toucanbuzz
No rule is inviolate
They're true to the AD&D rules with actual turn-based combat on a grid and original magical items/equipment. No "everything moving at once and you can't aim your fireballs." In that sense, it's identical to today's D&D combat. Pool of Radiance was hardcore in that you could take on "hirelings" (who might later betray you), and unless the coding was changed, it made combats tougher the higher your ability scores were.How do these compare to Baldur's Gate 1?
Obviously the graphics are less and there's not really any meaningful NPC interactions where you discover their backstory and they become more powerful, yada yada.
But, they're still a blast. Map exploration, hidden secrets in certain dungeons, stumbling across a sphere of annihilation or a room with 20+ beholders, there's a sense when playing them for the first time (without a cheat book) "what's around the next corner." Later, designers added "challenges" (pretty much impossible battles unless you did the "export/import" character thing to duplicate "must have" magical items like Boots of Speed).