Telling them apart
There are roughly two types of modern adventure games. (We are going to indulge in a few generalizations here just to simplify things a bit.)

1st person exploration adventures such as Myst feature graphically immersive worlds full of brain-teasing puzzles, but often with few characters to talk to. Puzzles may be mechanical or slightly mathematical in nature. You are more likely to run into non-contextual puzzles.

Traditional graphic adventures such as Grim Fandango or King’s Quest tend to focus more on character interaction and narrative. Puzzles are usually of the inventory or dialogue type. The perspective is usually 3rd person, allowing you to see the main protagonist on the screen.

These boundaries are by no means sharp, but for a newcomer to the genre it will make comparing games a little easier. There are also some cross-genre games. Quest for Glory for instance combines inventory and dialogue puzzles with points management, which is typical to role-playing games. Full Throttle is a 3rd person biker adventure game with road action sequences mixed in.

Graphic styles
Even though gameplay and story make or break a game, the graphics are not to be forgotten. These are the most common types of graphics in adventure games:

	Hand drawn 2D A technique especially popular in the early nineties, but still used today. Each background frame is separately drawn and scanned, or digitally drawn in a program such as D-paint. Easily the most expensive and time demanding graphical technique. A brilliant modern example of a 2D adventure game is The Curse of Monkey Island.
	2D pre-rendered This technique also uses still frames, but the graphics are composed of 3D models that have been rendered into flat backgrounds. Myst was one of the first games to use 3D models in this way.
	Real-time 3D In these games it is possible to walk around in the environments in full 3D. The perspective changes as you move, creating a seamless flow of real-time generated 3D imagery. Gabriel Knight 3 uses this in a very effective way.
	2D pre-rendered with 3D characters A hybrid form between pre-rendered static 2D backgrounds and real-time rendered 3D characters. Examples: The Longest Journey, Syberia.
	Full motion video Some adventures feature actors recorded on film, often in combination with computer-created environments. Examples: Gabriel Knight 2, Dark Side of the Moon, Journeyman Project 3.
	No graphics The adventure genre actually began as text-only games! These grandfathers of the genre, such as Zork and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, can still be played today. There is also an active community of amateur text adventure authors – or “interactive fiction”, as it is called today.

Going from here...
Of course it’s best to try a few different adventure games and see what you prefer most. There are so many different adventure games that players usually have their own tastes and dislikes. It is recommended that you check out the Adventure Games for Newcomers article, which provides some carefully selected suggestions. Even if you are not entirely new to the genre, it might point you to some games you’ve missed before. Another great place to start are our forums, where you can get personal recommendations from experienced adventure gamers. Finally, let us know about your experiences. We love to hear how new readers discovered something new! Just drop a line to feedback@adventuregamers.com

Happy adventuring!