Surface Tension (4.11)

Our next level is mainly going to be based around the surface of the Black
Mesa facility, so prepare to face numerous human soldiers, and
their "creative" weapons of mass destruction. Start off by going through the
door, and you'll have 2 soldiers around the corners of the door. There will
also be a few in the distance behind the wooden boxes. Move forward to the dam
up ahead. You will start to hear an attack helicopter in the background.
There's also a mortar cannon as well. Quickly sprint and dive into the pool of
water on the right side of the dam. There will be a giant alien fish in the
corner that will start to make its way towards you, but not reach you yet.
Swim to the ladder and climb it to reach the top of the guard tower. Go around
and enter it. Hit the button to turn off the turbines. Recharge your health if
necessary, and look out the door. Now, dive back into the water. Be careful
though as the fish creature has probably caught up to you by now. You may have
to use your crossbow to rid of him. Swim to the bottom near the dam, and turn
the valve just far enough so you can swim through the tunnels. Swim through
the tunnels (thanks to the Turbines being turned off). On the other side, keep
swimming down the river.

Climb the ladder at the far end, and crawl through the vents. Go right once
you reach the clearing and climb the next ladder. Go around the corner, and
climb that ladder. Now that you're on the top, approach the wired fence. Go in
the little inlet hole to your left. Meanwhile, that helicopter will be chasing
you. Be weary of its missile attacks, and machine gun spit fires. In the next
clearing will be 4 soldiers, based around the camo tent and behind some rocks.
Rid of them, and go into the small tower. Rotate the valve, then go left near
the sign. Crawl into the small inlet and go down the narrow path. A headcrab
will try to ambush you from the sand below. Stick to the right side of this
opening since the area is mined. Crawl under the small shelter inlet, then
peak your head out to catch the chopper's attention. Move back in, and it
should launch two missiles down where you were. They'll hit and destroy the
mines protecting the sewer grate. Now, run over onto the hill next to the
sewer grate, and leap down the sewer grate shaft. Climb down.

Smash the cover on the vent, and crawl through to the end. At the opening,
pick out an accurate weapon, and take down the turret to your right. There
will also be a soldier below you, and a little to the right. Drop down via the
left stone hedges, and move past the tower pipe along the way. Slide down the
green pipe to a roof, then jump down to ground level. If you proceed
backwards, you'll be able to find a lone power unit. Move ahead, and check the
right inlet for a soldier. Once he's down, proceed inside, and the door will
open to reveal an armory. Equip up, and ensure that you pick up the RPG. You
will then hear a chopper coming down towards the cliff. Pull out the RPG, and
make sure the red dot is on. This is basically a tracking dot, which is
exactly where the rocket will go. Wait for the chopper to come down, and fire
a missile at it. Fire one more rocket, and the chopper should go down.

Now that the annoying machine is dead, climb the ladder to your right, and
proceed up the canyon via a series of walkways and stairs. When you reach the
top, crawl in the pipe. Crawl until you reach a T in the path of piping. Go
right, and crawl into the water. Be silent, and crawl to the forward pipe you
see. Ingore the first one to your right. Jump and crawl through this straight
pipe, and it'll take you to a spot slightly behind a tank up above. Quickly
look to your left and take out the lone guard. Thankfully, because you are
behind the tank, it can't rotate its turret far enough to hit you. While this
happens, run over to the garage and pick up any ammo or health you need. Some
soldiers from the front will come behind the tank. Take them out as you go.
You can destroy the tank turret with about 4 direct hits from an RPG. There is
some rocket ammo nearby in case you run low. After you've finished off the
soldiers and tank, go out front, and look near the small bunker booth. Hit the
button next to the structure to open the gate.

Proceed through and you'll see a bunch of boxes. About halfway down, a large
RPG tank will start firing at you. Dodge the rockets and launch some
explosives yourself. Toss a few grenades when you run low. The RPG tank will
go down after a few hits as well. Once it's destroyed, jump in the hole along
the right wall, and take out the two guards by the camo tent. You may then re-
equip your health, ammo, and hazard suit armor. Go back out the hole, and leap
over the sandbags near the blown-up tank. Go through the gray doors up ahead.
Up ahead, the aliens will start to launch an aerial assault on your compound.
Watch out for the large creature to your left. Move to the right, and watch
out for the trip mines in the narrow quarters. After you pass an area with a
small dip of stairs, look to your upper right. You will see a dark hole with
some camo. Toss a grenade up there to rid of a sniper. Pick up the dying
security guard's shotgun, and continue up ahead. You will see a mines sign.
Now, pull out the shotgun, and start shooting the ground in spread out bursts.
Mines should be detonated thanks to the wide blast radius of the gun. You may
also toss a grenade in clustered areas to take out multiple mines, rather than
shooting multiple times. When you see a wooden cross-section near a fence,
look to your upper right for another sniper hole. Nade that one too.

Jump on the wooden cross-section, then jump over the fence. Shoot the barrels
next to the green generators to have them destroy them. Now electricity will
not be flowing in the metal towers. Scale up the one tower, and leap onto the
vent to your left. Jump over to the hole and drop down.

   *A scientist in the small room will warn you to proceed with caution. The
    soldiers really locked down the room ahead with LOTS of trip mines.*

Go out the door, and make your way past the first two mines. Take the first
left right before the corner, and jump onto these boxes. Make your way to the
center room with the elevator and two large rockets above. Here comes the
tricky part. Go the upper right corner of the room, where the small stairs
are, and a locked door. Leap onto the stairs railing, jump to the nearby box,
then make your way to the barrel next to the elevator. Jump out and over the
elevator. Go to the upper left corner of the room, and crouch under the laser.
Walk up to the control room, and kill the headcrab. Walk over to the button,
and look to your left for a tall box. Shoot and destroy the box, THEN hit the
button. The elevator will rise. Now, drop down to the main floor, and push a
wooden box under the newly risen elevator. Go back to the control room, and
hit the button. Because the box is under the elevator, it will jam it from
coming down. This helps because the main elevator in the room was
malfunctioning, and the new jammed elevator will allow you to go down on the
central elevator. If you're having trouble finding a box to move, simply plant
a trip mine pointing upward directly under the elevator to jam it as well. You
can find a trip mine inside one of the boxes in the room.

After you jam the elevator, leap onto the central elevator, and hit the button
to go down. Grab some ammo from the nearby boxes. If you move ahead, a
security guard will come running towards you for help. Kill the 3 soldiers
chasing him directly behind him. Pick up the bee bug gun as well. This gun has
unlimited ammo as the bugs regenerate. You can launch them in homing or
straight path patterns. Go through the tunnel, and destroy the turret in the
back of the first truck you encounter. Go up and outside of the tunnel.
Suddenly, an alien dropship will let down a huge army of bee aliens. However,
move back, and an F18 will drop bombs on them. Now, equip the Gauss Cannon you
got from before, and move up. An tank will be revealed from behind the boxes
in a nearby tunnel. Since you're either low or out of rockets, charge up the
Gauss Cannon, and launch a blow directly on the turret. It should blow it
away. Now, continue to the right of the tank.

Once you reach the alley, look to your upper left, and nade the sniper nest to
take out a soldier. Move halfway down the alley and take a right. Kill the two
soldiers in the room, then proceed upstairs. Have the security guard follow
you, and lead him to the nearby door. He will open it for you. Re-equip
yourself in the armory room with explosive weapons, experimental ammo, and a
plethora of items. Now, go back out of this room, and look for a nearby window
on the second floor. Smash through it, stand on the ledge, and make your way
around the corner. Jump to the green transformer, then proceed up the ladders
on the walkways. You'll now be in a congested and mangled room. Below are
three soldiers at various positions. Take them out with the crossbow or
revolver. Jump across the ledgeways until you can reach the small platform on
the other side of the room. Run through and proceed to the large wide-open
field.

   *When you reach the new area, you will hear a chopper-like aircraft in the
    background. This is definitely not good news.*

Quickly sprint to the right, and the large double doors will explode. Take
care of the bee creatures that march out, then proceed right down the
alleyway. Go to the right corner, jump on the green boxes, and boost your way
up to the second floor. Now, get behind the artillery gun, and aim at the
double doors in the center of the field. Blast away the door with 2-3 shots.
If any enemies approach you, take them out with the artillery gun as well.
Now, go through the main bi-door which has just been breached. In the next
area, jump behind the mounted MG, and start firing away at the spawning ray
shooters. There will be about 20 in total, but thanks to the gun, they will be
quickly-made toast. Go ahead and use the bouncy Xen pad to reach the high
platform. Go right, and you will witness a battle between some aliens and
soldiers. Shoot the vent in the lower right and crawl through. Up ahead, the
wall will fall down to reveal several mini-bugs charging at you. Quickly pelt
them down and pick up the Xen bugs as ammo. These nasty creatures can pack a
punch. Move up ahead, and you'll hear a conversation between some marines
believing that they just heard something.

They will then start to shoot through the vents in a rapid pattern. Quickly
retreat back from the shots, and watch out for some of the metal casing to
fall off. Take out the two marines below, then drop down into the tank garage.
Recharge your status, then go through the door. Watch out for the grenades,
and quickly retreat back. Explosives will block the doorway. There will also
be a hole in the nearby wall. Go up to the left hanging switch, and hit it to
lower the lift. Hit it again, jump on it, and it should rise to an elevated
position. Leap through the hole and take out the pesky duo of soldiers. Now,
man the artillery gun and blast away the door. Now, about 5 bee creatures will
start to march towards the breached door; keep blasting them away with the
artillery gun. Once the doorway is clear, run through. In the next room, a
tank will burst through the wall, and soldiers will begin to engage the
aliens. While this is going on, move ahead across the railing, and leap over
the gap. Go through the door, then move right. A marine will come flying
through the wall. Kill the bee creature, then go ahead to the open area. There
will be yet another pursuing battle. Drop down to ground level, then use the
alien pad to the left to boost to the roof. Break the vent cover, and drop
into the water. Move ahead in the pipe, and suddenly a soldier will toss a
satchel charge in. QUICKLY sprint back and dive back into the far wall of the
water room. Crouch and wait for the fire to dissipate.

Crawl back through and take out the lone marine. In this room will be several
headcrabs to worry about. Climb across the pipe near the middle portion of the
room, and rotate the valve. A ladder hatch should open up. Climb up the
ladder. Crawl through the narrow crevice, and at the other end, kill the
soldier to your right. Go right, and kill the other marine. Recharge your
health, and make your way upstairs.

   *A lone security guard will tell you to freeze, but soon realize that you're
    Gordon Freeman.*

Get the guard to follow you all the way downstairs, and lead him to a locked
computer door. He should enable the terminal to unlock the door. Continue to
lure the guard with you down to the checkpoint stop gate. Lure him to the
ticket booth, and he will open that door too. Proceed through. Move ahead into
the parking garage. If you look to your left, you will see an innocent marine
get crushed to death by a sliding vehicle. The vehicle was actually tossed by
a gigantic alien creature. Shoot the creature to get its attention, and lure
it after you. Make sure it follows you, and continue right weaving back and
forth. When you reach the solid wall, use the alien jump pad, and leap up to
the right tower. On top, you should see a mounted grid map, along with a
radio, and dead marine body. Here comes the tricky part. You will receive a
message saying that the government is going to lay down airstrikes on the
Black Mesa compound, in order to cut down on their losses. He tells Cooper
(although he's dead) to mark targets for airstrikes, or get the heck out of
there before all chaos breaks loose. In order to get past this part, you must
destroy the following targets. The process is simple. You can adjust the
horizontal and vertical targeting beams by holding down the use key on the
specific adjustment keys. Once both are aligned and overlap each other, the
overlapping area is where the airstrike will hit. Remember that the alien
should have burst through the gate if you lead him to the destination
correctly:

   [1] - Kill the ALIEN beast           [2] - Destroy a solid wall
 
   _______________________            __________________________
  |             |                                 |          |               |                                   |
  |             |                                 |          |_______X_________________|
  |             |                                 |          |               |                                   |
  |             |                                 |          |               |                                   |
  |             |                                 |          |               |                                   |
  |______X________________|          |               |                                   |
  |             |                                 |          |               |                                   |
  |             |                                 |          |               |                                   |
  |______|_________________|          |________|_________________|


   [3] - Destroy a tower for a boost    [4] - Destroy exit door
   _______________________            __________________________
  |                            |                |          |_X________________________|
  |                            |                |          |   |                                                 |
  |                            |                |          |   |                                                 |
  |______________X_______|          |   |                                                 |
  |                            |                |          |   |                                                 |
  |                            |                |          |   |                                                 |
  |                            |                |          |   |                                                 |
  |                            |                |          |   |                                                 |
  |______________|________|          |__|________________________|

- After completing all 4 tasks, run down, and use the destroyed tower for a
boost to reach across the gapping moat. You may also leap through the hole in
the concrete wall because you destroyed that too. The exit door should be
burst open as well thanks to your well-planned targeting. Move on up ahead.
The entire compound will start to be flooded with numerous airstrikes. Go into
the door up ahead to reach the next area.

 _____________________________
/Forget about Freeman! (4.12)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This next area will mainly take part in an underground facility leading to the
Lambda labs. Along the way, you will be dealing with threats of foreign
aliens, and airstrikes from above. Start off by going through the tunnel, and
the ceiling panels will start to crumble. Avoid them (they will usually darken
before falling below), jump to the road to your right, and wait till the
rumbling starts. Boost yourself on top of the rocks, and crawl through to the
next area.

   *You will overhear a radio conversation saying that soldiers are cutting
    their losses, and that they should forget about Freeman. There are bigger
    problems to deal with.*

Kill the nearby turret, then hit the lever on the wall. Get the nearby
security guard to follow you, and take out the 2 bee creatures up ahead. Go to
the stop sign gate, and a few aliens will spawn behind you. This next part can
be a tad tricky. You can shoot the webbings to clear out a path through the
tunnels. However, avoid shooting the nests, or coming in contact with their
lasers. If destroyed, the nests will release several minute alien bugs that
swarm at you. They're fairly hard to kill because of their tiny size. Go left,
and then go left up the stairs. The Glock tends to work well on the mini-bugs.
Use the health recharger on the wall, then go back down. If you need some
rocket launcher ammo, continue past the webbing to your left, and you'll find
some in a small gated room along the left wall. Otherwise, go back, and go
right from the main "T" in the tunnel. Around the corner will be 2 ray
shooters. Wait till they approach the explosives box, and shoot the box for an
easy kill. Go up, and look across the railing. There's a nest. Destroy it,
along with the creatures, then rotate the valve next to it in order to open
the hatch.

Climb down the ladder. Kill the headcrab below, then make sure to avoid the
red laser (unless you want to activate some tasty turrets). Watch for a
headcrab to your right around the corner. Leap across the small stream, and
push the blue box into the second stream. It will float, and drift downstream
against a small black metal grating. Now, leap on top of the box, and then use
that to boost over the grating to the other side. Swim ahead, and proceed
right. Move straight, then make a right at the narrow "T". Crouch crawl
through the rotating cog, and swim under the hot steaming flames. Swim past
the right cog, jump up, and eliminate the lone guard. Grab some of the ammo,
then climb the ladder, and rid of the two other guards in the open area. To
your left behind the blocked view of the protruding rocks is a tank. You can
actually sprint behind it, and not even waste any ammo attempting to destroy
it. Be careful though as there is a rotating MG near the front of the tank. Go
up to the elevator, and hit the button to bring it up. Go down, and on the
next level, leap over the radiation seeps along the floor.

There's a power unit to your left. Move right and kill the 2 soldiers around
the corner. Go right, and there will be a medpack in the box, along with a
power unit farther right. Go left up the stairs, and you will witness another
battle between soldiers and aliens below. Jump onto the tank, and this neat
vehicle has two functions. The green control panel will launch a tank shell
(which is necessary to blow away the door to the following area, along with
killing tough creatures). Also, the side MG can be controlled to take down
individual targets. Take out the remaining enemies with the MG, and ensure
that you blow down the door. Go through where the new door was. At this cross-
section, there will be aliens to your left and right. To your left, take out
the plasma turret with your Gauss Cannon, and rid of the bee creatures on both
sides. Go left, and hit the control pad to open up the doorway to the Lambda
Core.

 ____________________________
/Lambda Core (4.13)         /
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Start off by going right to the nearby control console. Hit the button to
start the elevator decline, and leap onto the large platform with the green
truck. After it lowers to the bottom, kill the 5 headcrabs and poison spitter
at the bottom. Go to the left ladder, and climb it to find some rechargers
along with ammo. Go through the upper door, and a dead scientist should be up
ahead. Go through the door, and there will be roughly around 4 assassins to
deal with in this room. I used MP5 grenades and the gauss cannon to take them
out. Go right, and smash all of the wooden boxes to reveal stairs that lead to
the second level. Go upstairs, and cross the catwalk. Take the indented halls,
and proceed left. You can recharge your health and armor by going down the set
of stairs. Go back up, and take the halls all the way to the rightmost part.
Hit the button at the end, and go down the next elevator. Walk into the tunnel
with the barrels, and proceed ahead. A bee creature will suddenly clamp the
door open. Take him out, and use the barrels to cause for a slightly potent
blast on your opponents. There are 4 creatures in total. Go into the room, and
onto the right ladder. In the next area, go right into the Test Fire Chamber.

   *The scientist will inform you that he developed an advanced weapon called
    the Gluon Gun. Unfortunately, he has never had the nerve to test it on
    living specimens. However, seeing your current condition, he hands it over
    to you to assist you on your journey. The Gluon Gun is basically a powerful
    rail-like gun that sends out a continuous laser (when held down), which
    warps and disrupts the genetical code of the victim. They're basically
    warped into nothing. It eats up the same ammo as the Gauss Cannon, but is
    the most powerful weapon in the game.*

You can test it on the specimens in each of the two targeting ranges. Make
sure to grab the ammo on the shelves, then head out. Go left, and enter the
Coolant System. Proceed down the elevator, and you will now be at the Core.
There will be a ton of enemies to deal with. Go left, and make another left.
Go right at the Maintenance Station Access door, and have the security guard
around the corner follow you. Proceed down stairs, and enter the door.

   *The scientist will greet you, however, he has some bad news. The Core
    reactor must be engaged so that the scientists up in the teleportation
    chambers will have power. You must first drain the reactor by turning
    on the two pumps, then access it via a small ventilation shaft. That
    should help both the scientists, and give you access to the upper
    areas of the labs.*

Recharge your status via the nearby chargers, and make sure you pick up the
spare ammo. Head back up stairs, and go to the main room. Go down the side
walkways, and head along the left side until you reach an area called Coolant
System 1. Along the way, you will encounter bee creatures, ray shooters, and
headcrabs. Climb the ladder, and go through the next door. Climb down to the
lab, battle the nearby aliens, and hit the switch to turn on Pump 01. Go back
to the main room, but this time, head along the right side to Coolant System
2. Along the way, one of the walls will fall and shatter. Avoid it, then crawl
through. Inside the door, you will find a few bee creatures and ropers. Climb
the ladder and watch for a broken gap in the railing. Go through the door to
Pump 02, and rotate the valve. Crawl through the small hole, kill the crabs,
and hit the switch. Run back to the main room, then head to the "T" where you
first went to meet the scientist. This time, go left into the Auxiliary Access
Station.

Jump into the water pit, and swim in the small narrow shaft. At the other end,
catch a breath, then swim through. Dive back down, and rotate both valves
along the wall to flood the reactor. Once it reaches the peak, climb up to the
dry ground. Climb the ladders, but be careful as lasers will be spurting out
in various directions from the reactor core. You will have to avoid these
(some rotate in spiral patterns). When you reach the top, go through the door.
Around the corner you will find a supply room. Go up the next elevator, then
climb the ladder, and leap off through the jammed doorway. Go right into the
supply room, then head out left. You can recharge your health along the way.
If you go into the left room, you will find the G-man standing in one of the
control consoles. Head back out, and proceed down the hall. Take out the
aliens that spawn along the way. The valve in the middle actually turns on
some steam flames about a quarter of the way down the hall. Lure the bee
creatures and various aliens around the corner to follow you. Then, turn the
valve to turn on these flames so that you can save some ammo.

Turn off the valve when you're finished, and head around the corner. Now, look
for the door on the right, and head on through. In this room, you will have a
nice view of the portal rotating in the center. There will also be a dark
green portal, and a lighter green portal next to you. Step on the lighter
green portal to get warped to the center. You should land on the first level
of the rotating platforms. If you messed up, just time your warp again. Here
comes the tricky part. As you rotate around the core, each side of the reactor
has a Portal # on it. Each portal # will warp you to individual places on the
level. Some of the warps are benefitting to the player, while others are
depreciating. This is what each portal does:

   ))- #1 --> Warps to a room filled with headcrabs
  
   ))- #2 --> Takes you up one level in the reactor [REQUIRED]

   ))- #3 --> Takes you to a supply room

   ))- #4 --> Takes you up one level                [REQUIRED]

   ))- #5 --> Drops you into a room with 3 scientists

   ))- #6 --> Warps into a massive radioactive damage fall

   ))- #7 --> Takes you to the next area            [REQUIRED]

   ))- #8 --> Loads you to an area with extra ammo

   ))- #9 --> Kills you in a warping malfunction

Basically, the correct order is:

     #2, #4, then #7

However, in order to reach the higher levels, jump into these portals when
there is a platform ABOVE you. Sometimes if you miss a platform rotating above
you, and you leap in too soon or too late, then you will miss the platform,
and plummet to the bottom. After you've done this, you will be warped to the
actual secret warp.

Up ahead will be about two rings of rotating platforms, with a center walkway
rising up and down. Below is radioactive material that will kill you if you
touch it. The outer ring rotates into solid walls which will push you into the
radiation, so be quick on the outer ring. Make your way to the middle rising
platform, then leap to the two outer switches in this room. Hit them both to
open the portal doors to the center warp. Leap into the center warp, and you
will be tossed inside a room. DO NOT go into the portal in this room. Instead,
go out the two doors to your right. Go left, and climb the ladder. Leap out to
make your way to level A of the facility. Go up ahead, and a scientist will
open the secure door for you. You've reached the most secure section of the
Lambda Core. The remaining scientists have barricaded themselves up in this
place as it is the only way to reach the alien planet of Xen.

   *The scientist will brief you, telling you that there is a massive being
    on Xen who is acting as the link between Earth and the alien planet.
    You must kill this creature to stop the portal. His fellow colleague
    will be at the main controls for the portal that will take you to the
    planet. He will also show you some new technology you haven't seen
    before. Because of Xen's lighter gravitational field, leaping will be
    much less restricted. A new long-jump training suit allows you to have
    a quicker long jump that extends your jumping heights. Practice with
    it by pressing the crouch + jump buttons at the same time. Finally,
    the scientist will tell you to equip up, then proceed to the warp room
    where you will be warped to the planet by yourself.*

Make sure you grab the orange suit, along with the ammo in the armory
stations. Go ahead through the halls until you reach a large room with a giant
cylinder near the center.

   *The scientist will be on a tall platform up above. He says that once he
    starts the portal process, he must continue uninteruppted, and you cannot
    jump into the portal until he says so.*

You'll have about 30 seconds before he starts charging up the portal. Go
across the room, and climb the ladder to the elevated section. Once the portal
starts to charge up, Xen flying aliens will warp through. I found it best to
use the Gauss Cannon, and shoot them down with charged shots. If the scientist
is killed, or he messes up, you will die, so make sure you save before doing
this part of the level. Basically, keep shooting down the aliens until he
tells you to get into position. Wait for his trigger sentence telling you to
jump through, and don't wait too long, otherwise the portal rift will close.
When you leap through, prepare for one long journey to an alien universe.

 ___________
/Xen (4.14)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Welcome to the alien world of whirling sounds, freakish objects, and warped
dimensions. Gordon will end up landing on a platform. Start long jumping your
way down each platform, and then jump on the roof of the floating circular
object. Drop down one level, and watch out for the blue hanging turrets. These
defenses cannot be destroyed, although you can quickly long jump through them.
The nearby water pool on the ground will recharge your health naturally. Look
for a slight indentation along the inner wall with some webbing. Smash away
the webbing to reveal an inner hull to the entire platform. Crawl through, and
you'll see some floating bugs trapped in a cage. Smash the cage, then go over
to the 3 pedestals. Press the use key on each of them to open them up. After
all 3 pedestals receive their bugs, a portal will be opened up in the center.
Jump into the portal to proceed to the next area.

 ______________________
/Gonarch's Lair (4.15)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

After first greeting the alien planet with your presence, you're suddenly on a
new area of the planet. If you look to your left, you'll see a gigantic spider
with a sack underneath begin to approach you. Quickly move to your right, and
run behind the rock with sacs near it. You'll find some ammo and health to
assist you. Fire rockets, throw grenades, and launch Gauss shots at the beast
until it starts to retreat into a nearby tunnel. Follow it. The spider mainly
sends out headcrabs, has a melee attack, and spits out transparent mini-
spiders that stab away at you painstakingly. Again, you'll be in another wide-
open field. If you look to the diagonal left, you'll see a transparent webbing
on the floor. Fall through it, and land on the ledge (don't miss the ledge,
otherwise you will plummet to your death). If you go to where you can see the
dead body in the distance, there will be plenty of ammo, health, power units,
and even a recharge pool nearby. Go back up, and keep pounding on Gonarch
until he retreats back into a side tunnel. Drop down into the area, and
continue ahead. Drop down again through the webbing, and keep pounding the
spider from below. Meantime, you'll have to deal with lots of spurting invisi-
spiders. After enough pounding from your weaponry, he should fall through and
explode. Launch a grenade at the rest of the mini-spiders that fall from his
sac. His body should fall to reveal a new area to drop down below to. Drop
down about half way in the little ledge, recharge your health, then drop down
to the portal.

 __________________
/Interloper (4.16)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

In the next area, you'll land on a platform. It will crush to have you fall
below onto the planet surface. There will be several flying craft above that
launch down lasers, along with ray shooters, and the large holes in the ground
will shoot you up for a massive boost. Go around the back portion of the
island, and enter the cave. Up ahead will be some ray shooters. Destroy the
webbing to proceed ahead, and recharge via the health pool. Drop into the
nearby hole, and you will know you're in the right place when you see yellow
crystals bordering the cave. Proceed ahead, and avoid stepping on a lone rock
in the middle as it's a poison trap. Move ahead, but watch for ropers. Go
around the right corner for health, and go up around the back. Destroy the
webbing covering the small crack, crawl through, and move forward. Break more
webbing, then wait for the tall pillar to lower. Stand on top, and wait for it
to rise. Long jump to one of the nearby top platforms. Carefully, long jump
your way down progressively until you get to a lower one. Wait for a blue
flyer to streak by, and leap on top of the creature. Allow it to carry you to
the portal on the island nearby. If you try leaping to the portal manually,
you will be killed. Jump into the portal to go to the next section.

In this new area, a lone clamper will be to your right, along with
several "unaware" aliens behind you. Slowly and quietly sneak above and around
towards the clamper. Distract it with a grenade in the other direction, crawl
over to the opening, and leap up into it. Proceed ahead in the cave. You can
use the health pool to regenerate your health. Watch for the ropers up ahead,
then take a left in the split at the caves. Try navigating your way over the
rocks.

   *A large creature will bash through the rocks and charge at you.*

Quickly retreat back, and go out to the right split in the cave this time. Run
past all of the aliens, and keep running to the corner. Jump onto the small
white twig, then leap over to the recharge pond. Now, efficiently take out all
of the lone aliens, then use rockets, grenades, and satchels on the huge
cyclops. It will go down after several shots. If you run low, you can find
more ammo in a cave underneath in a dark room. Once all is clear, go back to
the main cave, and take the left path. Now that it's cleared, crawl in the
right opening, and pick up the items. Go back out, and go left this time. Now
you'll be forced to deal with two clampers. Sneak past them by tossing a
distraction grenade. Once you're about halfway around back, take the lower
path to pick up more grenades and ammo. Again, distract the two on the right,
and watch out for the one on the left. Once you make it across the bridge
walkway, and go through the narrow canyon, take out the 2 bee creatures near
the portal. Jump inside the portal to be warped yet again.

Your new position puts you in an underground lair. In the room up ahead, there
will be lots of ray shooters and flying behemoths. You can use your Glock and
Revolver to pick them off. Go up on the two elevators. If you need health, you
can use a recharge portal on the second floor in the right corner. Once you
reach the top, go onto the first conveyor belt, cross over at the middle, then
take the second belt into a drop up ahead. When you drop down in the new area,
there will be plenty of ray shooters and flying behemoths. Again, drop down to
ground level, and move ahead for ammo and health. Go back out, use the
elevator to reach the first floor. Do the same strategy from before. Go up the
right conveyor belt, and go up around the pathway into the narrow doorway. The
next section will be mainly composed of tight corridors with lots of alien
barrels, ray shooters, and bee creatures. You can make quick work of them by
tossing grenades, satchels, and laying down trip mines. You'll know you've
reach the area when there are two small red holes against the wall. Crawl into
these to move ahead. Keep moving ahead until to red holes are now on the floor.

Drop down, and quickly sprint left avoiding all enemy fire. Get on the first
elevator, then take the second elevator up, go across, and take the final
elevator up top to the portal. Along the way, there are several rechargers,
along with a huge ammo room that spirals up. When you jump in the portal, you
will be brought to a dark place. Jump from platform to platform until you
reach the mainland. Save your game before entering the dark red portal.

 _________________
/Nihilanth (4.17)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Our perilous hero will now be standing on a platform in front of a...giant
squid-like monster. This IS the master alien of the Xen race, and your
ultimate foe linking the portal between Earth and this freakish world.
Nihilanth can truly only be defeated in a set pattern, which can be very
difficult. To start off, Nihilanth has two different attacks. His first
involves the charging up of several white energy balls which are launched in a
semi-arc pattern. However, they're a tad more concentrated, and can be aimed
vertically too. These will do damage, and you'll usually be hit in succession
which can result in instant death. His second attack is one that it scripted,
which you must be hit by at least 3 times. He'll charge up his hands and
launch a large green energy ball at you. Early on, it can be avoided by
shooting it, however, eventually you must be hit by it. This will launch you
into a "trick" room which you have to escape to get back to the real world.
There are 3 different trick rooms to get by, and most of them are easy. I'm
not going to go through each of them since they're all self explanatory.
However, you will encounter minor enemies, and receive powerups in each of
these rooms. Here's how you defeat Nihilanth:

==  1) DESTROY THE THREE YELLOW CRYSTALS

       - Look above, and you should see three giant crystals. I found it best
         to destroy them ASAP using the Gauss Cannon. Charge up a shot that
         takes at least 7 power units, and shoot it at each crystal. After
         all 3 are destroyed, he will be weakened.

==  2) GET HIT BY THE GREEN ENERGY BALL, THREE TIMES

       - Again, complete the puzzle rooms which are brief, and usually require
         jumping. Each time you reach the exit, you will be brought out to the
         lair.

==  3) BOUNCE UP TO THE TOP BALCONY

       - Look on the ground for a jumping pad. It should be slightly to the
         left of the highest rock balcony. Press the jump key when running over
         the pad to get a heightened boost.

==  4) JUMP INTO HIS BRAIN AND DESTROY IT

       - Now that you've completed the above three requirements, and are on the
         top pad, use the second pad to boost up and over Nihilanth. Try to
         land on his head, and wait for it to open up. Once inside, use the
         Gluon Gun, along with shotgun blasts, the crowbar, and whatever else
         fits your liking. You'll know he's dying when the screen starts to
         spiral and flash with vibrant colors.

   *After killing the master being of the Xen race, you'll suddenly end up in
    an elevator with the man in the blue suit himself! In case you did not
    know, his name is the G-Man, and he's also referred to as the
    "Administrator" at the Black Mesa facility. He let's you know that all of
    your weapons were stripped for meeting purposes. He congratulates you for
    allowing him to now control the Xen race. Because of your potential, and
    single-handed ability to bring down an opposing race, he has recommended
    your services to his employers for future jobs. Seeing as you're a
    decisive man, the choice should be quite clear. If you want to work for
    the man and his associates, simply step through the portal when it opens
    up. Otherwise, if you choose not to accept his offer, you will be warped
    into a battle you cannot possibly survive. Of course, the choice is up
    to you.*
      ______________________                 _____________________
     |#|AGGRESSIVE ENDING |#|               |#|SUBMISSIVE ENDING|#|

---- If you choose not to enter        ---- If you choose to enter the portal
     the portal when it opens up,           when it opens up, a message will
     the G-Man will reluctantly             pop up saying you have been
     let you go, and warp you into          activated for employment, and are
     a room filled with Xen                 currently awaiting future job
     creatures. Since you practically       opportunities.
     murdered their entire race, they
     have no problem killing you. The
     lights dim out, but at least you
     have the honor of not serving
     that despicable man.

   *This is pretty much the end of the game. Credits will scroll by, and then
    you will be left with a blank black screen. The real questions lie behind
    the true identity of the G-MAN, and what exactly happened at the end. Some
    players believe the G-MAN is actually working for an alien race that tries
    to control other races by defeating them. This was the case with the Xen.
    Unfortunately, they were too overwhelmingly strong for his race to handle
    alone. However, by pitting a war between the humans and Xen, along with
    manipulating Gordon Freeman, you allowed them to control the Xen (and the
    humans in a literal sense as well). The G-MAN is most likely a human, but
    his sinister lisp voice and attitude of saying that he works for a higher
    being tends to give it away. Hopefully, Half-Life 2 will solve some of
    these problems.*

                              [[  THE END  ]]

 Kevin Johnston's Blog - http://www.300bucks.ca