(Note: Excessive epic anecdotal crap follows. If you want actual facts, scroll to the bottom. =)
I have to admit I haven't played the game that much, but in a way, it represents something that grew on the background and helped me to meet the world.
I remember the time when I got my Commodore 64. It was an used machine and I got the previous owner's warez stash with it. I had heard of these "role playing games" the Big Boys were playing. It sounded all so complex and enthralling to me, even when I didn't have a very good idea what it was about, but the fantasy genre beckoned. Now, with the machine, I had this game called Pool of Radiance that was supposedly a "role playing game". I couldn't get past the copy protection. I could watch the demo. Didn't get much wiser, but it seemed pretty interesting and did amaze me a great deal. I also got to play Ultima V (broken disks troubled that one) and that was among the last straws...
Years passed. I got this game from an abandonwarez site and tried playing it. Oh, jeepers. I thought the thing was neat, but aged. Aged, aged, aged.
Then, a while later, I found something pretty neat. I'm now older, supposedly wiser, I probably qualify for actual roleplaying. And these days, I just love Neverwinter Nights, which is a pretty good computer RPG and also works supposedly with multiple players...
And from the other hemisphere comes Chris Fowler's Neverwinter Nights port of Pool of Radiance.
The circle was complete. I now have in front of me a new challenge: The son of the old adventure that in turn inspired me to find out more about RPGs, and got me into the hobby.
...
This new NWN adaptation of Pool of Radiance was originally released in August 15, 2002. Neverwinter Vault - where this module is rightfully enough ranked right in the top ten, being one of the most downloaded modules also - lists 1.12b as the final version, but I suspect a new version is coming (the author talks of adding "real" kobolds to the mess). As expected, the module is very very heavily based on the original PoR, which in turn was based on "Ruins of Adventure" module. The original module was for 1st edition AD&D, so we have come a long way when we now play the same module with 3rd edition...
The module has some changes from the bare NWN. For example, you can't rest on every area of the game.
The module is intended to be played with one player (you get a henchman, though) and it's recommended to start it with a new level 1 character. It can also be played with a small party in multiplayer.
I have only seen relatively little of the game (the website says it takes 20+ hours to complete, and I've only played for about two... =) but I can say the module is rather interesting. The only complaint - and an acknowledged fault - is that the dialogue isn't very immersive and could use some improving. But otherwise, this module is excellent stuff to play.
One interesting detail that also tells something of the close of the circle: The SSI game for C64 had a pretty interesting opening music. The same opening music was apparently also used in old AOL multi-user game "Neverwinter Nights" - that is unrelated to the Bioware's new game, but the thing was pretty interesting anyway. =)