Definitely it is very far from the best HOGs I've played. But it is far from bad ones either. The first game is not on Steam so I didn't have a chance to play it. Thus, I can't say if the serie is progressing or regressing. I'll start by saying that I was not impressed neither by lore nor by it's story.

This is just a typical vinaigrette of clichéd subplots, carelessly mixed in one pot. Here you have science, magic, time travelling, dragons, kidnapping, etc. Neither of this stuff looks interesting. Characters are boring and unremarkable. They appear and disappear, and you forget them the moment you stop interacting with them. Voiceacting and animations are also rather mediocre to say the least. But local soundtracks, on the other hand, are very good.

As to the visuals - it's rather nice. Dated for sure, but still good and stylish. Local sceneries can be really impressive. There are also many vids. Definitely more than you can expect from an average HOG. And not gonna lie - they look rather good. There is no bonus chapter but the game is long enoug without it. As to puzzles and mini games - rather repetative and easy. Too easy as for me. Overall - not bad addition to HOG library.