At risk of posting twice but, I had to add this one as well:
Kyrandia 2: The Hand of Fate
A point-and-click adventure game. It was funny, colorful, and Zanthia is still awesome :) Made by Westwood of all people. It makes some references to the first, but you could play it on its own.
Hmmm.. The plot of the first one has nothing to do with the second. But you do get a lot of world building and some characters are properly introduced in the first.
I guess you should play the first as well if you want the best experience. It’s also a good game, though the puzzles are a little more.. frustrating. But it’s nothing a good walkthrough can’t solve :)