I have been playing the King's Quest series for as long as I can remember. The entire collection, especially for the time period, is captivating for those who love the old DOS adventures. The original version of King's Quest 3 story is as follows:
In King's Quest III, the story moves away from the mystical kingdom of Daventry and King Graham. The adventurer finds him or herself the land of Llewdor. There is a short introduction that explains briefly about the wizard Manannan and why he does not allow his slaves to reach adulthood.
It is here that we meet a boy named Gwydion. The boy is being kept by the wicked magician Manannan (for reasons that are revealed later in the game). In his youth Gwydion had been abucted from Daventry by the Manannan when he was young. The boy has no memory of his former life or family. "To Heir is Human" tells the story of his journey back to Daventry and eventual reunion with his long lost parents and sister.
The player plays Gwydion in King’s Quest III. The events that take place in the game have a good variety. Gwydion ends his imprisonment by turning Manannan into a cat (the cat is also reintroduced in KQ 7). Gwydion goes on to escape Llewdor and
returns to Daventry. All of these events are link to later in the Quest Series (namely King's Quest Five) At the conclusion of the game, the escapee manages to save both the land and Princess Rosella, who was being attacked by a large three headed dragon.
Initially many people, including myself, did not understand the "To Heir is Human" in the series but in the end Gwydion finally discovers that he is actually the royal couple's lost son, Alexander. This twin of Rosella does not come into play again until the seventh edition of King's Quest (another gem.)
There is much to love about this series as was stated before. The interaction (and voice work) from the VGA can get annoying sometimes but overall this was a well-made fan version. The puzzles are especially good for both amateur and expert players. Families can also breathe easy as there is no violence in these games.
Some might even prefer it to the original KQ 3. There is the inclusion of backgrounds redrawn using a 16bit color scheme, which only appears in later editions of King's Quest. There is also enhanced dialog between the characters but to add a level of sophistication there is additional music from a professional composer. However, this game is essentially the original with better graphics, and if you enjoy fetch quests, unusual inventory, interesting puzzles (both simple and complex) and a quirky sense of humor, you should enjoy this adventure game, so point and click away!
