Dreamcatcher's Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon on the PC has won a lot of praise since its release a few months ago. Add in the recent Xbox release which should introduce more gamers to the award-winning series, and you have quite a large fanbase developing. So what's the secret behind the game's successful development. The Laser talked with Charles Cecil of Revolution Software to get the scoop on this critically praised title and finds out what gamers can expect.

Q: Please introduce yourself and the members of the Broken Sword development team. Could you also tell us a little about the team's history, previous games and approximate number of people working on the game?

I am Charles Cecil, managing director of Revolution Software and director of the Broken Sword Series. Pretty much everyone at Revolution has been a key member of the development team - Art Direction was led by Steven Gallagher, technology by Francesco Iorio, and Audio by Ben McCullough. Revolution was founded in 1990 and we are best known for the adventures that we have written - including Lure of the Temptress, Beneath a Steel Sky, In Cold Blood as well as games based on major TV and movie franchises. Our most recent game is of course Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon, the third installment to the Broken Sword series. We have a core team of approximately 25 people at Revolution. Additional people come on board as required - at the peak of the project we had over 50 people!

Q: Does Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon's storyline pick up from the previous games?

The story opens a few years after the end of Broken Sword 2. Having been apart for some time George and Nico have just about forgotten each another. We find George flying over the jungle in a rickety transport aircraft flown by Harry the crazy Australian pilot. An electrical storm suddenly breaks, enveloping the plane and setting an engine alight. Despite Harry's reassurance that they will be fine the plane is suddenly sent hurtling towards the jungle canopy. Some time later, after coming round from a blackout, George discovers that the plane is perched perilously about a deep gorge! On the opposite side of the world, we see a hacker madly typing at a keyboard. The doorbell rings and the visitor introduces herself as Nico Collard. As she steps inside the apartment the hacker begins to reveal his amazing discoveries, but is silenced when Nico pulls out a gun and shoots him. And so begins a multitude of adventures awaiting George and Nico.

Q: The series has always had a strong narrative focus, how does Sleeping Dragon carry this forward?

Our vision was very much to write a game with a strong narrative and in doing so ensure that the game remained true to the vision of an adventure. The Sleeping Dragon is very much an adventure in that the gameplay is driven by the narrative. The main change is that the game is displayed in real-time 3D with direct control of the player-character.

Q: Will there any of the main or supporting characters be returning this time?

Apart from George and Nico, there are a few familiar faces making an re-appearance. However it would spoil the game to reveal which ones!

Q: Are there any features included in The Sleeping Dragon that you couldn't include in the previous games?

The move to 3D was driven by a desire to write a game that was more cinematic and dramatic than what could have been previously developed - so the whole look and feel of the game is only possible because of this move.

Q: Where will the game take place? Any specific locations you'll be able to visit?

Paris and the Congo are just two of the many locations visited in the game. Some locations featured in the previous episodes are re-visited - it is fun to see the transformation from 2D to 3D!

Q: How will the characters interact with other characters in the game? Will voice acting be used?

The player controls the player-character directly. As they approach other characters, the option to talk to them appears through the 'action-map'. The player can then choose a range of subjects to discuss. We used actors to voice record all the exchanges. We were delighted that Rolf Saxon, the original George, played the part again. For Nico we used a new actress called Sarah Crooke.

Q: How will the graphics in Broken Sword: TSD differ from the previous games?

Before making the transition to 3D I was keen to ensure that we could achieve the same level of graphics quality in 3D as had been achieved in 2D. Initially we attempted to emulate the 2D style, but the result looked too childish. However we did want the rich colors and strong contrast. Our solution was developing proprietary technology based on radiosity light-maps to provide lighting, and to hand draw the textures to suit the technology. This delivered a unique visual style that I am very pleased with.

Q: How have you improved the controls and interface?

Despite moving away from the traditional 'point and click' approach, the elements key to adventure games have been retained. As the player-character is moved close to an object with which he can interact, it is highlighted and possible actions are displayed on the 'action map'. Each action corresponds to the four action-icons (there are approximately 30 actions in total - each being context sensitive). The interface allows multiple options for object manipulation, exploration of the environment through shimmying and jumping and 'action events' (effectively interactive cut scenes).

Q: What other techniques are you using to enhance the cinematic feel this time?

One of the key advantages of moving to 3D is the ability to move the camera cinematically. While ensuring that the camera supports gameplay first and foremost, we have worked hard to apply the movie rules of cinematography. This has been a fascinating experience - and from time to time we invited an experienced movie director to work with our team to maximize the cinematic experience.

Q: How do the new facial animation techniques work and how will they enhance the story?

The Virtual Actor System is a real-time character animation system that is used in both in-game and cut scenes. The technology includes a lip sync system which auto-generates accurate lip sync animation for speech. Script writers are able to specify characters' moods and emotions. The lip sync animation is then dynamically morphed with the mood/emotion data to create facial animation that is, in my opinion, charged with emotion.

Q: Will the game's look and feel differ dramatically from the previous games?

Yes - very much so. The move to real-time 3D allows a very different look, new gameplay opportunities, and a much more dynamic camera to be employed. There is a slightly darker, more mature atmosphere, but the humor is still an important aspect of the game.

Q: Finally, is there anything we may have forgot to ask about that you want to share with our readers?

I am proud of the innovations that we have employed in the game which I feel believe enhance the game - and reviews to date have vindicated our radical departure from the traditional adventure. Enjoy!