Again (second time in total for me) with the inane and unsubstantiated claim that GK 3 killed the genre. Whoever says that GK 3 is bad obviously played like only two adventure games in his/her life (most probably GK 1 and GK 2). A game that has the atmosphere, depth, interactivity, voice acting, music and sheer brilliance (can you say Les Serpent Rouge?) of GK 3 can't be bad. You can object to certain design choices (the only one I can think of is the somewhat sloppy graphics), but that is resorting to nit-picking. Picking on the game because of one single (ONE!) puzzle is petty and lame. Instead of bitching and moaning about the cat puzzle why don't these (few) people even mention the awesome Les Serpent Rouge? Because they choose to be biased against the game. Simple as that. And as for graphics - if a game is good enough, even the crappiest graphics can be disregarded, and vice versa. need I mention certain games that got a GARGANTUAN pass simply because of gorgeous graphics? Runaway is a great example. It's inferior to GK 3 on so many aspects (all of them I daresay, except for graphics), but it got away with murder simply thanks to eye-candy. Talk about absurdity and superficial. But oh well.
I'm still waiting for the proof that GK 3 killed the genre (it was more likely KQ 8, but this is a futile and juvenile debate, reminiscent of my 3rd grade days).
I have to agree with my previous commenter, GK 3 is not as deplorable as some may lead people to believe. It was the first adventure game I ever played and I found myself in love with the genre from that moment on. To say, it is better or worse than its two predecessors is not for me to judge but to disregard it as a interesting title based mostly on graphics - and one bad puzzle amongst far more intelligent ones - alone is unwarrented. It is a great title in its own right and I just hope that people don't ignore GK 3 because of how 'bad' some people percieve it to be.
It's probably because of that one Old Man Murray article people like to throw around all over this place.
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Two spectacular games...and that other one
Gabriel Knight was probably the most mature of Sierra's adventure game offerings. I don't mean a "titties and beer" style like the Leisure Suit Larry games; I mean, it was intelligently written, delved into serious topics with respect, and featured a morally-challenged main character. It was also one of the few series I can name to span three entirely different Adventure Game subgenres, and did two of them wonderfully.
The first Gabriel Knight was a straight 2D point-and-click game. Gabriel Knight, a wanna-be author with a struggling used book store, is investigating the Voodoo Murders, a series of killings rocking New Orleans. At first, he just wants to find some material for his book; before long, however, he gets sucked into an ancient conspiracy involving his family's history as Schattenjägers (modern-day witch hunters). The game was perfectly constructed, with challenging puzzles, an incredibly moving story, and a great protagonist in Gabriel. It also had Mark Hamill as Detective Mosely, so that's a plus.
The second game, The Beast Within, was a Full Motion Video game, and unlike Sierra's other outing, was an awesome title. Gabe has taken on the job of Schattenjäger, has moved to Germany, and is trying to write his next book. He is then approached with a new case: a farmer's daughter was murdered by what he thinks is a werewolf. Meanwhile, Grace Nakamura, Gabe's long-suffering assistant, decides she wants in on the fun and heads for Germany. Gabe investigates a hunting club in Munich, while Grace pieces together the history of Ludwig II and his connection to the "Black Wolf." Despite the genre's limitations (interaction was minimal, and the acting ranged from great to So Bad Its Good), it succeeded at telling a compelling tale.
Then came Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. This time the game was in full 3D...and pretty damn bad 3D, even for the time. Gabriel and Grace are asked to look after a lord's baby...which they botch immediately when vampires kidnap it. Gabe chases them to Rennes-le-Château, where he and Grace discover a link to the bloodline of Jesus. So bad, it laid the finishing blow to adventure games. Just mentioning the cat puzzle can incite adventure game fans to riot.
In short, play the first two, avoid the third.