Police Quest III: The Kindred

Gameplay

Police Quest III uses a point and click interface common to adventure games of the time. The mouse is used to select and interact with objects from the game world and the player's inventory, as well as to direct the player character around the various environments. For the most part the player is able to take their time in examining clues and solving puzzles, though there are also several time sensitive combat situations, in which the player must quickly access and use their side arm to shoot a suspect before being shot first.

The game also features a manual driving minigame whenever the player travels from one location to another; it is similar to that found in the original Police Quest, though the interface has been simplified and streamlined. In order to complete the driving sequences, the player must refer to a printed map which was packaged with the game, a gameplay element which was intended as a form of copy protection. There are also several points in the game in which, after arresting a suspect, a five digit "offense code" must be given correctly; they are only available from the game's physical manual.

Plot

Since the events of the previous game, Sonny and Marie have gotten married, and Sonny has been promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Lytton has expanded into a fully fledged city, with an increased crime rate to match. Due to a shortage of highway patrol officers, Sonny is assigned to highway patrol and deals with a few drivers on the freeway, including a slow driver, a speeder, and a drunk driver. After Marie is stabbed and left in a coma towards the end of day 1, and Sonny is assigned to investigate the crime, while making visits to the hospital to take care of her. Over the course of the game he must deal with a cocaine cartel operating in Lytton, a Satanic cult of which the serial killer who attacked Marie is part of, a corrupt partner named Pat Morales and finally the appearance of Michael Bains, the brother of Jesse, who was killed by Sonny at the climax of Police Quest II. At the end, Pat Morales reveals her true colors, only to be shot by Detective Hooks of internal affairs, notified by Bonds of her possible affiliation with the cult.

Development

Released in 1991 for SCI version 1, Police Quest III is completely mouse-driven. It was only released for the IBM PC and the Amiga. During the late development stages of this game, Jim Walls left Sierra for reasons that have still not been publicly explained. Sierra employee Jane Jensen finalized the writing for the still unfinished Police Quest III, and SWAT founder Daryl F. Gates was named to take over of the Police Quest series. Walls, along with several former Sierra employees, would go on to design Blue Force.

Reception

Computer Gaming World called Police Quest 3: The Kindred "the best of the series to date", stating that the no-typing interface greatly improved gameplay. In 1992, Dragon gave the game 2 out of 5 stars. Amiga User International praised the graphics and realism of the Amiga version and gave the game a score of 91%. In reviewing the PC version, Zero likewise praised the graphics and realism, though they were critical of the long load times when moving from one location to another and the precision demanded by the controls, and awarded the game a total score of 79%.