Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance

Pool of Radiance was the first official computer game based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules and the first of SSI’s legendary “Gold Box” games. It set the template for a whole generation of RPGs. The premise is simple: the ruined city of Phlan, on the shores of the Moonsea in the Forgotten Realms, is trying to rebuild, and the city council hires adventurers to reclaim it block by block from the monsters that have overrun it.

Gameplay

You create a party of up to six characters, choosing from races such as humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes and half-elves, and classes such as fighter, cleric, magic-user and thief. Non-humans can also multi-class. The faithful use of the AD&D rules was a big deal at the time, and it still gives the game a pleasant tabletop feel.

The game loop has three parts:

• Exploration happens in first-person, through Phlan’s ruined districts and the wilderness beyond.
• Combat switches to a tactical, turn-based overhead grid, where positioning, spellcasting and focus fire decide the outcome.
• Downtime in town means resting to memorise spells, training to level up, and taking on new commissions from the council.

The structure is unusually open for its time. You choose which parts of the city to clear and in what order, and the game rewards careful planning and patient play.

Verdict

Pool of Radiance is the foundation that the Gold Box series and much of the Western RPG genre were built on. It feels slow and old-fashioned today, and the early hours are harsh, but the tactical combat still holds up well.