Rating: 
Summary: Great classic adventure with all new style
Review: Broken Sword 3 takes the classic adventure gameplay of the first two games, and gives it a whole new slant by switching everything to 3D, and it works wonderfully for the most part. If you've played Grim Fandango, imagine a much-improved version of that engine, and you can picture what BS3 is like. Unlike in Grim Fandango, though, the controls here felt intuitive right from the beginning. I've read several reviews that complained about how cumbersome this game is, but I can't imagine what problems those people encountered. I'll be the first to admit that I'm lousy at handling anything other than the simplest interface when it comes to gaming, and BS3 just felt natural from the very first puzzle.
One thing I really enjoyed about BS3 is that it just felt more "adventurous" than most adventure games. This is due in part to the way you must perform Tomb Raider like maneuvers at certain points (shimmying along ledges, stacking crates, jumping gaps, etc.) Don't worry, though, it's still purely an adventure game, and you won't need to rely on twitch-reflexes to get through these portions of the game.
There are, however, a few sequences in which you will need some good reflexes. For the most part, these sequences play out like scenes from the classic laser-disc game Dragon's Lair, and it's merely a matter of moving in the right direction at the right time. If you screw it up, the game kindly lets you try again, even if you neglected to save recently.
Storywise, this one is pretty solid. There's a fairly complex plot involving the knights templar, and there are enough twists to keep you interested throughout. I liked the fact that George and Nico (the two playable protagonists) start out with seemingly unrelated storylines in different parts of the world, and it isn't until later that you realize how everything is connected. It's a good technique that's rarely (if ever) seen in games.
One word of caution-be sure to update your drivers before playing this. I couldn't get the game to load at all until I updated my sound and graphics drivers. However, once I did so, everything ran smoothly, and I didn't encounter any bugs at all, and that's a rare treat these days!
Rating:
Summary: Great Tech Support!
Review: Gave my daughter this game for Xmas, she loves it. She's been glued to the computer. But the day after Xmas our computer crashed while she was playing it. As a result the game started to uninstall itself. We foolishly aborted the uninstall, so after we got the computer running again the game wouldn't play nor could we get it to uninstall completely. We should have just let it totally uninstall, then reinstalled it. So, I wasn't optimistic about getting tech support to help, esp since the product wasnt defective. Tech support is in Canada (yeah!!) and they were WONDERFUL -- walked me through how to uninstall it completely. Stayed on the line with me until it had been removed. Then it was simple to just reinstall it. After having only terrible experiences with tech support from other software company, this company is like a breath of fresh air!! Nice to know exceptional tech support still exists somewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A game for history buffs
Review: Have you ever wondered about the Voynich Manuscript? How about the Knights Templar? Did you know why Solomon's Temple is so important to Christians and Knights Templar both? Did you ever wonder why the ancient Egyptians might have built their pyramids? Or what made Excalibur so powerful?If you were ever curious about any of the above--or just wanted a good wine recommendation and the chance to solve some intriguing puzzles without once touching a gun this game is for you. I am not a gamer and, to be honest, this is the very first game I finished. I quite literally could not leave it alone--the story and the puzzles alike kept me glued to my keyboard and monitor. For in this game you as Niko and George travel to the Congo, Europe, England, Middle East, and back to England, encountering mythological characters from around the globe. In what other game out this season can you find a dragon and Anubis side-by-side? And, of course, the good guys never, ever touch a gun. Who needs bullets if you have smarts? But smarts you most definitely need. Puzzle after intriguing puzzle await you here. And you cannot skip the cut scenes in this game--this is not a cut and slash game where the object is to kill anything that moves; here the cut scenes hold clues you will need to save the world. In fact, saving the world is about the only thing this game has in common with the slash-and-burn games we have all seen so often. But then, after all, it IS a game. And a truly fantastic one at that.
Rating: 
Summary: The rebirth of a genre
Review: Having been a huge fan of the two previous Broken Sword games I eagerly anticipated the release of the third installment in this brilliant graphic adventure series. I struggled with the rating of this game, I wanted to give it the full 5 stars but unfortunately there are one or two minor niggles which do detract from the overall enjoyment factor. But let's focus on the positives first, and there are plenty. BS:TSD is a tale of epic adventure, exploration and intrigue. Our intrepid heroes, George Stobbart and Nico Collard are once again thrust into a world riddled with ancient conspiracies and secret codes as they attempt to unravel the truth about a mysterious earth energy known as dragon power. From the outset, George ends up getting stranded in the Congo after the plane he was in crashes, whilst Nico witnesses the murder of a man in a Parisian apartment block, until eventually their two stories intertwine and they learn that they are both investigating the same case. Graphically this game is beautiful. The backgrounds are lovingly crafted, colours are vibrant and vivid, lighting and shadow effects are spot on, character animation is second to none and the lip synching is superb. It is a fully realised 3D world and the attention to detail is incredible. The music is suitably moody and atmospheric and the voice acting (George is once again voiced by Rolf Saxon as in the previous two games) is of a very high quality. Movement of George and Nico is with the arrow keys and there are four action mapped keys corresponding to the icons on screen, i.e, look, use, etc. This new interface takes about five minutes to get used to and is simple enough. Of course, the integral part of any adventure game are it's puzzles and this is where the first criticism can be levelled. Whilst almost always fun and logical to figure out they are a bit on the easy side and seasoned adventurers will rarely have trouble progressing. Quite simply, there are'nt any that match the complexity found in the previous games and this is a slight disappointment. And there are crate puzzles too. Lots of them. Whilst initially enjoyable there are far too many of them and they do tend to disrupt the flow of the game. There are also action elements implemented into the gameplay. Frequently you will find yourself leaping across chasms, shimmying across ledges and climbing walls. Another new feature are the timed action events in which you are put in danger and must react quickly. This simply involves pressing the only key available at the time, and even if you do die the game restarts from the point where you made the fatal error so you don't need to load a saved game and lose any progress you may have made. Occasionally, stealth will have to be employed to evade guards and dogs. This sometimes leads to awkward, confusing camera angles in conjunction with the character's movement, although by and large the camera often conveys a wonderfully cinematic feel to the proceedings. Paris, Glastonbury, Prague and Egypt are just some of the locations you will visit and explore, among others, and you will meet and interact with an interesting cast of characters, gathering information and vital clues to assist you further. The dialogue between George and Nico is often humorous, at times touching and a narrative high point in the script. There are also references to people and events from the two previous games, so although BS:TSD can be played as a stand alone adventure it's best to play the other two games first or it might seem a little mystifying. Another slight disappointment is that the game is a bit on the short side and leaves you wanting more. One or two minor irritations aside, Broken Sword The Sleeping Dragon is a wonderfully told tale, with rich, detailed environments, a movie quality script and acting, and is a fitting conclusion to an outstanding trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing but Good
Review: I absolutely loved the first two games in the series, but in comparison, Sleeping Dragon is a huge step down. For those unfamiliar with the first two games, Broken Sword is about an American man and French female encountering conspiracies involving secret societies that trace themselves back to the middle-ages (e.g. the Templars). The storylines are intelligent and exciting with roots in interesting historical facts and modern speculation, and the lead characters have well-developed personalities and witty dialogue. Overall, I consider this series better than Gabriel Knight, although this last installment is weaker than any of the Gabriel Knights. The 3D graphics are nice, but I would have preferred more of an animated movie approach like the first two games, and a lot of what made the series special is missing. There is far less character interaction, which was one of the great strengths of the first two games. For example, in the first two games, if you presented any inventory item to most of the characters, they would have a specific, often hilarious, response to most of the items. Now George just makes some stock comment like "I decided not to" or "That did not seem appropriate". Also, while the new interface is easy to use, it also limits your choices of what actions to take. This results in the puzzles being far easier with the interface now often giving away what you need to do. The puzzles in this third game are less interesting. The gameplay is more linear. The puzzles often consist of moving boxes around in order to climb to a specific spot, sneaking past guards with perfect timing, or pressing a button when the matching icon suddenly pops up on the screen in order to survive a timed puzzle (or else you get killed and you go through the whole long scene all over again with no option to skip dialogue). And there is a lot less interesting historical information or detective work involving tracking down info. The only scene which comes close to the first two games is the first time you spend in Glastonbury. Still, Broken Sword holds up extremely well compared to the increasingly lame adventure game genre we are stuck with since Sierra and Lucas Arts have now abandoned the series which made them great in the first place. The ending of the game fails to resolve everything within this lastest installment (e.g. why Petra claims to have met Nico before and hates her so much), let alone questions left over from the first two games (e.g. the comic relief tourists -- is the husband a CIA agent or not?). Which give me hope there will be a fourth game, although the series has always been referred to as a planned trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: I eagerly awaited this 3rd episode and was very disappointed. The graphics are not as good as the 1st two games, and the use of the arrow keys, rather than the mouse, was cumbersome. I r ead that the creators of the game say that this is the future of adventure games. I certainly hope not as, in my opinion, the mouse action is so much smoother. The rich color of the 1st two games was amazing, and since this game is several years ahead, I expected more in the way of lush graphics. It was not there. It was difficult to get the characters to move in straight lines. I found the game concentrated too much on eye-hand quick coordination to get through many parts, rather than logic. I did not enjoy spending hours trying to progress through the game by learning which keys to press, in which order, and doing it without missing a beat. To me, that is not an "adventure game" but rather a game of beating the clock. I finally through in the towel about 3/4 through.
Rating:
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: I eagerly awaited this 3rd episode and was very disappointed. The graphics are not as good as the 1st two games, and the use of the arrow keys, rather than the mouse, was cumbersome. I r ead that the creators of the game say that this is the future of adventure games. I certainly hope not as, in my opinion, the mouse action is so much smoother. The rich color of the 1st two games was amazing, and since this game is several years ahead, I expected more in the way of lush graphics. It was not there. It was difficult to get the characters to move in straight lines. I found the game concentrated too much on eye-hand quick coordination to get through many parts, rather than logic. I did not enjoy spending hours trying to progress through the game by learning which keys to press, in which order, and doing it without missing a beat. To me, that is not an "adventure game" but rather a game of beating the clock. I finally through in the towel about 3/4 through.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant story, beautifully rendered
Review: I was a long time fan of the first two Broken Sword games and eagerly anticipated the release of number 3. I was a little worried at first with the move to 3D, concerned that it would turn into just another 'Tomb Raider' style game, where nimbleness of fingers was more important than dexterity of brain. Thankfully, this was not the case. The puzzles start of absurdly easy, which was a bit of a worry, but thankfully became more challenging as the game went on. The story is intriguing (even if you are not particularly interested in the Knights Templar, it is a great murder-mystery), the graphics are beautiful and the characters are given voice by real actors. (n.b. I played this on the PS2, but Amazon appears not to have a listing for that platform).
Rating: 
Summary: Ok game
Review: I would consider this more of a platform game than an Adventure game. The character interaction is great, and the graphics and locations are cool, but my biggest problem has been with the timed projects that need to be completed. I don't know if I just need a better graphics card, or what but I had a really hard time getting my characters to move where I wanted them to. With the timed events this becomes a serious problem. Other than that it is overall a good game.
Rating:
Summary: Pipe and slippers.
Review: If you haven't played any broken sword games before then I would advise you to check out all the reviews first. This is a very neat game but it's like reading a long novel or sitting through all lord of the rings movies back to back. This game requires a lot of thinking and problem solving with not a great deal of action going on at times. Don't get me wrong the graphics are great and the voice acting and sound are top notch. It's just different from the tomb raiders or metal gear solids of today. If you want something different and want to use your brain more than your thumbs then this is well worth checking out. All the original voices are back from the first two games and the story is well told and executed to keep you interested. Problems must be solved in a particular order though and you don't get much freedom to solve them in your own way. But don't let that put you off, as most games of this type seem to suffer from the same problem. I did however miss the 2D format from the first games and the point and click interface has now been replaced by a Resident evil type control system. So overall a good game just remember to get out the pipe and slippers before playing!
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