The heroes would then begin at the port city of Phlan, motivated by fortune or glory to win back the city from its monstrous overlord. A novel feature, Pool of Radiance is a mission-based adventure, with characters receiving assignments from the Council, or taking up tasks that are completely optional. The open nature of its structure allowed players to go about quests in any order, and most objectives could be accomplished through multiple solutions.

Exploration is done in first-person; with a 3D view port window into the fantastic world – similar to The Bard's Tale series. The interface is clunky and slow, but individual character sheets display all the vital information one would expect from the tabletop game. Players must learn to track hit points, THAC0, armour class, inventories and spell books, contributing to the pervasive feel of pen and paper.

When diplomacy fails and a battle begins, the player is switched to a top-down “isometric” view of a field, derived from Wizard's Crown. The characters are represented by icons (you can even customise yours), and movement and positioning is crucial. Staged against foes in tactical turn-based resolution, the game boasts some impressive large-scale battles, sometimes with dozens of enemies at once.

Also featured is the overland map. Upon leaving the city or one of the many dungeons in the outskirts, the party is changed to representation by a single icon in order to traverse the open land. This includes the possibility of random encounters, discovering new locations or other hidden secrets.

After finishing Pool of Radiance, players may transfer their heroes to the next game in the series, all the way to the fourth game. Characters can progress in a sweeping campaign, similar to ongoing play with pen and paper, reaching epic power levels.