The first of SSI's Gold Box series based on TSR's Advanced Dungeons and Dragons universe, Pool of Radiance bears many similarities, in terms of design, monsters, magic, etc. to its pen and paper predecessor. Unfortunately, there is little real plot in the game, which mainly revolves around adventuring for the sake of adventuring, rather than having one unifying goal. Though the story does tie together a little bit toward the end, it still feels much too loosely structured. In addition, the combat can be considerably unbalanced, especially in the early portions of the game. If you have a lot of patience for this, and are a fan of the AD&D universe, you will probably enjoy this game. Other than that, though, unless you're a die-hard CRPG fan, you'll probably find the game a bit tedious and boring.

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