Burnt Offerings:
The first thing to do is step around the corner from the start position and rocket the arachnotron waiting there at point 1. This will get the attention of a couple lost-souls from area 2. Gun them down and proceed around the ledge of the pond to get to the switch on the middle column. Two cacodemons will appear from a hidden chamber, but the column provides good cover from their attacks. Activating the switch raises a stairway to area 1.
From the window there, you can snipe at a group of nightmare-imps in area 3. Take them out, then get ready for a little running. The large central area will remain empty until you get about halfway into it, when a huge pack of arachnotrons will teleport in to populate it. What was intended to be a major ambush can actually be turned to your advantage.
Area 4 is full of bull-demons and specters that are difficult to fight among the columns there. A trick is to make a mad dash across the main area, avoiding the spiders. Run into area 4 and then back out again to the safe perch where you siped at the imps. If you are fast and maneuver right, you can bring all the demons out to get cut down by the arachnotrons. The spiders are too big to get through the gateway near the start, so you are safe from them back there, just watch for the occasional demon who might slip by. After that, it is only a matter of stepping around the corner and taking pop-shots at the arachnotrons to clear the area.
Blue Key:
Through the doorway at 5 are several nightmare-imps waiting, then the rest of the room appears empty. The hidden doorway behind 5
has a backpack on a pedastle and a switch nearby. The switch does lower the pedastle, but it also causes the ceiling to fall
and a hell-knight to be waiting outside the door. This is a very fast trap, so only go for it if you really must.
The switch at 6 causes four hell-knights to arrive, as well as some imps from the passage that has also opened up. Head up the stairs taking out imps and cacodemons. Going toward area 3 will summon more cacodemons and a couple of nightmare- cacodemons. Might as well get them out of the way right now.
To get the blue key is a trick, but not a difficult one. Behind the switch at 6 is another wall switch that you may have seen on your way up the stairs. This switch opens the wall overlooking the blue key. The second switch at the top of the stairs near area 3 lowers the platform the key is on. So just activate the first one then run to activate the second and you should have plenty of time to collect the blue key.
Now, there are two blue keyed doors in this level. The closest one is next to where you can see the mega-sphere. There is a rocket launcher in the middle of the room. This is the wrong one to start with. Go back out into area 4 and find the other blue keyed door there.
The main room behind this blue door has a single switch in it. This switch will open three smaller chambers which have bull-demons in them. Get the saw out and head for one of these chambers, then cut them down as they come to you. One of the chambers has an important switch that needs to be activated before proceeding.
Back to the other blue door, go in and take out the waiting arachnotrons and imps there, but do not pick up the rocket launcher yet! The switch you activated in the other blue room has raised the bars on a switch in this room. Activate this one BEFORE picking up the rocket launcher! This will raise the columns around it back up to where they were when you first entered the room. When you pick it up, the floor drops and fireballs start flying in from all sides. Just stay near the middle until it finishes and you will be safe.
When the trap is done, the floor will raise back up and a door will open. Inside the cage, activate the switch on one side to raise the bars in front of the other switch on the other side. Activate both and the bars in area 4 open for you. There is also a secret area near the second switch with combat armor and lots of rockets if you need them.
Yellow key:
The room at 4 is guarded by some imps, and a few cacodemons who materialize out of nowhere. The yellow key is on a ledge
at the far west end of the room where all the candles are. Picking it up will summon a few arachnotrons at the entrance.
They cannot get down the corridors though, so just stay back there and rocket them.
Red key:
Through the yellow door is a nightmare-demon and arachnotron. There are also several zombies in cages to the sides.
Whe you go through the door at the end, and around the barricade, you will see the red key in the middle of the room.
This is a very nasty trap, so be sure to save the game before picking up that final key.
When you pick up the red key, a couple of things will happen. First, the barricades you saw will move in to trap you in a small octagon. At the same time, the ceiling will start to crush down toward you, but a switch will also appear. Look around quickly to find it. It opens one of the barricades so you can get out from under the crushing ceiling, but it will also expose your position to a team of eight hell-knights that are waiting for you outside the octagon!
The trick is to find the switch and get the barricade open as quickly as possible, then clear a path out. Head to the end of one of the eight arms of the room and pick of the hell-knights as they come to you. Watch to make sure you got all of them as you go around picking up rockets and exploring the arms of the room. At the end of the arm opposite the entrance is another wall switch. This one opens the entrance of the room, but it is on a timer so you must run around to get there before it closes again.
Heading back to the main courtyard and the red keyed door, you will find that it is once again occupied by a swarm of arachnotrons. As before though, they can't get into the areas you can. Dodging behind columns in area 4 is a pretty safe way to remove the threat. Through the red keyed door are a few more spiders and the exit.
Two secrets not discussed yet: The mega-sphere, which is accessed via a hidden teleport next to the second blue keyed door. There is also a hidden soul-sphere you can find by shooting the gargoyle at 7 from the balcony at 3.
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