Map Name: The Cloisters Author: Bonehenge File Name: cloisters.bsp Players: 4-16 For: Superb eye-candy Against: May not appeal to those that do not like the unusual Reviewer: Nocturnal WOW! That is what everybody has said upon looking at this map, including myself. Cloisters is one unique and imaginative map that is in a league by itself! I and my fellow fraggers had alotta fun walking through the map and just eye-balling all the architecture and special effects. Let me tell you this author has one serious imagination!! This map is described by the author as a Techno-Medieval map and I would have to agree. It looks like "the X-Files meets King Arthur" in this map with its stunning colorful effects both in the architectural department as well as great lighting. The author made a point in his writings on the importance of lighting in a map and this map does indeed show just how to do it right. Let me forewarn you now.....this map isn't for the Half-Lifers out there who wish to only frag in a traditional HL map because this map breaks the mold on tradition! Just like Xenophobia or Quahl, this map pulls away from the somewhat mundane look to so many Half-Life maps out today. That isn't to say that a map shouldn't look like Half-Life, but most of you from what I hear, enjoy fragging in other environments for a good change of pace. Cloisters will definitely satisfy any cravings any of you have for that map that has something different to offer. Simply put-there really isn't an easy way to describe this map without one downloading it and seeing for themselves. It's that hard to describe. It basically consists of multiple rooms, stairs and hallways all interconnected together to form a map that is quite large in size. All areas promote superb ambience with a healthy dose of great lighting effects and a multi blend of textures galore. One area of the map has this strange slanted house that seems to be sitting in the middle of what looks to be an alien graveyard of some kind. Inside of the house is a tunnel that takes you to this water-filled area underground where you will find a cool "pod" that will take you down this narrow hallway to other parts of the map. One area will take you to this spot where you go back up a tunnel and crawl out of what looks like to be some sort of extra-terrestrial coffin into a room that appears to be an out-of this-world temple. Also when crawling out of the coffin-looking contraption, there are some ominous sounds that start to wail like lost souls that gave me and others the heebie-jeebies! :) Except for one area where r_speeds approached 600+, the author did a great job at keeping them down while still using a fairly large amount of textures. At first, weapon and ammo placement seemed scarce in areas, but that was due to not knowing the map. Once you get to business fragging and learn the map, weapon and ammo placement is great within. Also the balance of weapons is evenly placed throughout with neither one area having too much or too little. You will find all the "big boys" in this map which includes the RPG, Tau and Egon(Gluon). For that matter, you will find all the Half-Life weapons in here. The author made it a little of a challenge to find the Tau and once you find it, you will also find plenty of goodies to go along with it. The crossbow is placed nicely in an area by itself and you will have to do more than just walking up to it to get it. The Gluon is encased nicely as well in a room by itself. You will find TWO RPGs here and I find that to be good for the map due its size. It helped to keep the gameflow up and on your toes. And speaking of the size of this map, it is quite deceiving in nature because it doesn't appear that large at first. But as you frag, you come upon so many different areas that you didn't see before. With all the many rooms, hallways and corridors in this map, you would think it would succumb to poor connectivity and flow-but it doesn't. The author managed to successfully work all areas together with no real dead spots. This couldn't have been an easy feat to accomplish but nonetheless it connects well. The long jump module is included and will also help you get from one place to another in the map quite efficiently. Final Word: In summary, this map doesn't follow the usual path of maps created for Half-Life. Heck, it blazes its own path! The author risked losing the interest of some of those out there that like traditional maps only. But I and others agree that it was a risk worth taking because Cloisters performs solidly with a uniqueness and originality all its own. The author manages to use every color of the spectrum it seems in this map without making it look gaudy. Well, what are you waiting for? Download Cloisters now! :)   Ambience:91% Architecture:89% Connection:83% Gameplay:81% Effects:94% Visuals:92% Way cool! Eerie....!       88%