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A true disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The game is so buggy, the box crawls on its own. After purchasing the game and investing about 20 hours or so, a bug halted my progress. UbiSoft has released a patch for this particular bug, but the patch is not retroactive; I'd have to start over, with no guarantee that it's truly fixed, and negotiate around the myriad other bugs within the game.

To put it bluntly, it's no Baldur's Gate II. It's a dungeon crawl, and not a very exciting one at that. The only real benefit to playing it is the eye-candy provided by the spell system and by the richly detailed backgrounds - even with this, though, the game isn't worth playing at this point.

This pool is full of problems

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

On the serface "pool" looks good. However just a quick look at there own tech. page, makes it clear that not all the bugs have been worked out. crashes and freezes are just for starters.

Slow gameplay and Game crashes

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge fan of the original gold box games and was hoping this would be a revamp of those. Although the turn based combat is reminicent of those old beloved games that is where the simularities end. The navigation system is terrible and slow. The combat is slow, and there is not enough random action....

Overall...a Fun Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: February 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After reading the many negative reviews for this game complaining about system faults (Window is an unstable environment) and what if and why not comments I thought I would write a review that just talk about the game itself.

As far as comparing the game to the actual tabletop game. It is like comparing a movie to the book. I myself like the idea being able to see what a dwaven fighter with his trustie Two Handed 5-foot Battleaxe looks like fighting side-by-side with his huge Half-Orc Barbarian party member. Plus, watching spells take affect is better than imagining what they would look like.

The game does a good job in giving you enough diversity to use your imagination by creating a team of your own desire. I like the automatic set of points (all abilities default to 8). You are then given 25 additional which you can appoint to any ability you want rather spending all day trying to come up with the charter with perfect rolls or getting a very weak character. This type of creation gives personality to each chacater but, no gods or scrubs. Plus, during the game they give you bonus ability points and items that improve your weak abilities or increase your strengths.

Gameplay is very entertaining. Just enough graphics to keep you visually stimulated yet, more than enough of a storyline to keep you thinking and creating a strategy in exploring and even during the turn-based fighting scenerios. The turn based fighting is very random as far as dice rolls (sometimes you roll like a stud and sometimes like a dud) are fair. Although, at times multiple misses and failure to disarm traps can be fustrating, it provides a realistic view that things don't always go to plan.

The graphics for this RPG are pretty good(similar to Diablo Series) unlike most RPG where graphics are given up for game play. The storyline is interesting but, very broad. I would advise the game book or you will be roaming everywhere.

The game play is a little slow but, it makes ups for this in graphics. I would recommend this game if you are a RPG fan and want a little bit more than a hack and slash game but, would like some nice visuals to go with the role playing.

Yes, there are a few features such as hotkey or keyboard usage (extensive mouse work)and easier inventory management that could use improvements but, in the end it is all about having fun and this game is definitely fun. Remember to always Save during play.

Yeah, maybe the worst game I've ev er played...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lets disect the product summary...
*The player must create a party of six adventurers and explore the haunted elven ruins of Myth Drannor in order to stop the Pool's evil influence.
This was the best part of the game - making characters.

Pool of Radiance 2 is the first game to use the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rules.
*But Ubisoft didn't apply these rules correctly.

Playable character classes are Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger, Cleric, Sorcerer, Monk, and Rogue, while the races include Half-Orc, Human, Halfling, Dwarf, Elf, and Half-Elf. Characters advance from 1st to 16th levels, allowing spellcasters access to 8th-level spells.
*I wouldn't call what they sold me as "playable".

As you explore the ancient ruins of Myth Drannor, the Dungeon Master will communicate all important events and findings.
*The DM doesn't communicate to you that you probably want to kill yourself for paying for this hunk of garbage.

Combat is based on turns, just as in the tabletop game.
*Except that the tabletop game is fun.

With a great single-player campaign as well as multiplayer support, Pool of Radiance 2 is ready to carry on the legacy of the famous Gold Box games and lead D&D RPGs into the era of 3rd Edition rules.
*Legacy?! Bwahahaha!!! Yeah, right!!!! I'll never purchase anything from Ubisoft again!

I spent $60.00 for the "Gold" edition as soon as it was released. The Horror!!!! At least it came with a lame music soundtrack and a dice bag, which I've since lost!

Lots of playing time, little depth, frustrating bugs

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 31, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Reading through all the reviews, I see no mention of a MAJOR bug that plagues this game that I kindly refer to as "screen-jerky" mode. It reminds me so much of when the old video game screens used to slow down when too many moving characters appeared on the screen. Thats exactly what happens all too often when trying to play this game. Except its worse because when that happens your player controls will not work (going into periodic freeze-unfreeze-freeze-unfreeze) yet the monsters are free to attack your party at will and can damage you without you getting to attack back...until the game switches to a new screen perspective (like one extra monster far away from the party) and/or one of the monsters throws some nasty magic at you.

In addition, using a magic item during combat can be VERY difficult. You accumulate a GREAT number of items, scrolls, and potions throughout this game but trying to select one to use in combat has some very serious flaws. For one, when you pull up the item list during combat, the time-clock to take your attack keeps running. The item list is EXTREMELY disorganized too...instead of pulling up a list where several items (and similar items) are grouped together, your whole inventory list of magic is jumbled; for instance if you have three "Potions of Critical Healing" in inventory, when you pull up the list you won't see "Potion of Critical Healing (3)" on the list...instead you will see three single potions on the list, and they will not be listed together, but instead scattered throughout the magic item list. Potions, Wands, Scrolls, and weapons are not grouped together, and by the time you find the item you are looking to use, your time to use it expires and you lose your attack.

In addition, unless you are already holding the magic item, you have to activate it TWICE in combat to use it, not only once. It takes one pull of the awful magic menu to equip the item and then you have to select the item AGAIN to use it to target something. And its not always easy to find the item you are using on the second menu popup...instead of having the text change color or become boldfaced, there is only a tiny little "plus" sign next to the item equipped that can be difficult to see when you are in a hurry to get your attack in before your turn runs out.

I agree with the reviewers that the play is repetetive but there are enough quests in the game to make a decent story and the interface of the game is not as difficult to get used to as in, say, Wizardry Gold or the later Might and Magic Games (I much prefer computer RPG's in third person perspective). Thats the only reason I give it two stars instead of one. The graphics rival that of Diablo 2 although there is much less interaction between NPC's and the voice sounds are inferior. I agree also that more places to spend your gold would make the game more enjoyable...its hard to make the long treks back to the merchants when you are loaded down with the weight of many items that encumber your characters and impede your movement (which makes a BIG difference during the fighting). There are much better games out there than this one, free of the major flaws mentioned above and more fun to play. I'd only recommend this game to those who are avid RPG game fans who don't want to use their brains too much on a new computer game...I think in a year when the price is halved it would definitely be worth buying. Not now though.

Unplayable

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: March 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Pool of Radiance had one of those glittery presences on the internet, where everyone noticed and talked about it, but no one really thought too much about its potential problems. I bought the game unaware of how many problems there were. I quickly discovered all of them, and here are three.
1) The combat system is rigidly turn-based with little or no complexity to add excitement. (zombie hacks, paladin hacks= noise).
2) As with any true rpg fan, story comes first and foremost. POR simply had none. Perhaps a think tank of CPA's came up with this tedious dungeon crawl. I don't know.
3) There were far too many bugs in the system, and I experienced three crashes in the first couple of hours of game-play.

If you have extra money to spend, go buy BGII or DEUS EX. Or if you really want a fast paced dungeon crawl, buy Icewind Dale. POR without the pretension.

Can't get past the crashes

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: October 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The game runs for 5 minutes and crashes. Was hoping for a RPG fix before NeverWinterNights. This is not it.

Pen & Paper D&D returns to the Computer

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 14
Date: October 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you are a fan of the Pen and Paper style of D&D, this is it. The turn based style of the game, is a dream come true. I personally could care less about my own personal dexterity in combat. I'm more interested in stategizing what my characters can accomplish. If you were expecting Diablo, you are not a true D&D gamer.

I have read a lot of complaints about the install and gameplay, and with the exception of the drive specification, I have not experienced the listed problems. If you think your characters move too slow, have you read the manual yet? Try using your left shift key to run. You can also change the mouse speed in the game options section. These tricks really do work.

I personally feel, this game is true to D&D. My major gripes are the lack of some classes, and the limited number of player generated characters available. The dropdown menus were a bit tedious at first, but like any interface they soon become second nature.

Fun, if you bother to save every three minutes.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I will never buy another UBIsoft game. I expected an at least playable game. My state-of-the-art computer still crashes when I play the game, at least twice every hour. Crashes are minimized by turning the sound off. That helps, for what it's worth.

I can't believe that I bought such a bug-ridden, crash-prone game. I spent at least 200 hours playing the original pool of radiance game. I wish this game had at least managed to give me 2 hours of fun.

BTW, Ubisoft released a patch that was supposed to help with all of these complaints. I downloaded and installed it. It did not help.

Steer clear, unless you can get it for three or four bucks.

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