Highland Fling

Highland Fling is the first level that is featured in The Lost Artifact.

The level begins just outside the gates of Dr. Willard’s property on the banks of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. A helicopter flies off, presumably after dropping off Lara, who then makes her way over the gates, into the lake and then climbs out at the dock near the entrance of Willard’s partially ruined castle.

The main objective of the level is to find two Thistle Stones, which serve as keys to open the gate into the next level. You need to explore the ruined parts of the castle and the nearby lakeside. There are many optional side quests for pickups and secrets, including one in which you get up close to the Loch Ness Monster and learn its secret.

A part of this level also forms the demo for The Lost Artifact. The truncated demo level includes the quest for only one Thistle Stone, the path to the other one being closed with a ‘Coming soon’ sign. There are other differences too, for example, missing secret rooms and pickups.