Unlike Al Lowe's other games, Torin's Passage is a game the whole family can enjoy. It's like King's Quest 7 if Al Lowe had designed it. Similar graphics and similar interface. The artwork is gorgeous. The music is very good. There's lots of unique and mostly goofy characters. There are a few frustrating puzzles at the end of some chapters, and there's a couple of mazes that I don't care for, but most of the puzzles are good. The story is the best story you will find in an Al Lowe game. The voice acting is solid. The biggest negative is the humor. The game is unfunny, and when it tries to be funny it's just painful. But all in all, it's a game that every adventure game fan should play. P.S. I got a special message from Al Lowe at the end. Didn't you?
This is a different kind of adventure game. Instead of solving puzzles and helping people and being a hero, all you do is wander around and observe. The objective is to uncover as much of the story as possible. This involves talking to people and overhearing conversations. I am not a fan of this game design. You don't get to have any fun until the very end of the game. Just observing things isn't much fun. Also you have to talk to everybody about everything and everyone and you have to do it multiple times during the game because thing change. That is a pain in the neck. The secret passages are very poorly hinted at, and yet if you don't find them this won't be much of a game. It actually is possible to beat the game by just waiting around and doing absolutely nothing until the every end. Granted you won't get a very good score, but if you don't care about the score that is an option. You can even sit around and do absolutely nothing and just wait for the game to end. This will give you the bad ending, but the bad ending isn't actually all that bad. On top of that this game has the most ludicrous deaths ever. Sierra game are known for killing you for anything and everything, and this game is the most guilty of that of them all. 2 stars because music and artwork are great for the time and the story is really good if you can uncover it. But the most important thing about a game is how much fun it is to play, and that's where this game fails big time. But that's a trend in Roberta Williams games. She's a great storywriter and a great artist, but not a good game designer.
Jim Walls is not a good game designer. He asks you to follow procedure all the time, no matter how tedious and pointless it is. On top of that, purposefully doing stupid things isn't much fun in this game like it is in "Space Quest" or "Quest For Glory." In the "Police Quest" games he wanted to each you how to be a cop. In this game, he wanted to teach you how to be a Navy SEAL. Well, I don't want to learn how to be either of those things. I just want to play a fun game. This game has every bad thing about adventure games, complete with copy protection puzzles, a ridiculous number of dead ends, piloting a submarine with controls that are next-to-impossible, and gambling. To make matters even worse, the dead ends are some of the worst dead ends ever. With the gambling game, you cannot save too many times during it (or the game will kill you) and you HAVE to win it or the game will be unwinnable. I want a challenging game, but not a game that's flat out unfair. The story isn't even all that interesting in my opinion, nor are the characters. I doubt most people can even remember the name of the main character. To sum it up, there's a reason they never made a sequel to this. The only good things about this game are the artwork and the music were very good for the time, as was the case with most Sierra games.
In the 3rd "Gabriel Knight" game, Gabriel is called by Prince James of France to protect a baby from "night visitors" (vampires). Gabriel fails, the child is kidnapped, and the object of the game is to find and rescue him. Along the way, Gabriel and Grace learn much about Rennes-les-Chateau and the Knights Templar, among other things. Pros -Gabriel and Grace. In previous games, Gabriel was an arrogant man-child and Grace was an easily jealous woman-child. This game shows you how much they both have matured. The development of Gabriel and Grace, both as individual human beings and as a couple. -The background research. As with the previous 2 games, the background research done for this game is amazing. -Most of the puzzles. You may have heard of one infamously bad puzzle (more on that later) but the majority of the puzzles in this game are absolutely amazing. Some of the best puzzles ever. -The acting. Most of the acting is great. Tim Curry returns. Actually I like Dean Erickson better but even though Curry returns, the personality of the GK1 Gabriel does not return so that's okay. Grace has a completely new actress. In addition to Tim Curry another voice actress from the first game returns: Susan Silo (Madame Cazanoux) voices multiple characters. -Some great music. The music is not as good as the first 2 games but there are still some undeniably great pieces of music here. Cons: -the graphics. This is the big one. This game uses 3D graphics done by amateurs who had no experience with 3D. The painted graphics of GK1 and the FMV graphics of GK2 were fine, but Sierra fixed what wasn't broken. -A few bad puzzles. GK3 has the infamous mustache puzzle , and that isn't even the worst puzzle in the game. There is also a puzzle where you radio someone for advice on fighting a demon WHILE YOU ARE FIGHTING THE DEMON -Not a compelling storyline IMO. The first 2 games had AMAZING storylines. This game's storyline just doesn't do much for me.
In the 2nd "Gabriel Knight" game, Gabriel is now living in Germany where his ancestors lived for centuries. The people of Rittersburg come to his door asking him to work on a case involving werewolves, which he reluctantly accepts. Along the way, he learns a lot about wolves, werewolves, Munich, and Ludwig II. This game uses FMV graphics, which means that the game is essentially like a movie, only you can interact with that. I LOVE this setup, it makes the game feels so realistic and it really does feel like a movie. It wouldn't work for all games but it works great for "Gabriel Knight." If you don't like FMV games because they are often too easy, don't let that stop you from buying this one. This game has some puzzles that you need to solve. Some of the puzzles are some of the best puzzles I have ever seen in an adventure game. The game also requires you to explore everywhere all the time, since there are quite a few points in the game where doing one thing in one location triggers something seemingly unrelated in another location. Some people don't like this, but I think it's a good thing because it prevents the game from becoming too easy. It is easier than the other "Gabriel Knight" games, but harder than most FMV games. The story, music, and acting are all awesome! Tim Curry and Leah Remini are gone, but their replacements Dean Erickson and Joanne Takahashi are even better IMO. The only thing about the first game that I prefer over the 2nd game is the music. GK2's soundtrack pales in comparison to GK1. However, almost every video game soundtrack in history pales in comparison to the GK1 soundtrack, so that is not a bad thing. Overall, as great as the first "Gabriel Knight" game is, "Gabriel Knight 2" is even better.
I am a fan of the "Leisure Suit Larry" series and I do not like this game. I don't see why everybody thinks it's the best game in the series. The artwork is terrible. I have never been a fan of the "upgrade" from VGA graphics to SVGA graphics. VGA graphics were fine. Why did Sierra have to fix what wasn't broken? And because of the artwork, the women in this game are not attractive (which defeats the whole purpose of the game) and while I get that Larry is not supposed to be attractive, in this game he looks bad even for Larry. The cut scenes are fun, which I guess is why the game is so popular. The problem is getting them to happen. The interface is really REALLY hard to figure out. It's a hybrid of point -and-click and text parser. I don't know of any other game that has an interface like this. The puzzles are hard enough without this interface and trying to solve the puzzles while you're trying to figure out the interface... UGH! I had to use a walkthrough a lot, which defeats the purpose. There are no deaths. I have found that adventure games where you can't die are less fun than the ones that you can die in. In addition to not being pretty, none of the women are all that likable. I wouldn't sleep with any of them. Then again Larry will sleep with just about any female. The voice acting is... okay for this game, but would be bad in most other games. The voice acting for "Larry 6" was much better. The music is also okay for this game, but I don't care for it. The jazzy version of the Larry theme strips the tune of all its charm IMO. There's even a gambling game that you can't skip. Why did Al Lowe never learn that gambling does not belong in adventure games? Worst of all, the plot makes no sense. The introduction, showing us how we got from "Larry 6" to Larry 7" is the most nonsensical thing ever. The best things I can say about this game are: it has no dead ends, you can teleport where you need to go easily, and it's better than "Larry 5."
"Leisure Suit Larry" is a series of adventure games put out by Sierra. What makes it different from other adventure games is that instead of trying to be a hero, the goal is to get laid. This unique formula turned out to be highly successful. "Leisure Suit Larry" became Sierra's highest-selling series of adventure games except for "King's Quest." "Leisure Suit Larry 1," is a good start to the series. It gives you a feel of what the series is going to be like. "Leisure Suit Larry 2" is more like a traditional adventure game. A goofy traditional adventure game for adults. This is not a good game, but the humor makes is worthwhile. "Leisure Suit Larry 3" returns to the formula of the first game (trying to get laid instead of being a hero). It has its flaws, but I love this game. There is no "Leisure Suit Larry 4." To find out why, play "Space Quest 4." "Leisure Suit Larry 5" stinks. This is the main reason I give this collection 4 stars instead of 5. "Leisure Suit Larry 6" is a near-flawless game. It should be regarded as one of the greatest adventure games ever made. This collection excludes "Leisure Suit Larry 7," but that's no big loss. So yes, if you're looking for a comedic adventure game for adults, "Leisure Suit Larry" is for you. Just a warning: some of the games have age protection, so in order to play them you have to be able to answer some questions to verify that you are old enough. And since the original "Leisure Suit Larry 1" came out in 1987, the questions were designed for people who would be adults in 1987. If you weren't an adult in 1987, it may be difficult to start playing the game.
"Gabriel Knight" is one of the best adventure games ever made. It was designed by Jane Jensen, who designed "King's Quest 6," which is widely considered the best game in that series. "Gabriel Knight" is a murder mystery game. The main character is not your typical hero. He starts off working a mundane job, where he makes so little money he actually sleeps in the store where he works. On top of that he's not even a pleasant human being at first. At the every beginning of the game, Gabriel's best friend describes him as a "lout." However, he learns a lot throughout the game and he develops and matures. So, if you don't like the main character at first, don't let that stop you from continuing to play. Play all the way to the end and then judge him (and the game). Aside from Gabriel, there are many other characters in this game, and you learn a lot about almost all of them. I don't know of many other games where you get such in-depth knowledge of so many characters who would otherwise be minor characters. Another fascinating thing about the "Gabriel Knight" games is they give you a lot of fascinating real-life information. In this game, you learn a lot about Voodoo and about New Orleans. The story, voice acting, and music are all top notch: there are no words strong enough to properly explain how awesome the game is in all 3 areas. You may think that a point-and-click adventure game will be easy, since there's only a limited number of things you can try and then you solve puzzles by accident. That's not the case for this game. You have to really know what you're doing. There are a few puzzles I don't like, but most of the puzzles in this game are great puzzles, and I wouldn't want a game that's too easy. There's not much else that needs to be said, and it's already been said by most other people. Gabriel Knight is an amazing game. Buy it and play it.
Conquests of Camelot is an adventure game centering around King Arthur and his search for the grail. Pros: -The best thing about this game is the music. Mark Seibert did an awesome job with the soundtrack, and that kept me playing the game even when I discovered something I didn't like. -Good storyline. You go around helping people as you look for what you want -Mostly good puzzles The mandatory puzzles in this game are mostly good, although not that hard. -Fun arcade sequences. I normally don't enjoy arcade sequences, but I liked most of the ones in this game. There is one exception which I'll get to later -Riddles: This is a pro and a con. On one hand I enjoyed them, and I was able to solve most of them on my own. On the other hand, there are no hints for them and you have to solve 5 of them. This means that if you solve 4 of them on your own, you're still stuck. Cons: -Quite a few of the puzzles were just copy protection. This game has more copy protection than most -You're supposed to be doing this in part because you want to earn your wife's love. But she cheated on your before the events of the game and she continues to cheat on you after you beat it. Why do we want to earn her love? In addition, you have to rescue the guy with whom she's cheating on you with. -If you want perfect score, you have to do things no one could think of doing. Who would think to ask Merlin about Hezekiah? -The Saracen fight. I hate it hate it hate it hate it hate it. It's difficult even on the easy setting, and you can't skip it. Not to mention the music for that fight had already been used for an earlier fight in the game -Riddles: This is a pro and a con. On one hand I enjoyed them, and I was able to solve most of them on my own. On the other hand, there are no hints for them and you have to solve 5 of them. This means that if you solve 4 of them on your own, you're still stuck. All in all, it is a good game.
Although this game is a sequel to Conquests of Camelot, we no longer play as King Arthur (you probably already knew that). What makes it a sequel is that it's the same kind of game. Both Conquests games are adventure games based on well-known mythologies. Both games are a mixture of puzzles, riddles, copy protection, and arcade sequences. I believe Longbow is the better of the 2 games. One reason is that it is nicer with the arcade sequences that Camelot. Longbow gives you the option to skip the arcade sequences, although this forfeits points. You can also set the difficulty to the 2nd lowest rating (making the arcades as easy as possible without skipping them), and still get the full score which you couldn't do in Camelot. Another thing that makes Longbow better is a woman who is worth rescuing and marrying (if you are familiar with Robin Hood, you probably know who this is), who doesn't cheat on you. Longbow also doesn't have any nonsensical "Ask about Hezekiah" type puzzles (yeah I know that's an optional puzzle, but not if you want full points). Lastly, Longbow has multiple endings. There's a good ending, a bad ending, and several neutral endings. And getting a different ending isn't as simple as doing one thing (like eating the fruit in "King's Quest 4) or not doing one thing (like not giving Edgar the extra life in "King's Quest 7"). You have to spend the whole game working for the ending you want. This gives Longbow some replayability which most adventure games don't have. One criticism: The puzzles are mostly too easy. One common criticism of Sierra games is that they are unfairly difficult. Christy Marx set out to avoid that problem, which she did, I think this game leans closer to the other extreme. She may have given us too many hints. I could've used more of a challenge. 2 exceptions are some riddles (which are impossible and there are no hints), and a tough timing puzzle right before the riddles.
