PC Review: Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon

Sometimes we spend minutes at the feet of Capt. Maverick as he tells us of the very first computer games. He told me of how, in the first days of the computer, there were no graphics and only words, and how the very first game he played on a computer was an adventure game about dungeons and you would type in the directions, "east" and it would tell you what you would see in that direction and how then you would type "move east" and go there. Wow, he sure is old!

Adventure games have come a long way in that time. But the basic concepts are still in play. They are not fast-paced first-person shooters but instead slow down the pace and make you think.

Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is just such a game in that it is loaded with adventure and puzzles that make you think. Some situations in the game require you to open a safe by listening for the tumblers, while others require you to identify blood types by testing several others where the type is known so that you can find out what to look for when typing the new ones. In some cases you will have the opportunity to decode letters using an authentic Enigma machine developed by the Nazi's during World War II, (at least Mav says it's authentic). In other cases you have to use a thumbtack to defuse a booby trap or a monkey wrench to disarm an old unexploded mortar shell. But there is a lot of variety to the way each situation is puzzled out.

The gamer plays the role of Father Arno Moriani who, in 1920, is sent by the Vatican to the little town of Vladoviste in Transylvania. Father Arno's initial mission is to investigate the life and death of Dr. Martha Calugarul and the miracles that are reported to surround her. The Vatican is interested in the possibility of the canonization of Dr. Martha, in other words, making her a saint. It's not only the great virtuous life that she lived, but also the miracles that seem to continue after her death. For example the grave digger who's back was healed by leaning against her tombstone and said three prayers.

All of this goes out the window when Father Arno and the Vatican discover that Dr. Martha was not just a great humanitarian, but also a vampire hunter. As we continue through the story, we discover that there have been a number of suspicious deaths in and around this little town of Vladoviste and Dr. Martha has taken to serious investigation of these matters, which include victims with the blood completely drained from their bodies.

Now the course of Father Arno's investigation changes since at this rate, there is no way Dr. Martha is going to see sainthood. Now Father Arno is to investigate vampirism in this little corner of the world, and prove it wrong. It seems that since the publication of this new novel by Bram Stoker has instilled a fervor of belief in vampires again, especially in this part of the world. One of the interesting aspects of Dracula 3 is the use of documents and one of those is the full novel by Bram Stoker, Dracula and you can actually read the full novel if you are so inclined.

As Father Arno now starts his new mission to disprove vampires, all of the evidence seems to point toward their actual existence. And for this priest, this can be a little disconcerting to tell the Vatican that they actually exist. He can't do this without a great deal of evidence proving the facts. So Father Arno has decided to set out on The Path of the Dragon, the path that followers of the one Dracula must complete in order to become one of his chosen. But this path is loaded with a great deal of twists and turns at every point. Leading the gamer to solve a large variety of puzzles in order to complete the investigation.

Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is loaded with detailed environments though there is very limited interaction with objects. You have a full 360 degree view of all areas with just the movement of the mouse and that is nice. But it is limited in the areas in which you can travel as well. You point the mouse in a direction and click and the view will change to that view from that preselected area. In order to interact with objects, the cursor must change to a hand, so the object can be used or manipulated only in the way it was intended, not in the way you might want to. Other objects will allow a certain view of that object such as reading the tombstones. This is not bad, just limited by the nature of the game.

Player models and graphics are also, like the environments, quite nicely done. The animation is well done and looks really good, but don't expect extremely detailed lip-syncing.

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There is a nice selection of background music, and the voice acting is pretty well done. There are some lines that are reused to a point that it makes it apparent, such as the grave digger that doesn't want to talk about that right now.

For the most part, Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is a good game that offers a relaxed game play. It might have been a little more fun to ad a little more of the Gothic taste and turn up the terror level a bit, but it appears to me that the developer was more intent on making a game that is to have a broader appeal. Again, this is a thinking-person's adventure and it shows. You will really have to think outside the box to complete the game, and I think that is it's allure. If you are one of those people who is in the mood for slowing down your game a bit, and really working to investigate and solve problems, then you will likely enjoy Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon.

Overall Score: 7.9 (out of 10)

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