Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned

Gabriel Knight is truly the last great point-and-click adventure. It contains all the charm of a detective story, with the delightful idiotic humour of the LucasArts brand titles (such as Monkey Island and Grim Fandango) as well as innovative interface (and camera-control).

I've seen the DaVinci Code and I still prefer this game over Tom Hanks' brilliant performance.

Gabriel Knight attempts to do something that has probably never been attempted so successfully. The game's emulation of reality is quite stunning, since it is done to a degree that does not upset the drama of the series. The game is luckily not tube-like experience since the player's perceptiveness decides how much of the plot unfolds to him/her. This also encourages replay.

The game's voice-cast is absolutely fantastic. Tim Curry and Charity James are probably the most memorable of the bunch, but the rest are brilliant all the same. Even though the graphics are half a decade old by now the atmosphere is simply perfect. What's nice is that for once a company made a 3D adventure-game where the atmosphere isn't ruined by shoddy physics.

Additionally the historical setting of the plot and the sheer amount of detail is enough to make anyone fall in love with this game. A strong plot keeps you in its grips even if the climax isn't as surprising as one might expect. However, for new-comers to Jane Jensen's brilliant trilogy, it's a ride they wont soon forget.

I will begin by describing how I came to know about this game: I had, recently, bought Pharaoh and in its cover there it was: "Rennes-Le-Château guards a frightening secret. Find the truth. Risk your soul." In that moment I KNEW I had to buy that game! Were I live it is extremely hard to find adventure games, but, luckily, I had fortunate and found it. Immediately after starting the game, and Gabriel waking up, I open the door leading to the hall and there was the feeling that makes Gabriel Knight nr. 1 - the perfect symbiosis between the music and the and the location – the perfect atmosphere! In that simple hall I knew the game would be one that I would enjoy very much. After 5 minutes of game, I began to understand the plot and the more I wanted to play. It is an exceptional well written theory about the Templars and its relation with the mysterious French village of Rennes-Le-Château that supposedly hold their treasure. All of the characters have a great presence and throughout the game we will learn valuable information about them and their reasons for the trip. The game also shines, because, although the plot isn't real and has many parts full of fantasy, it is presented and justified by true facts of Templar history. To end this modest review:

Music 10/10 – David Henry and Robert Holmes really did a wonderful job!

Graphics 10/10 – although they are not very detailed, they are good enough and 'fit as a glove' on the gameplay.

Gameplay 10/10 – by using that 3D graphics engine, the gameplay is very simple and ables the player to see the action from many angles and gives the sensation of presence in the scene.

Plot 10/10 – there wasn't a single scene of the plot I didn't like: well written and well presented it has the perfect atmosphere!

Overall 10/10 – all of the crew that worked in this game should be congratulated for this amazing game, which I have played over and over with always more enthusiasm than the previous time!

The third in the Gabriel Knight series by Sierra, this one follows suit in creating a great game. All three games have used different gaming technology(2-d animation, video clips, 3-d rendering), but the results have been great for all three.

Jane Jensen's plot places Gabriel and Gracie in France to unravel a kidnapping. The story which unfolds keeps your attention, as does Tim Curry's great voice acting. It is obvious he was given a degree of artistic freedom in creating the comments that appear when you click on seemingly innocent items. Hilarious stuff will come out when you least suspect it.

Also features the return of Detective Mosely from GK1. The downside of the game is that it can get awfully slow if you don't have the most up-to-date machine.

I have been a fan of the Gabriel Knight series for about 3 years. I discovered Gabriel Knight II, bought it and was addicted to the series from then on.

I eagerly bought the third title from the series and from the moment the beautifully rendered first shot was seen by my eyes, I was completely hooked.

Tim Curry was, as always, flawless as Gabriel Knight. The script was funny and dramatic whilst the graphics and sound were superb. The music was absolutely fantastic and it captured the mood of the game.

All in all, Gabriel Knight III: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned is one of the best games I've ever played. It left me wanting more and hopefully, there will be...

I am not into video games that much, but I tried this (and the others from the series)with my brother because Tim Curry is my favourite actor of all time, and I will say I wasn't disappointed. The graphics were excellent, and has the quality of a computer-animated film. The character animation is among the best I've seen for a video game, especially that for Gabriel Knight. Likewise with the music, which is very experimental and atmospheric in style. I thought the vocal performances were flawless. Tim Curry was perfect as Gabriel, a suave, handsome and charismatic hero, and it just shows what a truly talented and severely under-appreciated actor he really is. Charity James was also impressive. The script was very good, full of simple yet funny jokes and smart references to other adventure games, in fact it reminded me of the sort of script they use in a James Bond film. The plot was clever and involving, and for me, there was never a dull moment. The game itself is very complex in construction, but totally playable. It can be time consuming, and it is quite long, but it is well worth trying out. This is considered the best in the series, and I will say I agree completely. In conclusion, a clever and fun game, that is truly among the best. Apart from some surprisingly good exceptions, they don't quite make games like these anymore. 10/10 Bethany Cox.