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Didn't work

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have a brand new computer (2008) and my graphics card would write the characters under the background scenery so I was never able to actually play it. I looked online but wasn't able to find a way to corrent this. Not the sellers fault, just the game software didn't work well.

The Game is great...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of the first Pool of Radiance (AD&D Gold Box) and I am a bigger fan of this game.

The only draw back was getting used to the third edition rules, which was ok, but the adventure and fun is unparalleled to any other RPG game I have played, with the exception to games that came out later (ie Oblivion, NWN etc).

It is a good buy and you will have a hard time finding it.

Excellent package with non-stop entertainment on all levels

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I don't agree with the bad reviews for this game and package. I couldn't disagree more. I was enthralled with the game and spent many fun filled hours playing late into the A.M. while delving deeper into the Ruins of the once great Myth Drannor. The game is deep, detailed, expansive and rewarding in many ways. Not to mention the collectors edition has many great perks like the great novel by Carrie Bebris! The soundtrack is also a nice addition. Note though: this is no soft-core RPG. If you are used to playing Grandia and Final Fantasy type RPG's, you may be overwhelmed by this adventure. It is true D&D in form and will be best understood and enjoyed by someeone familiar with the Forgotten Realms setting.

The game features detailed character building and weapon/armor combinations, along with many a spell to learn and master.....this is an RPG collectors delight! I found the added perks of the collectors kit to be a treat. I highly recommend.

Woefully inadequate

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: September 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I bought this new (Collector's edition an all) a few years ago.
My PC at the time couldn't handle the graphics for some reason, and rather than return the game for a store credit, I kept it. (Figuring I'd get a decent system one day and play it then.) Fast forward a few years, and while moving from one house to another, I unearthed this "game" and decided to play it. Once in a while I get OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) on certain things. I start something and just HAVE to finish it, no matter how inane or pointless it may be. This is one of those times. I am a sucker for D&D style computer games. I was spoiled by the likes of Planescape Torment and even the Baldur's Gate saga. But this? About 3 years elapsed from this game's purchase to its actual playing, and I had the benefit of downloading all the patches and fixes to play this junk. The 3rd edition rules ARE a nice new spin on CRPG's, but the storyline and over all setting are just PONDEROUS. I understand the need to have a huge game to take hundreds of hours to beat so you feel like you "get your money's worth", but my god, did I have to kill EVERYTHING in Faerun? Its non-stop hack and slash, with the same crappy looking tile sets and dungeons level after mind numbing level. The game crashed on me numerous times, and certain quests/items I couldn't complete simply because the game forbid me to finish those sections by crashing. The use of gold in this setting in irrelevant, by the end of the game I had half a million pieces of it, and couldn't buy darn near anything worthwhile. Encumberance is also stupid. I mean, I know my guy has a strength of 22, but he can haul 6 full suits of armor and 4 shields and 9 spears, etc... completely unrealistic. Also, one hole in the side of a rock wall is somehow magically able to get you to EVERY level you've ever been to, but you don't discover those passages until AFTER you've cleared the level. I can go on and on about the abysmal game play, the horrid storyline. If you feel the need to play a D&D game and only care about killing 99.5% of all things in it, this is the game for you. If dialogue is purely optional, and indeed irrelevant to the flow of a game, this is for you. In fact, you can have the same conversation 4 different ways and get the same result in 75% of the scenarios. I really blame the gamemakers, they tried so hard to implement 3rd edition rules, they forgot that plot, common sense, and character attributes should actually matter. This piss-poor rendition of Pool of Radiance went for flashy graphics and missed out on everything else. I considered selling my copy on Ebay, but as a service to humanity, I will bury it back in my basement to spare someone else the indignity of having to pay for something like this.

There are a couple of reasons to check out this game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: September 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

1. The revision of 3rd edition D&D rules. Normally, I have a lot of irks about D&D 3rd edition and its encumbersome rule system. This game almost completely fixes the rules to be more up-to-date with console role-playing standards. Unfortunetly though, the accuracy/evasion system was not fixed, and thus you will find yourself missing 90% of the time. (This is not an exageration, either.)

2. Perfect emulation of D&D combat. This game has managed to perfectly portray every aspect of the combat system found in pen-and-paper D&D. The best way to describe it is "tactical turn-based." Each unit has an initiative, which basically lets you know who goes first, second, etc. Upon reaching a turn, the unit has an ATB gauge which begins to decrease. During this time, you may freely move your unit around the field. After moving, you may perform some sort of action with that unit. The range of movement and number of actions depends on your initiative as well as conditional items such as any previous actions taken in the same round. (Which means that you can sometimes do multiple actions if they don't require a lot of effort on the unit's part - it all depends on what you do and when you do it.)

As far as other aspects of gameplay go, the game doesn't have a whole lot to offer. It just seems like you lead your party to dungeon after dungeon, pointlessly slaughtering whatever might lie in your path. However, I still find this game very enjoyable. Being that the refined rules system blends in great with the fun combat system, it's easy to get pulled in - even though the plot itself is rather boring.

If you're an avid D&D fan, then you may want to check this game out for novelty purposes. If you end up falling in love with the rules and combat system, then you may also want to check out The Temple of Elemental Evil. (Being that it seems to be based on the system used in Pool of Radiance.)

absolute worst game I have seen for a long time

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: April 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game was the biggest waste of money. It is full of bugs and has a lousy gameplay. Above all, combat is boring and slow - or more like tedious. I very much regret having spent money on it. It is worth no more then maybe $5 or $10 at the most.

some will love this game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I personally am enjoying the game.
Despite all the bad reviews, I wanted to try it and I was also tempted to have a D and D module included in the collector's edition. I got it and I found the game is much better than I expected after the recent patch.

If you like to see how table top miniature combat game comes to a life to PC, this game is for you and you will love it. It exactly gives you the feeling of miniature combat and I liked it a lot. I do not play miniature combat game myself but have been very interested and this PC game was my answer for it.

Combat becomes somewhat repetitive but still many tactical consideration makes each combat a pleasant one.

I have noticed that for this game, strategy guide turns out to be very helpful. Otherwise, dungeon is too big and you could easily be lost about the quest that you are following for. In fact, strategy guide is very good and it will add to your D and D collection.

Watch out for software problems ! ! !

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game when it first came out and had quite a time trying to install it. I have a large d drive but it would tell me there is not enough space for a full install. I had twenty gig left on that drive. It would install only on the C drive even if I told it to install somewhere else. It would put a little file on the D drive and do the rest of the install on the C drive. Then it had problems with the screen resolution, then the characters would not appear on the screen... only the pointers used to guide them from place to place. I wrote the software publisher and they knew it had multiple problems and did not know when/if they would have a fix. I ended up returning it. When I returned it I heard of all the horror stories from other people that installed this game, the worst problem being that it erased the information off the hard drive when it deinstalled itself. Yikes. I would definitely double check that these problems are fixed and then back up your computer before installing. It is too bad for me, since I was very excited to play this game.

Flawed but repairable

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game expecting I was buying a 3-D Baldurs Gate. Boy was I wrong! ROMD seems to be more like a turn-based Diablo II, with plenty of guys to kill and treasure to pick up, but other than that no real substance.

The graphics are good, certainly better than Baldur's Gate. You first explore outside of Myth Drannor which is infested with orcs and zombies. The locales outside are fairly intresting, in the first area alone there's a orc camp, dark tower, shop, a hidden shelter for elves, a fountain that heals you, and a strange floating rock that may or may not be a Mythal.

However, the most boring part is actually exploring the underground lairs! They're totally bland, with all the rooms looking like any other rooms, except with the furniture rearranged! The encounters differ alot from rescueing friends to defeating a large and powerful foe, but they all have to do with combat. Subquests are little more than treasure hunts, but they are numerous. Talking has no roleplaying to it at all, you cannot intimidate other characters, flirt with them, quite a bit different from Baldur's Gate, all you do is ask them something or tell them something.

The worst part of the game is that you can't customize your character! Things like feats and skills are already chosen for you, even the Ranger's favored enemy! Many of the character classes, such as wizards, druids, and bards, are not available in the game. You cannot choose a prestige class. They've eliminated everything 3rd Edition D&D was made for.

There is one saving grace, however. Despite the game's many flaws, its combat is nail biting and sometimes intense even though it's a turned based game. Most of the battles require you to be a tactian and it may be fun for strategy enthusiasts. Maybe.

I'll give it a two because it is fun for some. Otherwise your playing a game with no soul. It needs heavy patchwork, I can tell you that.

Can't tell much

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

All I know for certain is what I have read in the instruction book that came with the game. I have installed this thing 4 times (fortunately, I didn't get any of the major problems others have experienced with corruption of OS when I uninstalled - or I should say I haven't noticed any yet), and I have never been able to get it to go past the first screen (selecting between options and play, etc - the main menu). I have installed with their first 2 patches (which are patches for getting the game to install and run - they were still in the process of getting out the first batch of fixes for the gameplay glitches), but they haven't helped. I have read of people having to install older drivers to get this to work. Some people seem to have the lucky combination of whatever it is they need to make this thing run, but there are a bunch of us programmers (yes, I have been programming in the real world for 5 years, I'm not exactly new at this type of thing) out here who can't seem to find that combination. Avoid this thing like the plague. Wait for a while. After the game drops to [a fraction of its current price], maybe UBI Soft will have out all of the patches necessary to make this silly thing actually work. (...)

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