arcextra1, Heretic Cathedral is simply what the name implies - a touched-up conversion of a Raven Software original. It looks somewhat cartoony due to the textures, yet retains an atmosphere and charm of its own. A quick, laid-back and enjoyable run.

arcextra2, Gateway to Earth reaches for higher standards designwise. A well-blended mixture of Wizard and Zerstörer styles, its angular, old-school and overlapping design is a must-see. High diversity in cleverly placed opposition, coupled with well-implemented vertical progression makes this one a joy to fight through.

Overall, another set of great maps from a seasoned author. Thanks Tronyn.

GREAT STUFF!!

really enjoyed this pak!

Not enough drake maps out there!

A mixed bag here. I found Heretic Cathedral (arcextra1) rather arbitrary and predictable, presumably because it's not an original creation. Perhaps the same reason lies behind its awkwardly garish aesthetics. It was enjoyable enough to blast through, but rarely very interesting.

But Gateway to Earth (arcextra2) is much better: a gloomy, creative, and (on Hard) very difficult partly-vertical progression through sewers and industrial areas. Monster placement makes this tricky -- you spend a lot of time being sniped at, and have to decide whether to burn ammo on taking out the partially concealed snipers or just run through the area, suck up the damage, and hope to encounter the snipers up close and personal later on. It's a war of attrition, but somehow a lot of fun.

Although GTE has fewer monsters than HC, it's a much bigger level, with far more progression and exploration. HC's numbers are rather inflated by lots of low-powered hordes, whereas each of the GTE monsters reall counts.

I'd score HC as a low 3, GTE as a high 4, and the pack as a whole just creeps into five-star territory.