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Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Pool of Radiance
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Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Pool of Radiance
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==Reception== {| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable infobox collapsible" id="collapsibleTable0" style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.5em 1em; padding-left: 0px; width: 23em; padding-right: 0px; float: right; font-size: 80%; padding-top: 0px" ! colspan="2" style="font-size: 120%"| Reception |- ! colspan="2" style="background: #d1dbdf; font-size: 120%"|Review scores |- !Publication !Score |- |''Amiga Action'' |79% |- |''Commodore User'' |9/10 |- |''Dragon'' |4.5/5 |- |''G.M.'' |n/a |- |''The Games Machine'' |89% |- |''Zzap'' |80% |} ''Computer Gaming World'' printed a preview of ''Pool of Radiance'' in its July 1988 issue, in which the reviewer noted a sense of ''deja vu''. He described the similarity of the game's screen to earlier computer RPGs. For example, the three-dimensional maze view in the upper-left window was similar to ''Might & Magic'' or ''Bard's Tale'', both released in the mid-1980s. The window with a listing of characters was featured in 1988's ''Wasteland''; and the use of an active character to represent the party was part of ''Ultima V''. The reviewer also noted that the design approach for game play was closer to SSI's own ''Wizard's Crown'' than to the other games in the genre. ''G.M.'' called the game's graphics "good" and praised its role-playing and combat aspects. They felt that "roleplayers will find ''Pools'' is an essential purchase, but people who are solely computer games oriented may hesitate before buying it [...] it will be their loss". ''Pool of Radiance'' received positive reviews, with Tony Dillon from ''Commodore User'' giving it a score of 9 out of 10. The only complaint was a slightly slow disk access, but the reviewer was impressed with the game's features, awarding it a ''Commodore User'' superstar and proclaiming it "the best RPG ever to grace the C64, or indeed any other computer". Issue #84 of the British magazine ''Computer + Video Games'' rated the game highly, saying that "''Pools'' 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". Another UK publication, ''The Games Machine'', gave the game an 89% rating. The reviewer noted that the third-person arcade style combat view is a great improvement for SSI, as they had traditionally incorporated simplistic graphics in their role-playing games. The reviewer was critical that ''Pool of Radiance'' was not original in its presentation and that the colors were a little drab, but concluded that the game is "classic ''Dungeons & Dragons'' which SSI have recreated excellently". A review from ''Zzap'' was less positive, giving the game a score of 80%. The reviewer felt that the game required too much "hacking, slicing and chopping" without enough emphasis on puzzle solving. The game was awarded 49% for its puzzle factor. In their March 1989 "The Role of Computers" column in ''Dragon'' magazine #143, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser (often called "The Lessers") gave ''Pool of Radiance'' a three-page review. The reviewers praised ''Pool of Radiance'' as "the first offering that truly follows AD&D game rules", calling it a "great fantasy role-playing game" that "falls into the must-buy category for avid AD&D game players". The reviewers advised readers to "rush out to your local dealer and buy Pool Of Radiance". They considered it SSI's flagship product, speculating that it would "undoubtedly bring thousands of computer enthusiasts into the adventure-filled worlds of TSR". The ''Dragon'' reviewers criticized the "notoriously slow" technology of the C64/128 system but added that the C64/128 version would become nearly unplayable without a software-based fastloader utility which Strategic Simulations integrated into the game. Conversely, the reviewers felt that the MS-DOS version was extremely fast, so much so that they had to slow the game operation down in order to read all the on-screen messages. They found that the MS-DOS version played at twice the speed of the C64/128 version when using the Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) graphics mode. In their July 1989 review of the game ''Hillsfar'', ''Dragon'' compared that game to ''Pool of Radiance''. They felt that the adventure of ''Hillsfar'' lacked depth and was less absorbing than ''Pool of Radiance'', but they considered it "a nice adventure to while away the hours while waiting for SSI to release [the sequel to ''Pool of Radiance'' nicknamed] ''Azure Bonds''". The reviewers also concluded that "If you enjoyed ''Pool of Radiance'', you'll like ''Hillsfar''". ''Pool of Radiance'' was well received by the gaming press and won the Origins Award for ''Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988''. For the second annual "Beastie Awards" in 1989, ''Dragon'''s readers voted ''Pool of Radiance'' the most popular fantasy role-playing game of the year, with ''Ultima V'' as the runner-up. The Apple II version was the most popular format, the PC/MS-DOS came in a close second, and the Commodore 64/128 got the fewest votes. The primary factor given for votes was the game's faithfulness to the ''AD&D'' system as well as the game's graphics and easy-to-use user interface to activate commands. ''Pool of Radiance'' was also selected for the RPGA-sponsored Gamers' Choice Awards for the Best Computer Game of 1989. Alex Simmons, Doug Johns, and Andy Mitchell reviewed the Amiga version of ''Pool of Radiance'' for ''Amiga Action'' magazine in 1990, giving it a 79% overall rating. Mitchell preferred the game ''Champions of Krynn'', which had been released by the time the Amiga version of ''Pool of Radiance'' became available; he felt that ''Pool of Radiance'' was "more of the same" when compared to ''Champions'', but was less playable and with more limited actions for players. Simmons felt that ''Pool of Radiance'' looked primitive and seemed less polished when compared with ''Champions of Krynn''; he felt that although ''Pool'' was not up to the standard of ''Champions'', he said it was still "a fine little game". Johns, on the other hand, felt that ''Pool of Radiance'' was well worth the wait, considering it very user-friendly despite being less polished than ''Champions of Krynn''. Stan Stepanic of GameFreaks365 gave a highly positive, though somewhat reserved, review of the NES port of ''Pool of Radiance'', scoring it at 8/10. He commented, "...it's great to see a game like this on the NES because there really wasn't anything of this caliber at the time, RPG or otherwise. Adults were rarely given anything since nearly every title was aimed at younger audiences, so this is one of the few cases where programmers were trying to appeal to an older audience...if you're a fan of a true RPG, this is the game for you, you'll be thoroughly impressed and absorbed." ===Legacy=== ''Pool of Radiance'' was the first in a four-part series of computer ''D&D'' adventures set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. The others were released by SSI one year apart: ''Curse of the Azure Bonds'' (1989), ''Secret of the Silver Blades'' (1990), and ''Pools of Darkness'' (1991). The 1989 game ''Hillsfar'' was also created by SSI but was not a sequel to ''Pool of Radiance''. ''Hillsfar'' is described instead, by the reviewers of ''Dragon'', as "a value-added adventure for those who would like to take a side trip while awaiting the sequel". A player can import characters from ''Pool of Radiance'' into ''Hillsfar'', although the characters are reduced to their basic levels and do not retain weapons or magical items. Original ''Hillsfar'' characters cannot be exported to ''Pool of Radiance'', but they can be exported to ''Curse of the Azure Bonds''. A review for ''Curse of the Azure Bonds'' in ''Computer Gaming World'' noted that "you can transfer your characters from ''Pool of Radiance'' and it's a good idea to do so. It will give you a headstart in the game." GameSpot declared that ''Pool of Radiance'', with its detailed art, wide variety of quests and treasure, and tactical combat system, and despite the availability of only four character classes and the low character level cap, "ultimately succeeded in its goal of bringing a standardized form of AD&D to the home computer, and laid the foundation for other future gold box AD&D role-playing games". Scott Battaglia of GameSpy said ''Pool of Radiance'' is "what many gamers consider to be the epitome of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' RPGs. These games were so great that people today are using MoSlo in droves to slow down their Pentium III-1000 MHz enough to play these gems." In March 2008, Dvice.com listed ''Pool of Radiance'' among its 13 best electronic versions of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The contributor felt that "The Pool of Radiance series set the stage for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' to make a major splash in the video game world." The ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game module ''Ruins of Adventure'' was produced using the same adventure scenario as ''Pool of Radiance'', using the same plot, background, setting, and many of the same characters as the computer game. The module thus contains useful clues to the successful completion of the computer missions. According to the editors of ''Dragon'' magazine, ''Pool of Radiance'' was based on ''Ruins of Adventure'', and not vice versa. A novelization of ''Pool of Radiance'', written by James M. Ward, was released in November 1989. ''Dragon'' described the novel's plot: "Five companions find themselves in the unenviable position of defending the soon-to-be ghost town against a rival possessing incredible power."
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