It's easy to see why this game is heralded as the start of a great run of CRPGs. Though my knowledge of DnD is quite small, I was more or less able to grasp the systems in place. Though I may have done things a bit differently, I was still able to utilize a good amount of strategy.

One thing that I kind of picked up on that carries over from what I understand of DnD from my limited experience is the ability to kind of cheese the game system if you really know what you are doing. Of you want it to be, the game can be made a lot easier as you spam enemies with broken mechanics or exploit the rather simple AI.

The story and world building are two aspects that really stood out from such an early RPG. But I guess that's mostly to be expected when you set your game in one of the most well crafted fantasy worlds ever made.

The characters fell a bit flat because of the limited dialogue though. Outside of the little biography on each characters profile I basically don't know anything about any of my companions. NPC's are even worse as you really don't interact or talk with them much. Most dialogue is centered around quests, so you don't get a good sense of the characters.

I also disliked how most of the strategy in combat seemed to come from preparation beforehand (equipping the right spells, having the right potions, etc.). A good portion of the combat was just clicking on enemies to attack. I much prefer the JRPG style of combat that gives every character, regardless of class, different skills and abilities to use during combat that add more layers to it.

Overall though, if you enjoy RPGs this is probably one you should experience at least once.