Quote:- 49 Cell (Dragon #1): This level is the third in a series of four levels from its original set that uses this matriced design for various squared cell amounts (25, 36, 49, and 64). The first two levels are also great, and the last one is still good but starts to feel a bit too large and complicated. But this one definitely hits the sweet spot with respect to size and the amount of complication. There’s plenty of places to go, but you never feel overwhelmed, and thankfully, there’s no way to get permanently stuck. The design also allows the level to accomplish what a CC1 level like Trinity did without the long, winding paths - and that is a plus as well, especially when the force floors are already defining a maze.
Heh...actually, there is a way to get stuck. When you go into the cell holding the red key, you have to escape through a recessed wall because you don't have the fire boots yet. If you go there again before getting the fire boots, you're cooked. (I actually included that there on purpose to see if the player is paying attention...
) Ironically, it's the only one of my "Cell" mazes where you can really get stuck in a cell (not counting bear traps or being careless with the block in 64, obviously.)Quote:7 - Subliminal - Not sure how I feel about the removing dirt from the fireball room. Even with trained eyes it took me a few attempts to get right, and as Ajmiam mentioned, that kind of monster timing is actually quite annoying. The tank trick was also a bit tricky and had me stumped. Besides those things I really enjoyed the elemental straightforward nature of this one too. We definitely need a lot more time here, as I screwed myself in the last block pushing section due to time pressure with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.I actually found this level problematic, but it wasn't because of the fireballs. Those were OK. Why? Because the timing is stricter than 50/50, it actually becomes easier in my opinion. This is because you can actually focus on the safe spot and follow it as it moves around, preparing to step on the dirt. By contrast, in 50/50 timing, you can only watch the monster and safe spot flicker back and forth very quickly, and it's hard not to get confused.
No, the real problem with this level was the tanks, as BigOto2 mentioned. The timing is strict, and I am pretty sure I pulled off the exact same sequence of moves on two consecutive attempts--succeeded on the first and failed (?!?) on the second.
I do have a few comments (not a detailed every-level review, sorry):
Cardboard 49: Teleport Time
This appears to be a lesson level for teleports. I applaud the use of the toggle walls, particularly the reuse of the middle path with different wall "polarities", but I don't like the fact that you teleport up into Davy Jones' Locker from the room on the right. I don't think we want beginners to be scared of teleports all through the set, do we? As such, it gets a -2 penalty
(subtract 2 stars from my current vote if the issue is not addressed).
Tungsten 26: Double Puzzle
Doublemaze as a Sokoban? Intimidating! This took me a while. At least I realized pretty quickly that all blocks were needed and transferring blocks from one puzzle to another is a no-no. It still took me a while and 2 separate playing sessions just to solve "Puzzle B", (the one on the tiles you DON'T start on) through a little logic and a lot of trial-and-error and missteps. It took me yet another playing session to solve "Puzzle A". Losing effectively half of your already-small view really hurts! In fact, I stopped to draw a map of Puzzle A as a "single puzzle" (i.e., no ice) because I was so confused. After making the map, the first few moves became evident, and the puzzle kind of solved itself from there. Despite taking a long time, solving this level was pretty satisfying! However, I'm concerned about voting it highly for CCLP1, since the sokobans ARE strict and claustraphobic, and I'm not sure if the beginners will have the idea to translate the sokobans to "single puzzle" maps.
Cardboard 32: Cubical
This one also initially confused me. I tried it blindly for just a few minutes, then resolved to come back and make a map when I had more time. And I'm glad I did, because after doing so, I sketched out a solution in 30 seconds! And boy, did it feel good to solve (even though I made an error executing the route and got myself trapped
). If there's any level that will teach new players the importance of taking notes and making maps (something I believe the MSCC help file may have explained, IIRC), this would be it. Despite its simple design, this level earns 
from me, random intentional-or-unintentional extra chip nonwithstanding.Vermillion 22: Thief, You've Taken All That Was Me
I actually played this level in TS0, gave up on it, and came back to finish it off when it reappeared in the Voting Pack. The concept of this level is really cool, and some of the puzzles are fun to work out. I especially liked the boot puzzle in the top-right--that was a little tricky but not too hard. Good difficulty. The fireball dodging in the top-left was very tame compared to the rest of the level.
However, the block puzzles were difficult. Especially the one in the bottom-right. Having such little space to maneuver the blocks and being limited in trips through the ice paths means there are plenty of chances to go wrong, and I still don't know how I managed to find the solution. Beginners might find it frustrating. At least the small space means you'll eventually eliminate most of the possibilities....
The puzzle in the bottom-left, on the other hand, doesn't require as much thought, but the correct choices of recessed walls are a little deceptive, and I cooked it twice, once after solving the bottom-right. Maybe just carelessness....
I think this level could make it into CCLP1's VERY late game (140s). But one annoying factor was having to redo the get boot-visit thief-get key errand after every single mess-up. Combined with the tough block puzzles, this level gets a less-than-perfect-but-still-good rating from me.