Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within

This game surprised me so much. I was not a particularly big fan of the first GK, and the third was a chore to play (I felt), but there is something about GK2's naturalistic approach to both appearance and subject matter that made me thoroughly engrossed. Good enough acting, but with a great script (Have you ever heard of the language of death?), and puzzles that never annoyed me but kept the story going. I would recommend GK2 to anyone who likes a good supernaturally themed adventure.

I really enjoyed playing this game. I had already played GK3 years ago but i couldn't get on with the 3D gameplay. Even if you don't normally play FMV games give this one a go. The characters are likeable and the storyline is interesting if you like history.

When this game initially came out, I didn't have a PC that was powerful enough to run it. By the time I did, the game was long gone from shelves and it wasn't until last year that I finally played this game. I have never played the other two Gabriel Knight games, but I remember seeing this one on shelves as a kid and was so disappointed that I never got the chance to play. I am probably in the minority here, but I am a sucker from FMV games. I loved Phantasmagoria and to a lesser extent, Night Trap. The game runs very smoothly (as it should in this day in age) and it is a masterpiece to play. I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the actors (yes, I know the accents aren't up to snuff) and it does have some slightly challenging puzzles. Some of the puzzles might be a bit annoying for the younger crowd who aren't used to adventure games of yore. The only problem I had with this game was I encountered a nasty bug in chapter 3. I had saved my game, and when I came back to the game at a later time, I found the save would load, but everything was completely locked up. I couldn't do anything other than look at things on the screen I was on. I'm not sure what caused this, but thanks to chapter selection and the fact I hadn't gotten far in that chapter, it wasn't an issue to start over and make my way through. So, my advice with all of these old games is to save often and make multiple saves. Side note: splicing cassettes was one of my favorite things to do in the game.

This was Roberta Williams last stand. She never produced another game better than this one. Full Motion Video can be difficult as one tends to have to deal with repetitive scenes as you explore and try to solve the puzzles and mystery provided here. I also found that the acting was so good that one can actually build an emotional connection to these characters, sometimes a very deep one as game's go. It's a bitter sweet ending to what could have been an unforgettable trilogy. Instead, after the success of The Beast Within, it was torn asunder by the last and final installment.

This was my first time playing it and I loved it! The story was great, setting charming, puzzles logical. Acting was well beyond my expectations (even if sometimes it comes close to language lesson levels). Why only 4 stars? GoG version likes to crash and it can be very frustrating when one forgot to save because got sucked into the story.