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The six secret levels of the original Wofenstein 3D vary from being quite the bonus to being boring and uninspired IMO; in other words, they run the whole gamut, per se. But what are your favorite and least favorite ones, and which hold a spot in the middle? I thought I'd share my opinions on each level individually to start:
Episode 1: Although the progression resembles a normal level relatively closely, I like this secret level a fair bit. First of all it is quite possibly one of my favorite levels in the episode, if not my favorite. There is enough to distinguish it. You get more treasure and rewards for searching compared to the normal levels. It also takes a bit longer to complete, on the fastest possible route. The colors are definitely another high point of mine. It's very purple; partially due to the sky, not even Episode 2 Floor 6 looks so purple though it's by far the other level that resembles this the closest. That in itself is definitely different from the entire main episode, which is grey stone, blue stone, red brick, and wood from start to finish. Including a small section of this level, none of which are attached to each other, for each of these 'normal' shareware texture is the added touch. Then there's that tiny steel island, which has to be a soft call to the one use of the texture in the main episode, a secret area of Level 3. Overall while the progression isn't much different from a normal level it definitely differentiates itself in just about every other way and it doesn't feel like a rushed idea or one that little thought was put into, so it joins the top half of secret levels for sure.
Episode 2: Sorry but I find this dull, boring, and somewhat uninspired. First of all, the concept of the level being a secret is already used in a normal level in the very same episode, Floor 7. So even that is surprisingly unoriginal. It's completely blue, and I don't mind that, but on top of not even being a unique concept I don't think it's fun or rewarding enough to explore. The massive hallways of crosses was entirely unnecessary, IMO. You can easily find more valuable catches treasure than this level has to offer if you search Episode 2 Floor 3 for secrets. So no, I don't really like this one. Bottom half for me.
Episode 3: Well of course it isn't original, and the concept could have been extended, but it's got great music and if ID just wanted to make a novelty map in straight Pacman theme I'd say they achieved that goal pretty easily. The music and blue color fit perfectly in the background, and there's plenty of treasure to collect. Even though it undoubtedly could have been made into something bigger, as a novelty level to an older game it is finely executed, and it's completely void of anything that doesn't need to or make sense in being there. For those reasons, I don't hesitate to say it floats closer to my favorites than least favorites.
Episode 4: In a word, cheap. The design idea is no homage, but it probably took mere minutes to come up with and draw on a map. It's basically a big trap if you try to play it legitimately, and has the infamous disappearing officers bug. They don't even give you any weapons, just ammo, so forget about clearing the hoard if you're doing this from scratch. The reward of a chalice at every perpendicular intersection and an extra life in the elevator is nothing to write home about either; in fact, collecting every chalice can be quite tedious. This one definitely ranks near the bottom.
Episode 5: Boring. Just boring. More hallways full of crosses, few guards, and few secrets. It's like they just didn't have an idea so they threw something together to fill the map that is distinctive from a normal level. It's definitely uninspired. Wholly unremarkable, not enough action, and not enough rewards. Why more of those Episode 2 Floor 10 winding corridors all over the place, too? This is possibly the bottom of the whole bunch.
Episode 6: Now this is how it's done! A big level full of mazes and rewards, yet chock full of traps, dangerous points, all four types of normal enemies, and even bosses as well as a well-hidden Pacman ghost. You can get out with any one of three quadrants, after fighting a boss, but all four are worth seeing and despite three being primarily mazes, they all have different strategies. It's a mighty big and tough level, in perfect Episode 6 spirit, should you want to explore it. It certainly isn't uninspired and everything seems well executed. I could go on, but the bottom line is that it's a good idea, not too samey by any means, well executed, and certainly fits in its parent episode. Can't complain about much, to be honest.
So favorite and least favorite time. I think my favorite is Episode 6, and my least favorite probably goes to Episode 5. But I definitely approve of Episode 1, 3, and 6 while feeling that Epsodes 2, 4, and 5 are really quite meh at best, so those are definitely my top and bottom three respectively. So what are your thoughts on the matter? If you want, you can include Spear of Destiny's secret levels, but it's been too long single I actually last played them, not because I dislike SoD but simply because I haven't spent nearly as much time playing it recently. Of course it's no necessity to go into the by-level detail I went into, but you most certainly can without a double!
As with any thread, all relevant responses and commentary is welcome. 
Episode 1: Although the progression resembles a normal level relatively closely, I like this secret level a fair bit. First of all it is quite possibly one of my favorite levels in the episode, if not my favorite. There is enough to distinguish it. You get more treasure and rewards for searching compared to the normal levels. It also takes a bit longer to complete, on the fastest possible route. The colors are definitely another high point of mine. It's very purple; partially due to the sky, not even Episode 2 Floor 6 looks so purple though it's by far the other level that resembles this the closest. That in itself is definitely different from the entire main episode, which is grey stone, blue stone, red brick, and wood from start to finish. Including a small section of this level, none of which are attached to each other, for each of these 'normal' shareware texture is the added touch. Then there's that tiny steel island, which has to be a soft call to the one use of the texture in the main episode, a secret area of Level 3. Overall while the progression isn't much different from a normal level it definitely differentiates itself in just about every other way and it doesn't feel like a rushed idea or one that little thought was put into, so it joins the top half of secret levels for sure.
Episode 2: Sorry but I find this dull, boring, and somewhat uninspired. First of all, the concept of the level being a secret is already used in a normal level in the very same episode, Floor 7. So even that is surprisingly unoriginal. It's completely blue, and I don't mind that, but on top of not even being a unique concept I don't think it's fun or rewarding enough to explore. The massive hallways of crosses was entirely unnecessary, IMO. You can easily find more valuable catches treasure than this level has to offer if you search Episode 2 Floor 3 for secrets. So no, I don't really like this one. Bottom half for me.
Episode 3: Well of course it isn't original, and the concept could have been extended, but it's got great music and if ID just wanted to make a novelty map in straight Pacman theme I'd say they achieved that goal pretty easily. The music and blue color fit perfectly in the background, and there's plenty of treasure to collect. Even though it undoubtedly could have been made into something bigger, as a novelty level to an older game it is finely executed, and it's completely void of anything that doesn't need to or make sense in being there. For those reasons, I don't hesitate to say it floats closer to my favorites than least favorites.
Episode 4: In a word, cheap. The design idea is no homage, but it probably took mere minutes to come up with and draw on a map. It's basically a big trap if you try to play it legitimately, and has the infamous disappearing officers bug. They don't even give you any weapons, just ammo, so forget about clearing the hoard if you're doing this from scratch. The reward of a chalice at every perpendicular intersection and an extra life in the elevator is nothing to write home about either; in fact, collecting every chalice can be quite tedious. This one definitely ranks near the bottom.
Episode 5: Boring. Just boring. More hallways full of crosses, few guards, and few secrets. It's like they just didn't have an idea so they threw something together to fill the map that is distinctive from a normal level. It's definitely uninspired. Wholly unremarkable, not enough action, and not enough rewards. Why more of those Episode 2 Floor 10 winding corridors all over the place, too? This is possibly the bottom of the whole bunch.
Episode 6: Now this is how it's done! A big level full of mazes and rewards, yet chock full of traps, dangerous points, all four types of normal enemies, and even bosses as well as a well-hidden Pacman ghost. You can get out with any one of three quadrants, after fighting a boss, but all four are worth seeing and despite three being primarily mazes, they all have different strategies. It's a mighty big and tough level, in perfect Episode 6 spirit, should you want to explore it. It certainly isn't uninspired and everything seems well executed. I could go on, but the bottom line is that it's a good idea, not too samey by any means, well executed, and certainly fits in its parent episode. Can't complain about much, to be honest.
So favorite and least favorite time. I think my favorite is Episode 6, and my least favorite probably goes to Episode 5. But I definitely approve of Episode 1, 3, and 6 while feeling that Epsodes 2, 4, and 5 are really quite meh at best, so those are definitely my top and bottom three respectively. So what are your thoughts on the matter? If you want, you can include Spear of Destiny's secret levels, but it's been too long single I actually last played them, not because I dislike SoD but simply because I haven't spent nearly as much time playing it recently. Of course it's no necessity to go into the by-level detail I went into, but you most certainly can without a double!
As with any thread, all relevant responses and commentary is welcome. 