Cheap Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor - Collector's Edition (Software) (Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows Me) Price

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Customer Reviews of Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor - Collector's Edition

Excellent package with non-stop entertainment
I dont know about the low reviews for this game and package. I completely disagree. I was enthralled with the game and spent many great hours playing and 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 RPG game is not for beginners, and is AD&D hardcore in my opinion. Detailed character building and weapon/armor combinations, along with many a spell to learn and master.....this is an RPG collectors delight!

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Woefully inadequate
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.

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There are a couple of reasons to check out this game
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.) <
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>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.) <
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>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. <
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>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.)