I am a PC games collector, and this is one of my favorite series. Here's some things you may not know!

* Jane Jensen got her start on the Kings' Quest series, as did many other game writers in the day. She worked on Kings Quest 6, and created the Black Cloak Society therein.

* To get the locations of all the games just right, Ms. Jensen and the team actually traveled to New Orleans, Bavaria, and the Languedoc to gather ideas and to make the game locations as realistic as possible. What locations they made up were based heavily on the things they saw on these trips.

* 90% of the facts you learn while playing are quite real. There was some artistic license, especially when it came to the supernatural aspects, but the Voodoo information is accurate. The same goes for much of the information on King Ludwig II and his death (except him being a werewolf), Wagner, and Rennes-les-Chateau.

* The wolf bite Ludwig suffered was real, though it is now believed that he may had actually contracted rabies.

* Much of the storyline for games 2 and 3 are based on actual theories that have been put forth. People are still searching for the holy grail in Rennes-les-Chateau, and the source of Ludwig's madness is still debated.

* The "crazy couple" in GK2 are actually based off of real people! Ed and Lorraine Warren are/were well-known "paranormal investigators." (Ed died in 2006) They contacted Ms. Jensen after the first game came out, and were quite convinced the series was about a real group of "hunters." They wanted to help any way they could. The game gives a pretty accurate portrayal of her impression of them.

* After Hurricane Katrina hit, a group of Gabriel Knight fans made a donation to the Red Cross, in his name. We wanted to give back to the home city of one of our favorite characters! $200 was raised.

* GK1 has an interesting Easter Egg. If you click on the bookcase in the castle, you will find several books besides the one you need. The ones on supernatural phenomenons are all spoilers for the other then-planned games in the series! More GK1 spoilers can be found here: http://hosted.ray.easynet.co.uk/gk/easter-eggs.html (Note that I have no affiliation to this website.)

* GK3 has a future game spoiler as well. While playing in the hotel, use SIDNEY. Type in "GK4" and read the article! The ending of the game gives you another hint as to the location. GK4 was in development and actually mapped out according to rumor, but Sierra killed it because they felt adventure games were "dead."

I'll have more facts later, possibly. Until then, for photos of some of the real life locations in GK3, especially the church, check this link: http://www.renneslechateau.com/default-uk.htm (Again, not mine.) Enjoy!

Thanks for the info! :) Really interesting.

Oh, Gabriel Knight 4.... That would be sooo great.

The Warrens as he said are well known demonologists (yes that is Ed's formal title) as he said. Ed held the distinction of being the only non clergy demonologist recognized by the Church as well as the couple together being the ones to actually investigate Amtiyville.

As far the as the Holy Grail "theory" in the third game while it's true its a well known theory (popularized of course by Dan Brown although largely invented by a book called Holy BLood Holy Grail) it has been largely discredited. The Priori De Sion in the game is a completely discredited hoax based on forgeries created by the supposed current head. The grail itself does not actually appear as an item of importance in Christian lore until the 11th century where its original name is neither San Greal (Holy Grail or Sang Real (Holy Blood) but San Gradalis (drawing from Christien De Troyes Parcivel the oldest known Grail legend). Gradalis is a plate used to serve part of a meal in the first story its used to bring a communion wafer to the Fisher King (the wafer supplied by a dove) that renews him from a wound he had taken. The original story does not associate it with the cup of Christ, the last supper or the crucifiction those came with later authors trying to expand on Troyes unfinished work.

The real-life ties/themes always had me enthralled when I first played these games, especially the Ludwig stuff in Beast Within. I finally visited Neuschwanstein Castle last year and was (rather pathetically) thrilled to walk around, seeing the same rooms from the game. I was tempted to prod around, looking for hidden scrolls and stuff :)

I visited the main square in Munich too, sadly there was no busker playing When The Saints Go Marching...