I really do not see how this is a “very bad map”, or why it is rated “crap” (as per the current editor's description and rating).

It is perhaps nothing special and has the markings of a beginner map, but it's perfectly fine for a quick round of Quake. It's very compact, but not overly cramped for the size. Progression is logical and weapon/ammo/health/monster balance is ok. Lighting is rather bright but not terrible, with some darker areas and flickering lights here and there. With the exception of some out-of-place medieval monsters, enemies are used fairly well. It's not particularly pretty, but not that ugly either. The gold key room has some nice creative touches, and the map contains a secret (with a charmingly modest message).

Crash is strangely also extremely dismissive of this map, but perhaps certain technical flaws were more of an issue back in 1997 than they are today on more forgiving modern hardware and engine ports.

To me, this is 3 for gameplay, 2 for looks, so 2.5 overall.

Not a terrible map but not a great map. It feels like there were some ideas here that just couldn't be pulled off with a lot of polish due to the map makers talent at the time or something to that effect but it's not as bad as I would've thought going in. However, this is a palace right? Where is the throne room!? Watch me play it here: Nozza's Palace on The Quake Grave

So this is interesting. The ugly tag is, in my oppinion, well-deserved because the use of geometry and texture is very rudimentary. There is also z-fighting and all those other hallmarks of a low-quality early years build.

But, having started from the worst map on quaddicted and worked my way up, I see for the first time all of the basic gameplay pieces coming into place. There is a layout with various rooms of appropriate proportion, keys that open doors, triggers that spring traps, a (not-so-secret) secret. I fell like you could take the entities in this map and build a more polished and interesting level geometry around them and you would have a small but satisfying little map. Thus, I rate this a 2/5.