Police Quest III: The Kindred

Sierra On-Line

Industry	Video games
Founded	1980
Headquarters	United States
Products	Police Quest III: The Kindred

Police Quest III: The Kindred—also simply known as Police Quest III—is a 1991 point-and-click adventure video game with a police procedural theme, developed and published by Jim Walls in collaboration with Sierra On-Line. It marks the third entry in the Police Quest franchise and concludes the narrative of officer Sonny Bonds as he seeks justice following an attack on his wife.

The title was met with favorable reviews and achieved strong commercial performance. Its successor, Police Quest: Open Season (1993), introduced a fresh storyline and setting, departing from previous continuity.

Gameplay

Utilizing a point-and-click system typical of early 1990s adventure games, Police Quest III allows players to interact with the environment and objects primarily through mouse controls. While much of the gameplay involves methodical puzzle-solving at the player's discretion, certain combat encounters demand swift reactions to efficiently draw and fire a handgun.

A simplified driving minigame facilitates travel between locations, evolving from the original Police Quest. This feature requires players to reference a physical map included with the game package, serving both gameplay navigation and copy protection functions. Furthermore, progression necessitates entering specific five-digit "offense codes" after making arrests; these codes are exclusively found in the printed manual.

Plot

Set in 1991, the story follows Sonny Bonds as he returns to Lytton, California, accompanied by his new wife Marie, resuming his duties as a sergeant with the Lytton Police Department. Initially assigned to patrol duty, Bonds responds to various calls, including one involving a disturbed individual. He becomes increasingly concerned about fellow officer Pat Morales, who faces multiple complaints. Near the end of his shift, Bonds attends to a stabbing incident at a shopping mall where Marie is attacked and falls into a coma. Motivated by vengeance, Bonds commits himself to finding those responsible.

Transferred to the Homicide Division, Bonds investigates possible connections between Marie’s assault and other violent offenses while partnered unexpectedly with Morales. Evidence points toward Steve Rocklin, affiliated with a cult engaged in cocaine trafficking. After uncovering several murders linked to Rocklin, Bonds and Morales thwart further violence; however, Rocklin dies in a car accident during pursuit.

Further investigation uncovers Michael Bains—brother of deceased Jesse Bains and known for psychotic tendencies—as another key figure connected to Rocklin. Suspicious behavior from Morales and cocaine discovered in her locker lead Bonds to report her to internal affairs.

With support from colleagues, Bonds and Morales conduct a raid on Michael’s hideout, confronting him and cult members. Morales reveals herself as an informant for the cult but is ultimately killed by an internal affairs detective monitoring her activities. The case concludes with Marie awakening from her coma and revealing her pregnancy.

Development

Launched in 1991 for Sierra Creative Interpreter (SCI) version 1, Police Quest III was designed exclusively for IBM PC and Amiga platforms and features fully mouse-driven controls. Late in development, Jim Walls left Sierra due to undisclosed "circumstances." The writing responsibilities were completed by Sierra employee Jane Jensen, while former LAPD chief Daryl F. Gates assumed leadership over the Police Quest series thereafter. Following this project, Walls along with several former Sierra colleagues created Blue Force.

Although a port for Sega CD was announced during development, it ultimately never reached release.

Reception

By the end of 1995, sales of the initial four titles in the Police Quest franchise had reached 850,000 copies. Nevertheless, Markus Krichel from PC Games noted a marginal drop in player enthusiasm with the release of Police Quest: Open Season, which led Sierra On-Line to alter the series' trajectory by introducing Police Quest: SWAT. As of March 1996, total sales for the Police Quest lineup, including the SWAT installment, had surpassed 1.2 million units.

Computer Gaming World lauded Police Quest III as "the finest entry in the series thus far," emphasizing enhancements brought by eliminating the typing mechanic. The Amiga edition earned a 91% rating from Amiga User International, with praise directed at its visual quality and authenticity. Meanwhile, the PC version achieved a 79% score from Zero, which acknowledged its impressive graphics but pointed out lengthy loading durations and challenging controls. Contrarily, in 1992, Dragon assigned it a modest 2 out of 5 stars.