do not mix-up adventure games with RPG n Action-Adventure. these are 3 different gener.
Adventure is a genre of video games typified by exploration, puzzle-solving, interaction with game characters, and a focus on narrative rather than reflex-based challenges. The vast majority of adventure games are computer games, though console-based adventure games are not unheard of. Unlike many other game genres, the adventure genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media, such as literature and film. Adventure games encompass a wide variety of literary genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery, horror, and comedy. Notable adventure games include Zork, King's Quest, The Secret of Monkey Island, Gabriel Knight, and Myst. Most adventure games are designed for a single player, since the heavy emphasis on story and character makes multi-player design difficult.
A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players can improvise freely; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the games.
The term "action adventure" itself has become more generalized since its introduction, and can now be used to refer to virtually any game which combines elements of real-time action-based challenges with some element of problem-solving. The genre exists largely to distinguish these games from pure adventure games, or from role playing games. It should be noted that adventure games never have a pronounced action element, limiting the action-based challenges to mini-games or other brief sequences. RPGs by definition have elements of pen and paper role playing games, such as "experience points" and other statistic-driven gameplay. Games like The Legend of Zelda are better classified as Action-Adventure because of this.
Due to the lack of a definition of the term of Action-Adventure (although it may be considered a game that contains elements of both genres on assumption) there are quite a few disagreements in the community and in the media over what actually constitutes an Action-Adventure game. One definition of the term "Action Adventure" may be '“An Action/Adventure game is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an Adventure game, but not enough action to be called an Action game.”'[1]Despite this, disagreements over which games fit under the categories [2][3] are particularly prominent in articles over the internet and media. Some people consider Action Adventure to have a free roaming feel, but at the same time unlike RPG's can fight enemies and so on, on screen.
Source: Wikipedia
