Gabriel Knight 3

Published by Vivendi UIP
Designed by Jane Jensen
Platform: PC CD/ROM
Price £9.99 Released: Out Now

System requirements
Windows 95/98/98SE/ME
Pentium 166 or better
32MB of RAM
4MB PCI Graphics card

Gabriel Knight 3 was perhaps one of the first adventure games to actually feature 3D graphics whilst still retaining the point and click control (the final Kings Quest game was more of an action game than a pure adventure game). The graphics are good and while the character control with the mouse is better than using the keys it still feels awkward until you've been playing some time. You can move the camera anywhere within a given area by holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse. Holding down both buttons enables you to move up and down. A left click of the mouse moves the character to that position and a click of the right mouse button brings up menu that enables you to do things like look at your inventory or adjust the game options or even snatch a hint. Keyboard shortcuts do exist for those who like to use them.

This is a very good adventure game and whilst it seems a little slow at first it does become more involving as you progress through the game. The story behind the game is that Gabriel & Grace were invited to Prince James home. Whilst there Prince James tells them that his family has been attacked for many years by vampires. The Prince tells them that he now fears for his baby son. Gabriel and Grace agree to look after the baby but that very same night the baby is stolen and Gabriel goes after the kidnapper. All of this is explained in the graphic novel (comic) that comes with the game (in Acrobat, .pdf, format). This is just as well because the introduction is not subtitled but having said that there are only about four sentences and if you read the graphic novel then you will be aware of what's happening. In the game itself the subtitles have to be enabled. The subtitling has been done well and each character has a different colour in a conversation.

If you are a fan of adventure games the Gabriel Knight is well worth the £9.99 asking price. The puzzles are mostly logical and well thought out and the story does seem well thought out. Best of all though you get to use the mouse which makes a lot more sense than the keyboard.

Click the thumbnails to see the big picture

Recommendation: Highly Recommended. A solid adventure game.
Suitability for deaf gamers: Very Suitable.