The actual plot to the level is more of a story. Therefore, I felt that simply copying and pasting the whole thing would spoil some of the fun; not to mention add considerable length to the review. The plot is solid and without errors. The authors idea of setting the scene after Kyle's defeat of Jerec is, in my opinion, the cautious way out since you could pretty much have anything happen without fear of upsetting the established plotline. Then again, there is enough detail in the story for me to overlook that little tidbit.

When the level first came out in March of '98, it was heralded for having the best architecture in a sp level. I'll even go further and say that many people considered it the best sp level at the time of it's release. Nowadays, there are levels that have proven to be better, at least in the design. Now, for those of you might think that I should go easy because this level was released a while ago, let me say this: A good level not proves itself when it is first released, but also continues to prove itself long after its debut. Look at "Return to Bespin" and "Siege at Alderaan". Both of those levels are DF ones. However, both of them are still considered to be above average levels. The former is still among the top 10-20 levels at DF sites that still take the time to update. Those are examples of good levels. They have withstood the greatest test of all-the test of time. Getting back to this level, if you want to compare it with some of the other levels released around the same time, you will see why it was considered one of the great ones. Despite all of this though, by today's standards it lacks in certain areas, architecturally speaking. The caves were well detailed. Lots of slopes, and a good use of cleaving brought out a sense of naturalness. However, the Imperial base was not half as good, compared to the caves. After you work your way through the dam and jump into the lake, you are immediately treated with an exterior shot of the base: A giant Rectangle with no windows, balconies, or doorways. Only a catwalk along the roof proves that this is indeed an Imperial base and not some giant metallic thing. Inside Architecture was not much better. Boxes frequent every room, and only the cantina and the control room offered any kind of detail. The barracks area consisted of a small box with a bed in it, and others were not far off. Texturing was good in the caves, but over-used in the base. Although the caves were mostly texture, they had good detail to go with it. Also, the textures were changed at times so it wasn't completely monotonous. While the same texture might work in caves where it's actually necessary, this is not the case in an Imperial base. There were lots of different textures to choose from, but the author settled on a select few, and used them consistently. Needless to say, this got old real quick. It certainly didn't help make the last half of the level fun.

I was pleased with the consistency of the enemies. In the beginning parts where there were a lot of wide open spaces, the author did a good job of balancing the enemies on the lower, middle, and upper levels. However, once you start working your way into the base, the stormtroopers are replaced with Mailocs and other nasties. It was a good mix that added to the fun, and also added to the realism. You won't see Imperials hanging around in dark caves where a lot of natural predators are; At least, you won't see that in the movies. They're going to hang out by the major traffic areas or the places where the most activity is. Enemies were also well placed inside the base. Almost every room had an Imperial of some sort in it, but there weren't so many that walking into each room was a death trap. Items were placed a little too heavily, even on the hard difficulty setting. There's just enough to get by along the cliffs. However, once you locate the yellow key in the base, success is pretty much guaranteed, since you get access to an Amory room that has tons of weapons and health items in it. I think that the Armory room should have been toned down a bit, since it makes the rest of the level way too easy. Even for a level as old as this, there were enhancements; however, most of them aren't as obvious as some of the newer ones. There are new textures, which always a good thing (plus they fit in well with the rest of the level), new COG's, a massive 3DO, and some new WAV's (There are hard to hear, BTW, just like the author says). The most obvious feature is Mari's ship, but that wasn't added until the level was re-released with "Warzone 2". Overall, all of the features, no matter how small they might have been, were a welcome addition to the level.

The exterior scenes have some good use of shading, which helps bring out a certain darkness to the level. Some of my favorite scenes consisted of walking through the dim-lit caves, not knowing what around the next turn. Unfortunately, that all changed once I hit the base. Most of it consists of one degree of light. Even the lower levels had the same intensity as the control room. Whatever mood was established quickly died after running through the boxy, one-degree-of-light rooms. Only the cantina and the individual barrack cells had noticeable fluxes in the lighting section of the level. I also had some issues with the realism and setup of the level. For example, does anyone else feel that the base was way too small and constricted? I think the problem was that the author hindered himself by showing the entire base from the outside. This left him confined to whatever he had constructed on the outside. Next time, only show most of the base from the outside. That way, if you want to branch out, you have a means of doing so. Another thing was the lack of windows and overall detail of the base. I almost felt like I was buried under the ground rather than sitting in the middle of a lake. Not everything was bad though. This level has the only appropriate use of stormtroopers. Field troopers were located although the cliffs, and regular troopers were inside the base. It's a relatively simple concept that has yet to be implemented as well as this. Kudos for that at least. Gameplay wasn't much of an issue. If you want to enjoy the level to its fullest, and possibly avoid some nasty HOM's, then play this with a 3D accelerator. However, the reply value is still there if you don't have one. Once you figure out the puzzles though (not a challenging feat) then this level isn't much more then a 5 minute shoot-em-up, even on the higher difficulty settings. However, it is still fun to play every now and again. As far as bugs go, the author managed to fix- in his revised version- all except for one. On the catwalk that leads to the roof of the base, there is some minor clipping. It's nothing serious, but it should still be mentioned.

While this level hasn't withstood the test of time (it quickly dropped from being one of the best to just above average) it is still fun to play every now and again. If you are one of the few who hasn't played this level, then you should try it out. However, don't expect too much more from it after the first time.