After the intro, you're free to do whatever you like. Exploring is split between towns and dungeons, seen in a first-person view, and a 2D overworld map where you choose your travel destinations.

Travelling is a big part of the game. Your journey is shown by an Indiana Jones-style red line on the map and occasionally interrupted by events presented in CYOA fashion – “Do you help the injured Elf?” –, as well as ambushes and random encounters.

For the turn-based battles, the game switches to an isometric view. Characters receive action points, based on their individual speed and how much armour they carry. These points can be used for everything from various types of attacks, to spellcasting, to movement and inventory management.

How faithfully the game adhered to the tabletop game's background and ruleset is still impressive after more than twenty years. The developers worked closely with the designers of TDE and everything from the dice-based character generation to the skill set and the huge spell list – was lifted directly from the tabletop game, with only a few concessions and adjustments (for better or worse).

Thus, you'll deal with an overwhelming amount of stats: 14 attributes, 52 skills and 48 spells, plus derived stats. Each spell has its own proficiency level, and skills cover everything from herb-collecting to haggling to ancient tongues. Creating the six members of your party can take a long time – and yes, it's very easy to waste points on things you'll never need.

The game also demands a lot of micromanaging, from food and drink to carrying suitable clothing for a northern climate if you don't want your heroes to be struck down with illness. And every time you camp on the road you'll have to assign who will hunt, heal the injured, the guard shifts, hours of sleep, etc.