The episode of Chicago Hope in which Peter Lucas (Von Glower in GK2) appeared is scheduled to air tonight at 10pm ET/PT on CBS. GK connoisseurs will also recall that Chicago Hope regular Rocky Carroll provided the voice of Willy Walker in GK1.

Jane Jensen, Adam Bormann, and David Henry are in Hollywood this week and part of next week for the second recording session with the voice actors.

The first Conclave has been deemed a success. :-) If you missed it, or just want to reminisce, check out the chat log at Schattenjäger.com. The next scheduled chat is at 1500 GMT (or 1600 British Summer Time) on Saturday, August 1. That's 8:00am PDT (Sierra Time). For more details visit Calling Conclave at Sidney.

Christy Lein, co-creator of Sidney: The Unofficial GK3 Homepage, has generously volunteered to organize a weekly chat for GK fans. These will be on IRC, using Dalnet, channel #gabriel_knight. The first chat is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, at 2300 GMT. This would be June 25 at 1500 PDT (aka Sierra Time - the time used on the Sierra message boards). For more details about mIrc, Dalnet, times, etc. visit the Weekly Conclave page at Sidney.

The Official GK3 Site has been updated. Key points of interest:

• The Progress Report explains the new scripting languages: Sheep and Gas! Also discussed: panning cameras and a chicken with an attitude.

• Remember that picture of the Maître d'hôtel from a few months ago? His name is Jean and he's the newest character to be introduced. The new character AVI is the first to incorporate a voice-over: notice the synchronization of the mouth with the speech and the expressions on the face!

• The Cast page has a new look and a new member - John de Lancie. And whenever there's a new character introduced, we can expect to find out who provides the voice: Phillipe Bergeron will provide the voice of Jean.

• We meet two new Team Members: Mike "Happy Slappy" McMillen (a big fan of snow skiing, paintball, Quake, and Unreal) and Tom Springer (he's the one that made that comment about a sheep in Wilkes' bathroom - is it just me or does it seem like he might be dropping a few hints, particularly about those blue apples... :-)

• Also notable is the addition of Sidney: The Unofficial GK3 Homepage to the Links, as well as a list of Previews.

I was exploring UGO's site when I happened upon yet another preview of GK3. Most of the information is familiar, but there are two choice quotes:

"Segments advance only as you complete necessary tasks. In addition to these actions, players can perform optional moves that enrich the game by providing subplots and character motivation. Game designer Jane Jensen said she was inspired by Colonel's Bequest and wanted to emulate that particular feature."

"The story also advances the relationship between Gabriel and Grace. The end of the game involves a single intense location, similar to the opera house at the end of GK2."

I loved playing the Colonel's Bequest - what a great source of inspiration! And I guess there's not much doubt that something is going to happen between Gabriel and Grace. :-)

The new issue of The Schattenjäger Diaries, the official GK newsletter, was sent to all the members of the GK fan club. It's loaded with new info including new awards for GK3, Jane Jensen's E3 recap, more team news and happenings, and an introduction to the new webslinger, Joshua Bentley. If you missed this issue, you can check it out online at Sydney: The Unofficial GK3 Homepage under References->Articles. I'll also be adding it to my archive sometime this month. And don't forget to sign up so you don't miss future issues!

Adam announced on the GK message board that The Beast Within will be re-released in August. This is separate from the GK collection slated for early fall.

As mentioned above, GK3 has received several more awards in the past few weeks. It has been named one of PC Gamer's "Hot 100", OGR's "Most Innovative Sequel", and one of Gamespot's "10 Best Sequels at E3". GK3 was also nominated for UGO's "Best Adventure Game at E3" award.

Who's Scott Lynch? He's the head of Sierra Studios and Senior VP at Sierra. He's also the subject of Andy Bellati's latest interview at Just Adventure. Scott discusses the current and future status of the newest division of Sierra.

While Adam and Joshua are working on the official GK3 theme pack, check out the one created by GK fan Ja' Quixo at http://members.tripod.com/~gk3_pre_theme/.

...can be expected any day now. :-)