Previous Next

Pool Of Radiance is about to change the face of computer role playing as we know it.

We've all seen The Bard's Tale and many other so-called role playing games, but AD&D is in a different league altogether.

For a start, AD&D is the only computer game in existence at the moment that can claim to have been specifically designed as a tabletop role-playing game. That was over ten years ago by the man who started roleplaying off, Gary Gygax.

Since its arrival on the market, tabletop AD&D has been expanded, refined and generally improved in many different areas. The computer adaptation of the game was only held back by the limitation of computer technology. The advent of the 16 bit computers has made AD&D possible.

TSR created the storyline to the adventure, whilst the SSI team, led by Chuck Kroegal, developed the computer game.

Kroegel has flirted with computer role playing before helping develop Shards Of Spring, Phantasie and several other fantasy games.

Considering its background, it's surprising that the game so adheres strictly to the AD&D tabletop rules and mechanics. From the first glance of this product, you know you are in for something special as the packaging is superb. The box has excellent artwork and immediately grabs your attention. Upon opening it, you are confronted by an awesome sight, which will chill the bones of even the most hardened role player. The first thing to hit you is the four disks. OK, I know a couple of other games contain four disks, but how many of them are *double-sided*!! Yes, that is eight sides (count 'em) of information packed disks, all waiting to be played.

Next up is the well written and interesting 28 page introductory booklet. This goes on to unravel some of the secrets relating to the game and generally explains the concepts behind it. It tells you how to create your party of six bold adventurers, which in reality is no easy task. Each team member is created individually and a degree of forethought is essential at all times as it is a somewhat long and arduous process.

For the novice, the character creation process could become quite complex. However, the booklet guides you through and holds you in good stead. It explains that the four character classes available: Fighter, Cleric, Thief and Magic User. You have to allocate one of these classes to your character, as it represents their vocation in life. There is a fifth option however for non-human characters. They can elect to become Multi character class, which allows them to become a mixture of the aforementioned classes available. However, in true tabletop fashion, the advantages are balanced with certain disadvantages. Their progression within the game system is slow, soo they tend to die more regularly.

It then explains that each character has six abilities; Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma. The computer randomly generates the ability scores that every adventurer has. Each ability score has an effect on the play of the character. The ability scores are based on a range from 3 (the lowest) to 18 (the highest). This goes back to the tabletop game, where players roll a varying amount of six sided dice to determine their characters' abilities, and select the best three results. Each character has a "Prime Requisite" ability score, which means in layperson's terms, "the one special ability".

Next up is alignment, a source of controversy in the tabletop ranks for many years! Alignment is the philosophy a character lives by. You control the actions of your characters and the character's alignment can affect the way other people in the game view it.

The final stage is the design of your character. This impressed me no end, as there are so many options. You can start off by choosing which pose you would like your character to have. This also gives you a limited selection of weapons and shields. Next, you allocate colours to your character's clothes, for various parts of the body.

It then goes on to explain the concept of death, which will come swiftly if first aid and/or magical healing isn't applied to combat worn characters. If you are unlucky enough to lose a character, it may well be possible to resurrect them depending on two factors; their Constitution and manner of death. If the deceased has a low constitution, then you have a small chance of being brought back to the land of the living and if they died via a Dragon's flame or a disintegrate spell, they have no chance at all.

Combat allows for a wide range of both tactics and strategy to be applied as each character is moved on an individual basis. It can be as slow or as fast as you like, because of the quick option that allows the computer to take over the combat and run it rapidly.

Through combat and the accumulation of treasure you build up your experience points. When you have reached a certain level of experience, and have the specified amount of money, you can go to training school and enhance your abilities. This allows you to progress in levels, which makes your characters more hardy and proficient in their abilities.

You then move onto the Adventurer's Journal, which provides the background to "Pools". It is a 38 page booklet that includes fliers, maps, and information that your adventurers would know before beginning their quest. A thorough read of this is a must, as it provides some very important and essential information, that will be ignored at a player's peril.

So party created and background read, it is off to adventure in the land of Moonsea, where the game is based. And what an adventure it is!! You start off in the city of Phlan. Your mission, to bring Phlan back to its former glory. But how? Well, you could (and should) start by getting pally with the town council. The council will post messages on the wall of the city which represent missions that the council would like you to do on their behalf. They can be anything from clearing an area of town of monsters, vermin, etc, to finding magical tomes, many miles away. Of course the council will amply reward you... if you succeed. Another thing you can do is listen to gossip in tavens. This is a lucrative form of adventuring at best, and many an adventurer has been killed by investigating false tavern tales. However, it is also very profitable, if found to be true.

On the course of your adventure, you can talk to almost everyone. You meet literally thousands of people and how they react depends on how you speak to them. If you agree to parlay with them, you have five choices of conversational tone, being: Haughty, Sly, Meek, Nice and Abusive. Some of the Non Player Characters (NPCs; people controlled by the computer), will even offer to join you in your quest. You can allow up to two NPCs to join you and it may seem like a good thing at the time to swell your ranks by two. However, choose wisely. Every person in this game is individual. Certain people who wish you ill will try to join you. They can be traitors who will spy on you, reporting secret information to your enemies and they may even turn on you in battle. Furthermore treat NPCs badly and they may desert you, even in the midst of a pitched battle!

The game is very easy to get on with once adventuring, and you soon get on with the menus that confront you. I must say however that I found them all a bit too joystick responsive. I found myself whizzing through the various options at frightening speeds and sometimes I would input the wrong order, much to my party's cost.

The graphics are very good for an 8-bit machine. Kroegel has certainly tried to go for maximum effect here, although at times they could be considered lurid. The game also plays quickly and there is a minimal amount of disk changing for such a large game. This came as a welcome surprise and once more shows Krogel's versatility.

The role-playing element is just what can be expected from TSR - excellent. There is also an overall friendly attitude.

There are a lot of nice little touches as well. The Translation Wheel is beneficial and not a hinderance, the NPC's deliver some very nice lines of conversation, and cameo performances, and the quick start option plus starting off hints were appreciated.

Overall, Pool Of Radiance is a game which no role player or adventurer should be without and people new to role playing should seriously consider buying as an introductory guide.