Helherron

• The game is, terribly and brutally hard if you don't have a fairly good idea of the combat mechanics. And you can find yourself screwed to the point of losing hours of progress if you save at the wrong time or at a battle you don't think you can win.

• My first bit of advice is to start over, totally, and use a more combat oriented party. I would suggest five fighter types, preferably of the large and tough variety, and either two priests and a wizard or a priest and two wizards. I would avoid monks, as they start off really slow and are hard to work right, and that you keep in mind that ranged characters are mostly a bad investment because unless you get lucky with the battle map, you're going to be outnumbered to the point where the enemy will be able to flank around you and render them useless.

• Also, make sure each of your warriors has a DIFFERENT weapon speciality and only bother to train that speciality up - ever. I would recommend that your be mostly trolls/golems with two handed weapons and anyone else being a weapon + shield type.

• Try to get and upgrade silver weapons for as many people as possible. They're not as powerful, overall, but by God they're absolutely necessary against some encounters with the undead who will otherwise slaughter you while you sit their helpless. And try not to spend money on useless things - in the main city you'll find yourself with the ability to purchase lots of stat advancements that cost many fortunes to afford.

• Here's a good website with lots of information that you'll find helpful: http://www.dahlby.net/games/helherron/