Non-human characters have the option to become multi-classed. Six races are offered, including elves and halflings, as well as four classes (fighter, cleric, wizard, and thief).

As in many role-playing games (RPGs), each player character in Pool of Radiance has a character race and a character class, determined at the start of the game. Pool of Radiance is based on the same game mechanics as the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rule set. Also well-regarded was the ability to export player characters from Pool of Radiance to subsequent SSI games in the series. Some reviewers criticized the game's similarites to other contemporary games and its slowness in places, but praised the game's graphics and its role-playing adventure and combat aspects. Generally well received by the gaming press, Pool of Radiance won the Origins Award for 'Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988'. During combat sequences, display switches to a top-down perspective. The game primarily uses a first-person perspective, with the screen divided into sections to display pertinent textual information. During play the player characters gain experience points, which allow them to increase their capabilities. The characters move on from one area to another, ultimately confronting the powerful leader of the evil forces. The player's party is enlisted to help the city by clearing out the marauding inhabitants which have taken over. Just as in traditional D&D games, the player starts by building a party of six characters, deciding race, sex, class and ability scores for each. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting, with the action centered in and around the city of Phlan.

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 online game. It is the first in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. It was the first computer adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ( AD&D or D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Pool of Radiance is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988.

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