Pool Of Radiance for Commodore 64

The REAL Pool Of Radiance, from 20 years ago (20 years?!) This is in my opinion one of the best games available for the Commodore 64, and the best of the SSI Gold Box games. This is the one that started it all!

This is video of the intro screen and music, and the ingame demo. Sound is slightly out of sync; still can't figure out why it does that.

I prefer the C64 version to the DOS version. The graphics aren't as nice but the sound effects are so much better.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• pool
• of
• radiance
• commodore
• 64
• c64
• game
• computer
• ssi
• gold
• box
• dungeons
• dragons
• d&d
• ad&d
• video
• forgotten
• realms

[drawswithcrayon]

I thought it was much earlier than 1988.

[mrsparkle001]

@drawswithcrayon Before 1988 there was SSI' Wizard's Crown and The Eternal Dagger, the forerunners of the gold box series. Both of those games are great in their own way, and their turn based combat is vastly superior to the gold box series. They simplified combat with the gold box series (oversimplified in my opinion; if you know those two games you know what I mean).

Not many are familiar with those two games though.

[drawswithcrayon]

@mrsparkle001 nope. i just remember buying pool of radiance for $50. i was already starting high school at that point, but $50 still seemed like a massive amount of money.

[mrsparkle001]

@drawswithcrayon I got mine as a christmas gift, that and The Bard's Tale which I also love.

I started high school in 89.

Try to find the c64 version of Wizard's Crown, for an emulator. It's out there, I have it. You need to see just how dumbed down the gold box combat was.

[Doommaster1994]

My favorite version of this game is the NES version. I don't know why people are being racist about it. Maybe I like it more because its easier than the PC, C64, Amiga and Mac version. I could neve rget past the slums in the PC version. Also, you get all that silver, copper, and electrum that you can't just trade in for platinum or gold. Also, the options were more complicated. In the NES version its WAY more easy to use. I'm not saying the other versions suck, just that the NES one is the best.

[mrsparkle001]

It's the easiness that makes it bad in comparison. Graphics aside, the NES version is inferior. It's similar to today's debates between console and PC gamers.

[400SA]

I still have this one for my C64 and C128 in the closet. I remember my dad paying over $200 for the C64 in 1983!! Quite a bit at the time and an Atari 2600 was $100. My did picked up the 128 at garage sale about 10 years ago for like $10 LOL. I think this is the best C64 game of all time, the later series were very good, but this one was simply legendary, great story line.

Why won't someone make a major movie of THIS story? It would be huge if done well!!

[Ardenwolfe]

Wow ... this takes me back. :)

Wolfe

[sonedts]

@ImoenOfTelengard As far as combat goes, it doesn't. The Gold Box turn based combat was was superior to the RtwP mess of a combat system that the IE games had. Shame really, those would of been great if they had turn based combat like in Gold Box games and Temple of Elemental Evil.

[ImoenOfTelengard]

Baldur's Gate II is probably the ONLY modern AD&D game which can top old-school games like this.

[ImoenOfTelengard]

I miss the negative armor class. 

[AAVista]

I have played countless games on the Commodore 64 but this badass RPG game totally rocks! It sports among the greatest graphics the Commodore 64 cam pump out from its 6502 CPU and its VIC-II chip! The music, sound effects, game play - and especially the graphics - are down-to-earth cutting edge! An epic game that will keep you coming back for more! Insanely addictive!

[AAVista]

@Doommaster1994 Though the NES version appears to be the easiest to play because of the simpler controls, it lacks in graphics compared to other versions. Like Legend Of Zelda, though, the NES Pool Of Radiance may have a backup battery and saving capability.

[EstigiaSDTK]

Excellent RPG! This game, Curse of the Azure Bonds and Ultima V are the RPG that I remember more than C64.