Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is a point and click adventure game developed and produced by Kheops Studio.  As the name suggests, it is the third in the series, with the first two, Dracula: Resurrection and Dracula: The Last Sanctuary, preceding it by nearly a decade. 

The game tells the story of Father Arno Moriani, a catholic priest commissioned by the Vatican to investigate Dr. Martha Calugarul of Vladoviste, Romania.  Specifically, the father is tasked with determining whether or not the recently deceased doctor, who had shown selfless devotion to the needy, is suitable for canonisation.  Things are never that simple though.  What began as a normal assignment quickly becomes personal obsession, in which the father strives to put to rest what he believes, is the local’s superstitious belief in vampires.

This departure from the typical vampire hunter story associated with Dracula is not the only surprise the story has to offer.  The game changes up the setting by moving from a stereotypical Victorian era to the early 1920s, in which Romania is still reeling from World War I.  While this doesn't make for many differences in terms of gameplay, it does allow for a greater variety of artwork and modern touches, such as telephones, trains, electric lights, and chemistry equipment.  The game’s focus on portraying a more scientific, as opposed to supernatural, view of the vampire methodology, is another surprise, and helps engross the player. The overall visual quality is of the game also help considerably, as the judicious use of shadows and fog effects establish an old school, gothic horror feel.  The voice samples and soundtrack also quite good, and lend well to establishing and maintaining the mood. 

The only minor gripe with all this is that all of the characters appear to be “dazed”, taking an average of five or so seconds to respond to your click on the characters and when they actually say their lines.  Despite this however, the novel twist on the classic vampire tale is a welcome change from the standard drudge.

Unfortunately, the time between sequels has not also been used to update the gameplay.  The game sticks faithfully to the adventure game formula, utilising the standard first person perspective of pre-rendered environments.  Environments are navigated through mouse clicks, and objects of interest are interacted with, either directly or in combination with some object from your inventory, through the use of hot spots.  All in all, it is very reminiscent of Myst.  The only modification to the standard adventure formula is the presence of a Latin bible, which provides a variety of translated passages and functions as a built-in hint system. 

The puzzles, however, are a tad different then your standard fare.  Due to the greater focus on the scientific over the supernatural, the puzzles are often based on methodical logic, rather than some bizarre game logic, which is often found in other titles of the genre.  This comes as a pleasant surprise; given how frustrating and utterly illogical these puzzles tend to be.  That is not to say the puzzles are easy.  While the hint system does reduce the challenge somewhat, most of the puzzles do require a mix of methodical and lateral thinking.  Some of the puzzles do go overboard with the scientific problem solving at times though.  For example, at one point in the game, you are forced to go through the process of drawing your own blood and performing a number of tests on it.  This procedure, while accurate in detail, is amazingly tedious.  Thankfully, these puzzles are few and far between.  As a general rule, the game’s puzzles are pretty well thought out and reasonably difficult. 

Ultimately, this game is only for fans of the genre.  Gamers risen on a diet of point and click adventure games will enjoy the relatively challenging puzzles, the retro feel and interesting story line.  Those that missed the boat, however, will be frustrated and bored by a game that does nothing new to draw them in.  The game gets a seven out of ten.