I would agree that grater dispell would be better, but it wasnt an option for me (3rd level spell storeing cold iron long sword).
I considered lightening bolt and shocking grasp and similar damageing spells, but it was the bad guys magical defences that my fighter/ pally couldnt tolerate. The prevaleance of energy imunities and SR uberness made any zark type spells pointless in his opinion. I (he) was a realy rather crappy paladin who'd converted to Pelor for RP reasons (wis 11 cha 8 heh) so all that magical malarkey was beyond me.
The crowning moment for me was when a caster dispeled my levitate and droped me on my rump, so I charged across the room and dispelled his fly before he could run of giggleing like a loon.
Your mileage is gona vary no matter what you sitck in there. So I tend to go with spells that might, just might, remove a major anoyance. I seem to recall putting a Fairy Fire in it once to whup an assassin, I got covered in purple too mind you, but the assassin didnt leave the cave alive.