A true adventure game, would be self containing so that all knowledge needed to complete the game would be provided some where in the game. Either by sheer persistence (10x death gives the player a subtile clue in what they might be doing wrong), by clever deduction as taking into context subtile feedback clues that eventually flow into a solution, or patience, like reading books from a library of hundreds...
In Kings Quest
I often wonder how easy the game would be to one who didn't know that Little Bo Peep lost her sheep? What about people in other countries who never heard of our nursery rhymes?
Why not make the library something of a game solution focus area? As a place one could come back to time and time again and read up on lore? Otherwise you basically force the player to seek outside help and look to access fiction titles. (yes, now we do have google.. but still) Now I am not suggesting the entire book be integrated into the game either... But something like a book titled "Little Bo Peep". And then when you use the hand on the book to read it, "Little Bo Peep she lost her sheep!" is all you would really need to say. But you would make EVERY book in the library that way. So that reading them becomes a trial of patience as there could be hundreds... "Hide the clues in the volume of data". In little bo peeps situation, include the entire long version of the nursery rhyme.
Right now the library is more of a frustration location. Why not encourage the youth of this age that the library is a place of mental wealth and the place to go when one is looking to solve a problem? Is that not true in real life? Should that not be a encouragement we should pass along?
After getting the library card and reading through the last of the displayed books, why not leave every book open to the player for reading? Include in the list all of the lore that then ties into the game so that at least the diligent player would then have the foundation tools to start looking for a solution to the in game puzzles. You need not be blunt, or keep to the original story lines as much as just include all the key elements that the in game puzzles require one to have a knowledge of.
Werewolves - The 3rd book of Legends
Under light of a full moon.....
.... legend has it that among the many ways to rid one of these pesky hounds is a pointed silver spear.... ...other natural growing reagents like wolfsbane....
The Emerald Eyed Snake - by Manan
.......snake transformed into a man before our eyes and spoke to us....
Why not list ones favorite excerpt from Shakespeare's plays? No reason not to enlighten the youth...
The library could be a place of precision clicking, as there are no moat monsters lurking to taste you there
Perhaps the librarian doesn't care if you read the books on the shelf when she is looking away and when you get your library card doesn't bother you any more. The library in Kolyma only severs as a place to frustrate as it stands since none of the books that I read really do more then talk about non game elements...
Solving the bookshelf puzzel...
Perhaps one would be reminded of the Kolyma library when entering the counts library for the first time... "You see an expansive library reminding you of the one you visited in Kolyma, though with its high ceilings and ornate decor, this one is much less stuffy. Though you do get the feeling that you are still being watched."
Again subtile hints are all that is really needed. But a complete lack of them, detracts from the game. In general I felt that the KQ2 remake had quite a few puzzles that were off the mark. Either unfairly difficult as to what one perceives as truth, or just given to the player.
And example of where things were just given:
The wedding band being dropped, why mention this? Why not just let it drop. Leave it up to the player to discover it and make the ending better if you have the item. (What was the point of having to pick up the wedding band? Why not just be given it to the inventory? I suppose I could choose not to pick it up...) I suppose you could describe the dead mother as having a beautiful gold wedding band around her finger. And mention as the ghosts disappear that they can "can take nothing material with them into the afterlife"...
I guess I also miss the ability to use the Text interpreter. Only being left with a hand icon to touch the door, I couldn't type "open door" on the dwarfs dwelling. It was frustrating to walk by that thing constantly and wonder if there wasn't more to do there. (of course that is because once upon a time I played the original) Having the feed back, open door, "the door is locked" gave the mind a sense of rest as you had tried that option and it was not valid... It could be the same as having red mention that Hagatha wants to capture the dwarf. Then having a rope trap in the game but not being able to set a trap for the dwarf leaves the mind wondering if you were suppose to setup something. Or if its possible.