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Pool of Radiance
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{{Short description|1988 video game}} {{about||the series|Pool of Radiance (series)|the novel|Pool of Radiance (novel)}} {{good article}} {{Infobox video game | title = Pool of Radiance | image = Pool of Radiance Coverart.png | alt = A warrior with a sword stands in the foreground, with a fire-breathing dragon in the background. | caption = Cover art by [[Clyde Caldwell]] | developer = [[Strategic Simulations]]<br />Marionette {{small|(NES)}} | publisher = {{vgrelease|NA|Strategic Simulations|EU|[[U.S. Gold]]|JP|[[Pony Canyon]]|NA|[[Fujisankei Communications International|FCI]] (NES)}} | director = [[Chuck Kroegel]] | designer = [[George MacDonald (game designer)|George MacDonald]] | programmer = Keith Brors<br />Brad Myers | artist = Tom Wahl<br />Fred Butts<br />Darla Marasco<br />Susan Halbleib | composer = Wally Beben <small>(Amiga)</small><br />David Warhol <small>(C64)</small><br />Seiji Toda <small>(NES/PC-9800)</small><br />Masayuki Kurinaga <small>(PC98)</small> | series = ''[[Gold Box]]'' | engine = | released = '''June 1988:''' C64/128, MS-DOS<br/>'''1989:''' Mac<br/>'''1990:''' Amiga<br/>'''April 1992:''' NES | genre = [[Role-playing video game]], [[Tactical role-playing game|tactical RPG]] | modes = [[Single-player]] | platforms = [[Amiga]], [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]], [[MS-DOS]], [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[PC-9800]] }} '''''Pool of Radiance''''' is a [[role-playing video game]] developed and published by [[Strategic Simulations|Strategic Simulations, Inc]] (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]'s ''[[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Advanced Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (''AD&D'') [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]] for home computers, becoming the first episode in a four-part series of ''D&D'' computer adventure games. The other games in the "[[Gold Box]]" series used the [[game engine]] pioneered in ''Pool of Radiance'', as did later ''D&D'' titles such as the ''[[Neverwinter Nights (1991 video game)|Neverwinter Nights]]'' online game. ''Pool of Radiance'' takes place in the [[Forgotten Realms]] fantasy setting, with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan. Just as in traditional ''D&D'' games, the player starts by building a [[Party (role playing games)|party]] of up to six [[Player character|characters]], deciding the race, gender, class, and [[Statistic (role-playing games)|ability scores]] for each. The player's party is enlisted to help the settled part of the city by clearing out the marauding inhabitants that have taken over the surroundings. The characters move on from one area to another, battling bands of enemies as they go and ultimately confronting the powerful leader of the evil forces. During play, the player characters gain [[experience point]]s, which allow them to increase their capabilities. The game primarily uses a first-person perspective, with the screen divided into sections to display pertinent textual information. During combat sequences, the display switches to a top-down "[[Isometric graphics in video games and pixel art#Similar projections|video game isometric]]" view.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 100 RPGs of All Time |url=http://www.ign.com/top/rpgs/46 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915010613/http://www.ign.com/top/rpgs/46 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |website=IGN |access-date=9 April 2013}}</ref> Generally well received by the gaming press, ''Pool of Radiance'' won the [[Origins Award]] for "Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988". Some reviewers criticized the game's similarities to other contemporary games and its slowness in places, but praised the game's graphics and its role-playing adventure and combat aspects. Also well-regarded was the ability to export player characters from ''Pool of Radiance'' to subsequent SSI games in the series.
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