Pool of Radiance

                 Reviewed by Julian Gregory

FREE NEW PHLAN! RICHES & FAME! GLORY!
MAKE YOUR FORTUNE IN NEW PHLAN!

So begins Pool of Radiance, one of the series of AD&D range from
Strategic Simulations.

The game sticks closely to the traditional AD&D format. You begin
by setting up the type of party you want. You can have up to 6
characters which can be Fighters, Magic Users, Clerics, Thieves or
of multiple classes. There are also different races to consider,
Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Halflings and Humans. Each
race brings its own differences and the best combinations need to
be chosen carefully at the start. In addition up to 2 non-player
characters can join the party.

The object of the game is to explore the countryside around New
Phlan and to undertake various missions given to you by the City
Council.

As in all of these games combat plays a large part. You have the
choice of running the characters yourself. This will include
moving them around, choosing weapons or casting spells.
Alternatively you can let the computer take over these tasks.
However I couldn't find a way to get control back from the
computer later when I wanted to regain control, which was very
irritating.

I found the game well-written, although the text on the screen
during battles almost came and went too quickly to read. This was
no doubt because the game was not written for the speed of modern
machines.

My main gripe with this game is the problem of building up your
experience points and thus increasing levels. As with all RPGs you
seem to be floundering for quite some time before you acquire
sufficient points to be confident of winning most battles.
Patience is definitely a virtue as far as AD&D is concerned.

Having almost completed the game I can say that the will certainly
appeal to die-hard AD&Ders and would also provide an introduction
to anyone wondering if it would interest them.

Overall 55%











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