The third installment of Jane Jensen's critically acclaimed PC adventure game series, Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, places Gabriel Knight, the series' detective hero, squarely in the midst of an intricate two-thousand year-old web of deceit and intrigue. The Catholic church, the enigmatic Knights Templar, and the ancient evil of vampires are all involved. Invited to the cozy and secluded Rennes-le-Chateau in Southern France on what initially appears to be an innocent social call, Gabriel quickly finds that he must instead rescue a kidnapped child

The third Gabriel Knight mystery promises to combine what was great about both games, while at the same time eliminating the more negative aspects of both. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father had great animation and good voice work from Tim Curry (as Gabriel) and Mark Hamill (as Detective Hank Mosely). Gabriel Knight II: the Beast Within made an unfortunate move to FMV, but even the fledgling format couldn't hamper the game's complex and frightening story - it may be the best story in any game ever.

Gabriel Knight III will return to an animated format (though it will be a full 3D engine, which in itself looks promising), and Tim Curry will once again provide the voice of Gabriel. And the story seems like it could top its predecessor. The mysterious church is a great setting (just do some research on the Rennes-le-Chateau to see for yourself); throw in some religious intrigue, vampires, and a mysterious ending that supposedly caused quite a few ripples at Sierra, and you have a promising formula indeed.