Shadow Sorcerer

Shadow Sorcerer was created in 1991 by Strategic Simulations Inc., and loosely follows the Dungeons & Dragons storylines. The overland map is hexagonally spaced and the terrain ranges from open roads to impassable mountains. Your stake in the plot is to help a band of refugees escape across the map while being pursued by various evildoers, including a Red Dragon that is all but invincible. You may split up your parties into three groups, and take turns moving them to various destinations seeking treasure, weapons and armor, little quests, or just to explore.

Each of your characters is important in his/her own right, and each will stay dead once he dies.
I remember playing this as a kid, and Raistlin and Strom Brightblade were my favorites. Raistlin eventually will be able to cast a few fireball spells, the very same spell the Red Dragon throws at you, and he can sometimes kill swaths of enemies levels above you. The real treat in this game is finding secrets in caves that take longer than you think. The royal jelly comes from a cave infested with bees, and so on. I only remember beating the game once, that I know of, which is to say that the real fun is in running off and exploring... like most games.
So! If you're a fan of the D&D universe, but not too rabid, you'll probably like this game. I, for one, simply want to play it because I played it as a kid a bazillion times and I loved it. It's hard, too, because keeping your parties alive is NOT easy, and you do not want to lose any characters. Also, you will no doubt become accustomed to certain characters, i.e. Strom Brightblade or Raistlin, and will favor them.
There are a number of fan sites, I'm sure, that offer maps and strategies to this game, but really you'll have more fun simply playing it over and over, and yes, dying over and over. Like I said, once I actually destroyed a dragon and it was the single greatest moment of my life, bar none. There are a number of characters I never liked much, and, no surprise, I can't remember their names. These characters weren't much for fighting or spell casting, and obviously never got much play from me.
Also, I hear the meaning of life is somewhere within this game. Keep looking for it.