Review by Colin Phipps

In the TXT file with this PWAD, the author says

My 5 first levels. I have made better wads since, believe me. These aren't supposed to be challenging or anything, just interesting. Any beginners should look at these. They are exactly NOT what good levels are.

Well, since this is just a collection of levels, here are my comments per-level:

1. A clone of the original E1M4, but much smaller. There is a baron, so it is harder, but it is also tackier, with unmarked secret doors which you must find to do the level, and sometimes strange texture choices.
2. A Knee-Deep style level; I suspect these are not in the order that they were written, since this is better than the others. There are some nice features taken from the original Doom 1 levels (e.g the long rooms with circular blue flashing ceiling lights from E2M2). But there is not a lot of new ideas, and some of the textures are poorly chosen (especially the odd doortrack).
3. Very messy, with the main corridor having lots of different panels of different textures, several of which turn out to be keycard doors in disguise. I was a little low on health and ammo (admittedly I left a supercharge behind on E1M1 - too arrogant), but there was a plasma rifle so it was fairly straight forward.
4. This level has 4 cyberdemons, hidden behind shoot-through walls, but you just run past them. There is loads of health, and a couple of easily dealt with barons. The ending relies on a Doom 1 effect, (so if you convert to Doom 2 as I did, you can't complete the level without cheating). The level is very small, with no real interest, though it is less tacky then E1M3. You end by by dying in an acid room (ala E1M8 of the original Doom).
5. Has a spiderdemon to fight for real, but 2 barons can be made to do much of the work for you. There are serious tutti-fruiti errors, and a terrible choice of ceiling on the first door. The main courtyard is quite stylish, but spoilt by the glaring misplaced textures and tutti-fruiti.

Overall, the only level with potential here is E1M2, but since it is really just a collection of bits like the original Knee-Deep levels you might as well play the real thing. Aside from that, I agree with the author's own comment.