The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

I cannot say anything else of this FMV-IF-game that it is magnificient. Great cast, great plot, great music, amazing atmosphere. After the stiffness of the early game Dean fits in the role of Gabe like a fist in the crack. The feelings when played through were more like having read through a magnificient book series than having played through a game.

I'll admit...when I first saw the opening movie with Dean Erickson behind the typewriter, I chuckled to myself and thought "who the hell is this joker?" Indeed, as the game began, Erickson did little to change this sentiment. But then something happened: he got better and better as the game went on. Don't get me wrong, he's not exactly the same Gabe that was written for Tim Curry, but Erickson has a personality all his own. In the hunting lodge, Erickson reaches the apex of his character. He just seemed so cool and natural, a regular guy (albeit a schattenjager) caught up in an extremely horrendous situation.

But the rest of the acting is also superb. I've played a few FMV games and they were TERRIBLE. God, even the one with Christopher Walken was a disaster. But this game, filled with unknowns, delivers the best acting that I have ever seen in a video game. Kudos to all involved.

The oscar goes to: Peter Lucas. A 200 year old werewolf with homo-erotic tendencies. This guy was great. Funny, charming, likeable, and very cool. You never know exactly what he's thinking.

Also, the girl that played Grace was excellent, which is good because you control her for half the game. In fact, nobody really stunk. Wait a minute, this is a game we're talking about right?

Oh yeah. Great story, great puzzles, great sound/music/video/everything. Jane Jensen is GOD.

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!

Not many Full Motion Video games being put out now, but The

Beast Within is the best of them all, hands down. The second in

the Gabriel Knight series, Gabe is now in Germany trying to

solve murders involving a werewolf. But what does a lost opera

by Wagner have to do with it? Incredible storylines, fine acting

by all involved, and wonderfully rendered backgrounds.

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