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AD&D Pool of Radiance Nintendo NES Game RPG. Game only. Great condition!!! Tested and works like new. Game Description Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Pool of Radiance is a role-playing game that was first released in 1988 for the computer, under the name of Pool of Radiance, and ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. It utilized the Gold Box engine introduced by its 1988 version and later improved upon in Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures. The game (and the engine) features two different modes: first person perspective for NPC interactions and exploring and a more strategy-board based combat display, where characters and enemies are represented by small icons. Combat is turn-based and requires manouevring close to your foe for close range attacks. Story The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting, in and around the Moonsea region and the City of Phlan, which has been overrun by forces of evil. The city had originally held off many attacks, but the forces were marshalled by a bronze dragon which was believed to be possessed by a powerful spirit named Tyranthraxus. The object of the game is to have the party clear the old city of its marauding inhabitants, so the people of Phlan can rebuild and repopulate the areas.
The party begins in the civilized section of "New Phlan" that is governed by a council. This portion of the city is a place for the party to buy equipment at the shops, rest up in the inns, listen to rumors in the pub, and contract with the clerk of the city council for various commissions. The party can also go to the hiring hall and hire an experienced adventurer to accompany the party. Beyond this region the party enters the area of the slums, which have been overrun with low-level monsters such as goblins and orcs that the party must clear out (gaining experience in the process). Further into the slums, the going gets tougher, with ogre and trolls for opponents. The next commission is to clear out Sokol Keep, a fortified area located on an island. This is filled with undead, among other opponents. Inside the keep is a specter who suffers under a curse. By removing this curse, the keep is cleared and the shipping lanes to the city are finally opened. There are a variety of other locations that are encountered as the party ventures further into the city, including Kuto's Well, catacombs filled with a bandit horde, a thieves' guild, Podol Plaza, and a buccaneer bar called the Pit. With the party making impressive progress, they are next contracted to go to the old Textile House, to recover the treasure of a council member. Pressing onward, the party can enter Mendor's Library, a temple of Bane in the wealthy section, Kovel Mansion, and the deadly Valhingen Graveyard. Eventually the party ventures outside the city by boat, where they encounter a silver dragon. Various side treks and adventures occur, including visiting an encampment of the Zhentarim, as the party continues to build up experience and aid the city by defeating the plans of the mysterious "Boss". Now the more difficult endgame begins. The party reveals a traitor in the city council, and are commissioned to hunt him down. At some point the party will have to assault Stojanow Gate, a difficult task against bugbears and ettins. The party then enters Valjevo Castle, defeats the impostor Tyranthaxus, then descends to fight the dragon boss in a deadly battle. Trivia As the first game in the series, Pool of Radiance was to be surpassed in terms of features by later Gold Box games. Party characters could only be selected from among the classes of fighter, cleric, wizard, or thief, and the maximum class level was restricted to level 6(9 for thieves, 8 for fighters). Pool of Radiance won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988.
Differences between versions of Pool Of Radiance Pool Of Radiance was released for several computers/game consoles so there are differences between the versions. NES version, you have less characters than the computer versions, but no load times. The Commodore 64 has music which plays over the title screen, the DOS version doesn't have music playing over the title screen.You can have up to 8 characters, 6 player characters & 2 NPC's (Non-player characters) in the computer version. The Apple 2 version has the worst graphics. The C64 version is also known for its slow load times. The game was distributed on four double-sided floppy disks which required a lot of disk swapping, possibly the biggest issue users have with this version. Difficulty Pool of Radiance is considered to be a very difficult game. Even characters who are at their highest levels and have the best equipment can have trouble with battles, especially the later battles. The game also contains many random encounters. It is common to experience a random battle, finish it, and then immediately trigger another one. |
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