Pool of Radiance finally reaches Atari ST and Mega Drive
A fan-made Atari ST beta finally revives SSI's missing Gold Box release, while a separate Mega Drive version brings the classic RPG to a joypad.
Pool of Radiance has arrived on the Atari ST decades after Strategic Simulations, Inc. originally announced a version for the computer. The fan-made beta adapts the Gold Box RPG by modifying the Atari ST release of Curse of the Azure Bonds, its direct sequel, according to creator cb-fgc's project page.1
The Atari ST version is designed for an Atari ST or emulator with at least 1 MB of RAM. It also supports Falcon030 and CT60 systems, along with NetUSB and the USB mouse driver.1 The creator says AI tools helped convert PC DAX data into the Atari ST's GLB and TLB containers, restore missing labels and jump tables, tidy the interface, and add code for the overworld map and ending sequences.1
The Atari ST release
This is a beta rather than a finished commercial port. The creator has tested major systems including map travel, but warns that players should expect bugs and crashes while development continues.1 Recent updates have brought the project closer to the original Pool of Radiance: character creation now uses its level limits and portrait selection, the credits screen has been restored, and several display, shop and mouse-pointer issues have been fixed.1
The project is especially notable because Pool of Radiance never received the Atari ST release SSI once promised. Reworking Curse of the Azure Bonds was possible because the Gold Box engine is modular, allowing the creator to reuse much of the sequel's structure while replacing data, interface elements and game-specific code.1
A second life on Sega Mega Drive
A separate version has also arrived for the Sega Mega Drive through DoubleDragon.org.2 It is built for the expanded Mega Drive hardware and uses a flash-cart memory workaround to accommodate the RPG's roughly 2 MB requirement. The release is intended for Terraonion's MegaSD, which can use a ROM-write mode to let the game borrow memory from the cartridge during play.2
That version adds a custom colour grade, new FM music voices and a new intro sequence. It also includes the Adventurer's Journal in text and scanned formats, fixes 38 legacy bugs from the original computer versions and later ports, and adds requested character improvements.2
Neither project should be confused with a new official release from the current owners of the Dungeons & Dragons licence. These are enthusiast-led restorations of a classic SSI RPG, aimed at preserving and extending a game that was once promised for hardware it never reached.
Our opinion
The Atari ST port is the more remarkable of the two projects because it closes a very specific hole in retro-gaming history: a missing release has finally become playable on the platform that was meant to receive it. The beta caveat matters, but so does the ambition. Rebuilding a Gold Box adventure by adapting its sequel is a clever technical route, and the steady stream of compatibility and authenticity fixes suggests this is more than a quick novelty port. The Mega Drive version adds a different kind of appeal, turning a keyboard-heavy computer RPG into something that can be played with a joypad. Neither project replaces the original, but both give Pool of Radiance a fascinating new afterlife.