Pool of Radiance is a classic Advanced Dungeons and Dragons DOS based game. The graphics are mundane and not the best (it’s a DOS game, what do you expect), the storyline is not that great either, but the gameplay hooked me.
I first played the game back in the day when we still used the 5 and a 1/4 disks; the graphics back then were great, but only thing I can remember that beat this was the Ultima 7 game. The gameplay consists of adventuring with random battles and hard mobs as the game progresses.
You are capped at a certain level (depending on your race).
I remember a password protection wheel for the game, so I hope the website here has it cracked or something as I no longer have the wheel.
As you start out you are in the city; the first dungeon you encounter is the slums, with hidden doors, swarms of random encounters and set encounters, treasure, and adventure. What more could you ask for in a game?
In comparison to more recent and advanced games this will be a slow cheesy game, but it’s one of those classics that if you played during your childhood you will like it still. The sound, if I remember right, was good for the time but
won't be with the times. It is all a matter of whether you are seeking a classic experience or are thinking you are going to download a PS3 game for free. This is a classic experience and the forerunner of an awesome series. It cannot, and should not, be compared to modern games.
Also, as alluded to above, the game is part of a series of games; there is also Pool of Darkness and one or two others, as you move on, you can continue the journey with your saved characters in the sequel etc, etc. So in a sense it was awesome for the time as you played and won a game, and after you won and grew attached to your characters you were able to play them again in a new game with the same levels, room for advancement (only by a few levels). Not sure if you keep your top gear or not, but I think you do.
This game I would definitely recommend for people to try it out if you like the dungeon crawl and the classic Advanced Dungeons and Dragons type games. It doesn't have high need computer requirements like new games so almost everyone should be able to run it, as long as you have dos installed or an earlier version of windows. If it runs too fast it’s ok, it is a turn based battle system game.
So enough rambling, end result I give the game a 5/5 for classic, 4/5 for sound, 3/5 for graphics, and 4/5 for storyline. All in all I would say a 4/5.
