Lava Lagoon (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest)

Lava Lagoon is the eighth level of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and the third level of Crocodile Cauldron.

Summary
Lava Lagoon is the second level set inside a cargo hold of a shipwreck, the first being Lockjaw's Locker. It is full of bright red lava, which harms Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong if they touch it. There are a few Invincibility Barrels, which temporarily protect the Kongs from being hurt by the lava.

There are many Clapper the Seals that appear throughout the level, and the Kongs can jump on them to temporarily cool the lava into water. The Kongs must quickly swim through the water before it turns back to lava, and they can escape from it by either returning on land or swimming onto the next Clapper. This level introduces an underwater pufferfish enemy, Puftups. While on land, the Kongs encounter a few enemies like Klampons and Click-Clacks.

Just after the Star Barrel, behind the wall to the Kongs' right, there is a hidden Animal Crate containing Enguarde the Swordfish. Just like Lockjaw's Locker, there are certain parts of the walls which the Kongs can optionally swim through; doing so is required for the Kongs to reach Enguarde. There are two No Animal Signs in the level: one appears just outside the Bonus Level entrance while the other appears at the end of the Bonus Level. Both of them reward a Red Balloon if crossed with Enguarde.

Layout
The Kongs begin the stage on some large crates and barrels with a small pit ahead of them that is full of hot water. A DK Barrel and some bananas float above this pit. After the heroes pass a nearby Neek and climb over a pile of crates, barrels, and other objects, they can find a Clapper and a large pool of water. By jumping on the seal, they can cool down the hot water so that they can swim through it. In the water, they can find a Flotsam, some bananas, and a single Banana Bunch. Some large crates float on top of the water, and a Klampon walks along them. If the heroes continue to the east from here and make their way to the other side of the water area, they come along some more large crates and past a lone Klampon. Soon, they discover another Clapper next to a pool of water, which they must cool down with the seal buddy. As they swim through the wide, underwater area, they come past a few Flotsams and some bananas. A Banana Coin is also hidden in this area in an alcove that is guarded by one of the Flotsams. Once the primates make their way to the other end of the water area, they reach a few more large boxes that they can walk on. They can find a Clapper with a DK Barrel above it in this area near a pool of water. As they travel through the water, with the help of the Clapper who can cool it down, they approach the letter K and some bananas in a few small alcoves. One of the alcoves, which contains several bananas, is guarded by a Flotsam that moves back and forth in a horizontal path. After the Kongs pass this Flotsam and another alcove that contains a Banana Bunch, they head up a passage leading to the north with an additional Flotsam in it. If they continue upwards from here, they reach the surface of the water, where they can find two large barrel platforms with an Auto Fire Barrel on one of them.

The Auto Fire Barrel can blast them upwards into a higher area with another Auto Fire Barrel in it, which can then shoot them onto some crates. As they shoot through the barrels, the water level quickly rises. Additionally, after shooting out of the first of the Auto Fire Barrels, the primates can move along the left side of the wall to head through a crate and into a thin area that contains another Auto Fire Barrel, which can blast them onto the higher crates and to a Banana Coin. After the heroes reach the top of the area with either of the two paths, they can find a Klampon and another Clapper next to an area of water. Once the seal cools down the water, they can safely swim through to find some bananas along the ground. Some Flotsams and two Lockjaws also swim through the water, which the letter O is located above in an alcove. A small gap is also placed at the top of the underwater area, and if the primates jump through it, they can find an area above the water that contains an Invincibility Barrel. If they continue through the water from here, they soon reach a Banana Bunch in a small alcove and a passage leading upwards, where the heroes can find some large crates above the surface of the water that hold a Klampon. A Star Barrel is located above these crates.

Two small gaps full of water are ahead of here, and a Kaboing jumps on the thin platform between them. There is a Clapper placed after the pits, and the heroes can bounce on the helper to cool down a nearby area of water. As they swim through this water, they come up to a DK Barrel and a few crates in the bottom-right corner of the area that they can swim through to find a hidden room with an Animal Crate containing Enguarde in it. A Banana Bunch is also located next to this crate. If the primates head west through the underwater area, they make their way past some bananas and Puftups. After they pass the foes, they make their way up a passage that take them to some large crates and barrels positioned above the surface of the water. A Clapper is on these objects, and once the heroes approach it, the water level rises. After the water rises, the heroes must make their way through a passage that is placed above a group of bananas that form an arrow pointing upwards. If they follow the arrow and head upwards, they make their way into a large area full of Lockjaws.

A hidden passage over some crates is in the top-left corner of this wide room, and it leads the heroes to many collectibles, including bananas, two Banana Coins, and the letter N. As they head through the passage, they can also, in the Game Boy Advance version only, find a hidden room with a Lockjaw in possession of a photograph in it. If the primates do not travel through this hidden path, they must instead head through a wide room full of Lockjaws. Some bananas and another letter N are located around the area for the heroes to grab. Eventually, the Kongs make their way to the surface of the water, where they can find some large crates and barrels that they can walk on. A No Animal Sign is in this area; once it is passed, Enguarde disappears, and the heroes are awarded with a red Extra Life Balloon. There are some large crates, one of which that holds a barrel, ahead of the sign, and the heroes must climb over it while dodging a single Click-Clack to reach a small gap and a DK Barrel.

Once they drop into the gap, they can find a thin passage leading to the west that is full of Click-Clacks. At the end of the passage, they can find a Clapper next to a pool of water. As they swim through this water, they come past several Puftups that rise and fall in the water. Alcoves are also scattered throughout the area, and they contain bananas and a Banana Bunch. Soon, they Kongs make their way into a thin passage that leads to both a small area with the letter G in it and another room with a Clapper in it. A hidden area can be accessed if they swim through the crates to the right of the Clapper, and it holds several bananas, an Invincibility Barrel, and a DK Coin. An Auto Fire Barrel is also located at the end of this hidden room to blast the heroes out of the water before it burns them. If the primates do not take this hidden path, they must instead swim upwards through a narrow passage to reach the surface of the water, where they can find some large crates and barrels with a Klobber on them. The End of Level Target is just ahead, and the Kongs can use Team-up to enter a Barrel Cannon (or Dixie Barrel in the Game Boy Advance version) to land on the target for a prize. The prizes include either a Banana Bunch, Banana Bunch Coin, or a Red Balloon.