Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon - PC

Also known as: Broken Sword 3

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Also for: PS2, Xbox, GameCube
Viewed: 3D Combination Genre:
Adventure
Media: CD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Revolution Soft. Co.: Revolution
Publishers: THQ (GB)
Released: 14 Nov 2003 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 12+
Accessories: Mouse, Keyboard

Summary

Broken Sword has been around for a long, long time - the original was one of the most popular 'point and click' adventure games of the 90's. True, the original looks a little rough dated now, but George and Nico look an awful lot better - and easier on the eye - in this new adventure for PC, The Sleeping Dragon. Broken Sword has made the leap into the third dimension.

We've seen Broken Sword on PC before, but never like this. The Sleeping Dragon benefits from developer Revolution's own graphic engine, and character movement is assisted by the studio's proprietary Virtual Actor Engine. Even a fair-to-medium powered PC could make this game shine.

So, it looks good, but how does it play? Well, that character movement we mentioned is fluid and easy to control, even on PC, and the gameplay is as deep as it gets. Fans of the previous Broken Sword games will not feel let down as they assume the role of the intrepid George Stobbart, as he teams up with his good friend Nico for another adventure of epic proportions. The adventure is on a global scale, taking players through a variety of European cities such as Glastonbury, Paris and Prague, and carries them as far as The Congo. Can you save mankind from a global catastrophe? And can you imagine how much shopping George had to do to get all those air miles?

Revolution has done a fine job of taking Broken Sword into the third dimension. They've retained the background detail that was so impressive in the game's predecessors and done away with all that pointing and clicking. Sound effects and voice acting are absolutely top-notch, the script is well written, and the story deep, but not too difficult to follow.

Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is a massive achievement for Revolution, and publisher THQ has another hit on their hands, we reckon. PC adventure gamers will lap this up.