Pool of Radiance
                   Ruins of Myth Drannor

                   Preview by Vic Horsley

System Requirements:
Windows 95/98/NT
Pentium III 500Mhz PC or compatible
845 MB hard disk space
128 MB Ram
8X CD-ROM
3D sound card

From all the write ups in the games magazines it would appear that
controlling this game is near impossible but I've found this far
from the truth. Like all new games, it takes a little while to
settle in to the controls but apart from that it can be played
using the mouse or the keyboard or a combination of both. I prefer
the mouse and have only found it necessary to use the keyboard in
setting the run/walk mode.

P.O.R. is not unlike Baldur's Gate, so if that was your liking
then you will enjoy this. They are not really the same type of
game but there are many likenesses that apply to them both. It can
be played as a single player or multi using the internet. Here I
am only covering the single player section.

On starting you select a team of up to four players but on your
travels will meet NPCs which you are able to call into your team.
The largest number you are able to have in your party at any one
time is six players. At the beginning you are able to chose your
team from six generated players or generate new ones to your own
liking. Whatever you decide to do you will need at least 1
Fighter, 1 Rogue and 1 player with magic abilities, after that
it's up to what you prefer although this game like many others
allows for dual professions and I decided on a Fighter/Cleric as
my fourth.

If choosing dual professions it is best to remember that these
advance at a slower rate than single profession players and it is
also a good idea to move each advancement alternately between the
player's professions. Should you decide to improve on one
profession and put a greater distance between these professions
than two advancements, then the player will suffer, most
noticeably in that he or she is hard to control.

1 have had two crashes so far but this has only happened when
going through two doorways in quick succession and into a
different environments. I believe it may be caused by three very
quick scene changes that the computer finds hard to read.  Saving
at regular intervals means it is not a long way back should this
occur.

When beginning the story you are on the surface but soon venture
into the dungeons. It appears that you are cut off from the rest
of the surface and must go through the dungeons and find your way
to new areas of the surface to put things right.  These dungeons
are on five levels and you enter somewhere in the middle level,
you can't just go up to find the new surface areas, travel between

the levels both up and down solving problems and doing tasks to
again get advancement.

In the early stages there will be many battles that you are unable
to win, mainly because you are just to weak so restart and press
on. There will be a later time as you go back and forward many
times and need to do so to complete quests. What does help in many
cases is having your magic player cast Bless before going through
any doorways because the NPCs often get in the first rounds and
this can finish off your party.

There are flags on the map that can be dragged to areas and
messages written, use these to their full potential and right from
the beginning of the dungeons. A good thing to do is when
travelling between levels go up(or down) call up the map look at
the area you're in then go back down (or up) call up the map again
and write in the area to where the ladder goes. Do the same thing
with flags on anything you see no matter how trivial it may seem
at the time. Later when you are looking for a particular place you
will be able to find it. Eventually the area will have no
significance and the flag can be dragged off the map and not
impede any further searches.

Finally, the most dangerous enemies to you at the beginning are
the undead, i.e. ghouls, wraiths and zombies. They do not like the
cold, so bear this in mind when arming and using magic. Also after
making a strike move some way off (but not too far) and attack
another NPC on the next move. By moving around you take hits but
many miss.

31 January 2002








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