PantherUK has been on at me to do this one for a while so we can chat about it, and seeing as it is my favourite game of all time, I thought I'd do a casual playthrough. I say casual, yet I did still manage to showcase almost every area, kill practically every monster, and grab all the useful items. (^u^)
My party then:-
Hissssa - Strongest character in the game period, plus starts with good stats overall.
Halk - Second strongest character, plus highest starting Fighter level in the game.
Chani - The wisest character in the game overall, therefore highest mana regeneration.
Boris - Second wisest character, plus highest starting Wizard level in the game.
(Yes, I know Gothmog technically has a slightly higher starting level than Boris, but his mana & wisdom are way worse, which is why I don't consider him a better character overall.)
Went with Resurrected characters as it makes things flow better at the start. Indeed, Boris is so close to Journeyman Wizard, in a very short period of time, he gains triple mana recuperation on rest, meaning nothing is a match for his poison spells. Everything else can be chopped up by Hissssa & Halk, with Chani helping out with basic healing until she catches up with Boris mana wise later on through items such as the Teowand. (^_~)
Anyone wondering why I don't bother with Fireball much should know that Poison Bolt is far more effective for lower skill and mana. You also don't technically learn Fireball until The Tomb of the Firestaff, so I kind of see it as cheating myself. I reserve its use for Chaos Strikes Back, where it proves far more effective. (^_^)
We did actually do a commentary on this one as well, quite a while back now as it happens. Me being me, I simply neglected to add the necessary link until very recently:-
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