PC CD-ROM. Minimum requirements: 486DX/33mhz; 8MB RAM; 20MB hard disk space; DOS 5.0; Dual speed CD-ROM drive; VGA. £39.99
AFTER Gabriel Knight's exploits in Sins of the Father he again finds himself wrapped up in the supernatural. This time around Gabriel is embroiled in a murder mystery werewolves.
While he is working on his latest novel in rural Germany, the local villagers turn to him for assistance in ridding the town of its nightmare. Meanwhile, his assistant Grace Nakimura, who is running his bookstore in New Orleans, is about to find herself involved, in his latest investigation.
Consequently you not only control Gabriel's actions - in some chapters you play the role of Grace. Each chapter only ends when you have accomplished certain criteria, and a target figure at the top of the screen shows your progress.
The Beast Within comes on a whopping six CDs, which can only mean one thing: Full Motion Video (FMV). Unlike Sins of the Father, the characters are real actors, not hand drawn effigies. This detracts from the game's atmosphere - it's a bit like looking at a Marvel comic with actors replacing the exquisitely and imaginatively drawn cartoon superheroes. FMV may be flavour of the month, but just because it's more expensive and technically superior doesn't necessarily mean it's better.
Despite this, The Beast Within is a highly enjoyable point and click adventure. Like its predecessor it has an abundance of puzzles to solve, some of which are far more difficult than others. If you completed Sins of the Father and are hungry for more of the supernatural, this sequel should satisfy your appetite.
Graphics: 75%, Sound: 82%, Gameplay: 86%