The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

Ah, my friend Gabriel, come in, its so good to see you.

These are the words politely uttered by Gabriels lawyer in Munich. German politness, but the local police chief sneers at him like a rabid schaefer. The mysterious Baron von Glover is the coolest caracter in the game. He hangs around in an expensive hunting club, and he is just beyond coolness. All in all a great game. Forget that is is a few years old, its still good fun.

I just played Gabriel Knight 2 for the first time, and I am astounded that it is actually quite a few years old but still hardly feels dated! I had heard such good things about it, and it lives up every bit to it's reputation. GK2 isn't just a game - it's an experience. Like another reviewer mentioned, you'll come away from it feeling like you've read an amazing novel or watched a stunning movie. The story line is complex and engrossing, and the acting for the most part is above-average. But what elevates the game from excellent to out-of-this-world is Peter Lucas' performance as the enigmatic and sexy baron von Glower. It's such a shame FMV has a bad reputation, because I feel live actors breathe life into their characters in a way that 3D never can. I would love love GK4 or a Gabriel Knight movie, featuring the same cast of course, even if they've aged!

"Gabriel Night : The beast within" was "only" a videogame.....but I think it would be a wonderful movie.....I hope someone else will think about it. (Using the same cast,of course!)

I do not think A Gabriel Knight Mystery is as good as Sins of the Fathers and Blood of the Sacred, but as a game it is a lot of fun. The story is great, quite complicated but it is a lot of fun to see unfolded and resolved, with a number of interesting sequences. The look of the game impresses too, it looks colourful and sophisticated and all the characters are impressively rendered. The score is very good, with plenty of energy.

The dialogue is witty and smart, and I liked the characters. For the first time, I thought Gabriel was overshadowed by the villain of the piece a suave, mysterious and charismatic one by the name of Baron Frederich Von Glower, brilliantly voiced by Peter Lucas. Dean Erickson does do an above average job as Gabriel, he is funny and clever not to mention both likable and oily, but there are one or two times when his line delivery falls a little flat. Although I much prefer Tim Curry, who actually IS Gabriel, Erickson does do a good enough job to not make me feel I missed him too much.

All in all, a surprisingly good game and definitely worth playing. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Even if you are not into computer adventure games, I assure you it's worth it to play this one so you could watch all those great FMV! Especially Peter Lucas as Von Glower! Trust me, it's you loss if you miss his performance as the charismatic baron. And the story itself is first class!