I agree with your points about AI. I wasn't really complaining about it - it was more of the whishful thinking
It would be harsh to judge that game based on today's standards.
I beat the game on
Normal difficulty level. I gave myself a slight advantage, customizing the character and selecting to by Myrrian. Since Sss'ra was not one of the opponents wizards, I had the whole world to myself for development before I came out and crushed the opposing four. I still managed to get only 26% of success, though (comparing to 19% when playing on
Easy). I guess I could've waited 30 more turns to finish Spell of Mastery and see what happens, but I was powerful enough to destroy the last wizard (I was actually taking my time there), so I thought to go for it.
Do you get more points for finishing Spell of Mastery?