The first time I heard of King's Quest 7 was from the little avi movies that were in the first King's Quest Collection series (that contained games 1 - 6). Roberta Williams had an interview movie in which she said that the game was taking a whole new turn from the previous games. It was going to be Disney-like and utilized more traditional animation techniques. I remember watching the little avi movie preview for the game over and over again because it seemed so cool! When I got the game shortly after its release, it was pretty much what I had expected. It was great!

I love Disney movies, so I was all for the Disney-like style of King's Quest 7. The characters were cute and cartoonish, perfect for any Disney fanatic. The little obnoxious metalsmith troll was hilarious, and the archduke was a riot! Little Cuddles can get on your nerves with its psychotic barking ... eeh! The game is just full of funny little quirks. The animation is definitely an improvement over that of the previous games. It is much sharper, more detailed, and smoother than in King's Quest 6 because of the use of traditional paperwork animation. The different environments were very well drawn and colored. When I played the game, I wished so much to be able to walk through the beautiful wooded forest where the white statue maidens were. I could have relaxed and read a book in the colorful meadows of Etheria, or chatted with the locals in silly town of Falderal. Even spooky Halloweenish Ooga Booga seemed like a fun place to be ... minus the boogeyman of course!

This game, with Rosella and Valanice as the main characters, appeals more to younger audiences and just any Disney lover. Many players have expressed distaste to the Disney-esque animation and the cutsie-ness of the game, preferring the traditional gameplay and look of the previous games. I personally liked it because it gave the series a fresh look and feel, giving the game a new life ... it was not the same old game again. However, if you are not into Disney or light-hearted quirkiness, then the game might disappoint in this area.

The storyline is very rich as in all previous games in the series. There is a lot of character interaction, exploration, and puzzle-solving that one expects from a King's Quest game. For the first time ever, players can become Queen Valanice as she takes an active role in the game. The game is divided into six chapters in which the active character alternates between Valanice and Princess Rosella. It is a definite change in the gameplay because the game progresses more like a storybook than an animated movie. There are cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, making you want to find out what happens quickly. Some people thought the puzzles in the game were a bit easy. I personally found them quite challenging, especially the pool statue puzzles.

The only drawback that I really found in the game was the cursor. I really liked the multiple cursors (i.e. talk, see, walk, touch, etc.) that were utilized in King's Quest 5 and King's Quest 6 because they gave more detail and interaction to the game. The use of an all-purpose cursor in King's Quest 7 was quite restricting in some cases. It would blink over an item, but that was it. You could not choose to look at it to get more information on what it was unless you were able to pick it up. Then all you could do is look at it up close. All you knew was that there was something that could be done at that spot on the screen. The cursor works great for younger players because they do not have to mess with determining which cursors to use as in the previous two King's Quest games. However, for more experienced players, it can get in the way and leave something to be desired. Besides that, this was an overall excellent game! 5 out of 6 stars. -- Kimmie