Sorry I didn't see your email earlier, I get a lot of spam and I guess I just distrusted the email... hopefully I was able to answer your question. And did you think the path leading up the mountain to Sparta was too hard? I was trying to make it more of any enemy-avoidance situation, cause I don't like it when, in RPGs, it's always expected that you should fight every enemy. Real life doesn't work like that... sometimes you just have to survive. Until you get mad powerful, that is. Then it's time for sweet, sweet revenge!
Actually, I didn't mind the route to Sparta. It was actually kinda fun. It kept me on my toes. I died many times...many many times. Usually when I was debating on whether or not to use a bandage or not, for fear of needing it later on. It took me quite a few tries to defeat that lizard guy. That area is almost like a strategy game, imo.
In the end...there was not a monster left on that damn trail. I destroyed every last one of them. Moohaha!
And Rand's skills are cool. Useful. I was kinda sad to find that the game wasn't finished.