King's Quest III

King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human is a classic graphic adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1986. Unlike the previous games in the series, the story initially moves away from the kingdom of Daventry and follows a young man named Gwydion, who lives as a servant to the cruel wizard Manannan. Trapped in the wizard’s mountain home, Gwydion must secretly explore his surroundings, gather useful items, and search for a way to escape without attracting his master’s suspicion.

The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and Sierra’s traditional text-parser interface, allowing players to type commands while navigating colorful fantasy environments. A major part of the adventure involves discovering and preparing magical spells from Manannan’s spellbook, with ingredients hidden throughout the world. Timing also plays an important role, as the wizard regularly returns home and can punish Gwydion if he finds him somewhere he should not be or carrying forbidden objects.

As the story unfolds, Gwydion discovers the truth about his identity and becomes connected to the royal family of Daventry. His journey takes him far beyond Manannan’s house, across dangerous lands and even over the sea, eventually leading to a dramatic confrontation with a dragon. With its ambitious storyline, challenging puzzles, and larger game world, King's Quest III became an important entry in Sierra’s legendary adventure series and remains a memorable example of 1980s PC gaming.