I fondly remember watching my parents play this game and then trying myself as well. I think part of the fun was the fantasy elements involved - gradually learning spells and powers and then using them to defeat the bad guy. Revisiting it, I certainly think it has its strengths and weaknesses.
The graphics stand out as really nice. Obviously the resolution is low, but all the places, items, backgrounds and characters are gorgeous. And I still enjoy the fantasy aspects - lots of bright colours and cool powers you can use. The music is generally good, the maze being my favourite part. However, many aspects of the game are also frustrating.
Some of the puzzles involve guessing or have arbitrary steps and rules to them. It feels like more effort could have been made to give hints to nudge the player in the right direction. Or to make the puzzles more meaningful, thematic and relevant to the story. Many seem to be completely random, which is disappointing. Some items are purely red herrings as well which grows tiresome - what's the point? It's also annoying since you're limited to 10 items to carry (11 if you hold something as you move across screens). The maze section can get tedious due to repetition - most screens are almost identical. It requires many revisits, especially if you forget one or two minor things.
The powers are a bit unpredictable as well - it's not always clear exactly what they do or when you're meant to use them. It also doesn't always feel like you've really earned them, for example dropping a few nuts into a hole to get the power to heal from a giant talking flower. You often feel stupid after trying a power and seeing that it does nothing, only for another power to work in a way you would never have guessed.
Another issue is the lack of dialogue. You can only click on things. This isn't too bad but your character, Brandon, doesn't comment on most things. So there are a lot of missed opportunities for commentary, detail and humour or mystery. You get used to that, but sometimes it means you miss things, assuming objects are just part of the background. The tone's inconsistent as well, with some amount of humour varying from amusing to lame but other parts being pretty straight - it doesn't feel confident.
The ending is anticlimactic, considering the powers you've developed and the fact that you've learned practically nothing about yourself, the world you're in or your adversary. I think a sequence like the one in Superman where Luthor tests him against fire, ice, machine guns, etc., might have worked well. Brandon does use his powers but only haphazardly, not directly against Malcolm.
Still, it's generally fun but I would highly recommend using a walkthrough if only for general hints and saving yourself unnecessary frustration.