot him.
(NOTE: I found that when I ran over this guy it wasn’t counted as an official kill on the stats screen. Other roadkills did count, however.)
TRAIN WRECK ABOVE DEEP PIT:
If you like, you can explore the area near the engine of the wrecked train now. (You’ll be returning here to get a secret, so you can do this later if you like.) The machine off to the left of the train engine has a switch to turn it on. For whatever odd reason, this opens one of the portable toilet doors around the corner. To get to the toilets walk along the left side of the train (i.e., left when facing the nose), then go left, skirting the rim of the pit.
For whatever even odder reason, the toilet you just opened contains a mainframe computer. Lara says “No” when you try to use it, indicating that you’re missing a necessary item. The other two toilets open when you approach. The one on the left contains shotgun shells. The one on the right more shells and a worker who probably never expected this piss would be his last.
Now, if you want to, you can get one more pick-up before descending. (Or, wait until you return later in the process of getting the last secret.) Go around the train to the right side (when facing the pit). Climb over the yellow ledge onto a gray ledge at the edge of the pit. Draw a weapon (the shotgun works well here) and take a diagonal standing jump over to the next ledge on the right. Try to kill the orange-suited worker before he reaches the barrel and sets it on fire. Then climb onto the ledge behind the barrel to get a rocket. If the worker does ignite the barrel, you can still get the rocket, either by carefully climbing onto the ledge at its left edge, taking some heat damage, or by waiting until you pass this way again later in the level.
Now it’s time to explore down in the pit. You can do this on foot or on the quad bike. I’ve described the action on the quad bike in this walkthrough. (I may include notes for walking later on.)
DESCENDING ON THE QUAD BIKE:
Position the quad bike at the base of the brown ramp on the right side of the wrecked train engine. Jump the bike up onto the train. Don’t use turbo—you don’t need it—and as soon as you land the bike on top of the train, cut to the right and brake to keep from going over the edge. Line up a jump along the top of the train (right side) across the pit to the tunnel opening on the other side. You need a good run-up, but there’s no need to use turbo. When you ride up the uneven ledges into the opening, veer into the tunnel on the right to avoid the flaming barrel on the ledge ahead.
If you like a challenge, you can now go through a lot of contortions to get a single set of Uzi clips. It may be worthwhile if you don’t yet have the UZIS themselves, since you can get them here in addition to the clips. Position the quad bike pointing diagonally up the rocky hill at the right side of the opening above the pit. The flaming barrel is behind Lara on the right. Run up the rocks, cutting sharply to the right at the top to land on the corner ledge below. Dismount and pick up the guns. Then carefully turn the bike around to face the opening you came from. Run up the rocky ledge and cut to the left to clear the peak. Then quickly turn right again to stop from crashing into the flaming barrel.
Drive down through the tunnel, making a U-turn at the bottom. You’ll hear some dramatic music and see a sniper running past the fenced opening. Dismount and walk out onto the jutting ledge to get a small medipak. Get back on the bike and race along that jutting ledge to jump to the ledge in the opposite corner of the pit. (Turbo isn’t necessary if you get a running start.) Turn left and drive carefully along the rocky shelf along the rim of the pit. Dismount behind the support beam and shoot 2 snipers—one on a ledge above the sloped rim of the pit, the other (the same one you saw running out when you drove down through the tunnel) in the doorway opposite.
Pick up some flares on the ground near where you stopped the bike. Then get back on the bike and continue along the sloped, brown rim of the pit to the doorway in the opposite corner (i.e., the door at the right end of the cement ledge at the base of the blue support pillars).
Once inside this room, dismount and pick up 2 sets of MP5 clips, one near the dead sniper and one on the stairs. Kill the 2 rats that sneak up the stairs when you pick up the second set of clips. And, if you like, go back out onto the cement ledge to shoot another sniper down below across the pit. (Or save your ammo and wait to run him over.) Get back on the bike and drive down into the hole next to the stairs. It’s quite a drop, but Lara will be all right. Note the medipak and machines behind the fence. You’ll get there soon.
For now, go into the tunnel. If you go on foot, an orange-suited worker appears and the barrel ignites. If you stay on the quad bike, neither of these things happen. Once you’re inside the tunnel near the barrel, you can dismount to kill that sniper across the way if you didn’t do so already. Or, jump the gap and run him over. (The worker won’t appear if you get off the bike after driving into the tunnel.) To jump the gap, start at the slight hump just beyond the barrel. Use turbo to rev the engine then take off.
Dismount on the other side and go into the room on the right to get a pair of grenades. Come back to the quad bike and pull the switch on the orange support column to open a gate across the pit.
(NOTE: If after getting the grenades you go up the ramp and slide back down into the tunnel with the barrel, you can still get back to the other side. Face the pit and walk to the left side of the opening. Beyond some uneven rocks is a small, flat ledge. Slide down onto it then take a running jump to the walkway with the key card.)
Pick up the DRILL ACTIVATOR CARD before jumping across the gap and riding through the gate you just opened.
Inside the room beyond the gate is an alcove with a small medipak (the one you could see through the fence from the bottom of the pit near the stairs). Get it, go through the room with the burning barrel and climb into the opening onto the metal walkway. Kill 2 tunnel workers and take a small medipak and flares from the bodies.
TUNNEL-BORING MACHINE:
Go to the right end of the tunnel behind the machine. You’ll find some Uzi clips behind one of the portable toilets. Take them and climb on top of the toilet to kill the 3 rats that come out to nibble on Lara.
Climb onto the back of the tunnel-boring machine and use the switch to turn it on. This also opens a trapdoor where the metal walkway crosses the machine. Drop in here and use the DRILL ACTIVATOR CARD in the white card reader on the wall. Climb out and go to the front of the drill. You’ll see it has dug out a section of tunnel, revealing an opening in the ground. Slide down inside this tunnel, kill a couple of rats, and use the switch. Walk out to the gate you just opened and take a running jump to grab the opening on the other side of the pit. Pull up and take the PUMP ACCESS DISK.
The cut scene shows the portable toilets at the top of the pit. This should give you a clue as to where to go next. If you aren’t interested in the last secret, just continue along this hallway to end the level.
If you want the secret, plus a few other pick-ups along the way, turn around and take a running jump across the pit to grab the ladder on the blue support pillar. Climb to the top.
(NOTE: It’s possible to climb down and carefully retrieve the harpoons in the pit by jumping over the toxic areas. But you’ll be able to get these much more easily later.)
BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PIT:
Take a standing jump from the ledge at the top of the ladder to the tunnel on the left. Go through the tunnel to the bottom of the pit with ladder and climb to the stairs above. Exit through the opening at the top of the stairs onto the cement ledge. Climb the blue ladder at the left end of the ledge (i.e., left when facing the ladder). Near the top, climb to the right then to the top.
If you haven’t already picked up the rocket in the small alcove to the left, do that now. Then go cautiously to the right end of the walkway. If the orange-suited worker here is still alive, he’ll try to ignite the barrel below the ledge. Either shoot him before he can do this, or kill him then jump carefully over the burning barrel at the right side. Go to the far right corner of this area and jump to the ledge next to the wrecked train engine. Climb up and go around (or over) the engine to the portable toilets.
Go into the portable toilet on the left. (If you didn’t open the door earlier, do this now using the switch on the machine next to the train engine.) Use the PUMP ACCESS DISK in the computer next to the toilet to turn on the pumps and fill the pit with water. FLUSH!!
(NOTE: If you didn’t explore here earlier, approach the other two toilets, which open automatically. Kill a worker and get 2 boxes of shotgun shells.)
POOL AND SECRET CAVERN:
Walk out to the rim of the pit and jump into the water below. A swan dive is fun here: Hold Walk and press Forward + Jump. Lara can do two somersaults if you press the Roll key on the way down. Pick up 3 bunches of harpoons from the bottom of the pool. Get air if you need to, then swim through the underwater cave, picking up more harpoons on the way. (NOTE: If you don’t yet have the HARPOON GUN, you’ll get it here instead of the fourth bundle of harpoons.)
Surface and climb out onto a narrow walkway. This is secret #3 Walk carefully up the path. Take care not to fall into the lava pits. At the end take a diagonal standing jump to the left to the next ledge. Jump up the slope. Now, either take a carefully aimed standing jump down to the small, triangular ledge on the left at the base of the ramp, or slide down the ramp and jump forward to grab the corner ledge. Or, slide backwards down the ramp and grab the end. Then, while continuing to hold the Action key, pull up and press Jump + Roll to make Lara jump off the ramp, turn in the air and grab the ledge behind her, and pull up. Use whichever method you prefer.
Kill the pteranodon that flies in from the left. (So they’re extinct. . . maybe even the scientific find of the millennium. A girl’s got to defend herself.)
Take a standing jump to the next ledge (or if you jumped to the triangular ledge at the base of the ramp, just run onto the next ledge at the inside corner). From there take a running jump to the wide ledge beyond that. Take a running jump to the corner ledge and turn around to shoot another pteranodon. (Stand Lara near the wall so it doesn’t knock her off the edge.) Turn back to face the wall and position Lara against it. Jump up and grab the edge of the slope. Traverse to the left above the lava pit not quite to the other end of the wall. When Lara is two squares away from the opposite ledge (just past a small, triangular texture with veins of red in it) pull up and immediately press Jump to back flip onto a ledge behind her.
Pick up a large medipak, turn around and follow the short path toward the center of the cave, where there’s another lava pit. Turn right and note another large medipak on the next ledge. Wait for a pteranodon to fly up from behind the medipak. Kill it. Then jump over to the medipak. Turn around and shoot another pteranodon that flies in from behind. Then take the medipak. (I found it best to kill these guys one at a time. Otherwise they mob Lara and knock her off the ledge. If you fall in the water, reload or make the circuit around the lava chasm again.)
Jump into the water and swim back to the pool at the bottom of the pit. Go through the passageway above on the left, which is now underwater, to finish the level.