In the late 80s and early 90s, SSI was probably the undisputed king of Pen & Paper adaptations, and dished out one game after another to milk the AD&D-license for what it was worth. These games varied in looks and gameplay, with most of them being little more than generic dungeoncrawlers (the famous Eye of the Beholder for example was a nice piece of eye candy, but ultimately didn't offer more than exploring maps, killing mobs and solving puzzles) - and SSI can't really hide behind the excuse that games weren't better back then, because Ultima or Wizardry showed that even by the standards of 1990, video games could indeed be more intricate than what they offered.
The Dark Sun duology however managed to stand the test of time better than its companions: The game as such tries harder to showcase the world it's taking place (though it takes liberties with the Dark Sun source material considering the look of certain areas in it), there are settlements, numerous NP Cs (who actually could be talked to), vendors, and occasionally even choices to be made. While the game wasn't the quantum leap when it was released (like Baldur's Gate a few years later), it has held up far better than, say, the Krynn and the Beholder-series, and is a lot less likely to disappoint nostalgic players who are revisiting it decades later.
Probably the best SSI adaptation
In the late 80s and early 90s, SSI was probably the undisputed king of Pen & Paper adaptations, and dished out one game after another to milk the AD&D-license for what it was worth. These games varied in looks and gameplay, with most of them being little more than generic dungeoncrawlers (the famous Eye of the Beholder for example was a nice piece of eye candy, but ultimately didn't offer more than exploring maps, killing mobs and solving puzzles) - and SSI can't really hide behind the excuse that games weren't better back then, because Ultima or Wizardry showed that even by the standards of 1990, video games could indeed be more intricate than what they offered.
The Dark Sun duology however managed to stand the test of time better than its companions: The game as such tries harder to showcase the world it's taking place (though it takes liberties with the Dark Sun source material considering the look of certain areas in it), there are settlements, numerous NP Cs (who actually could be talked to), vendors, and occasionally even choices to be made. While the game wasn't the quantum leap when it was released (like Baldur's Gate a few years later), it has held up far better than, say, the Krynn and the Beholder-series, and is a lot less likely to disappoint nostalgic players who are revisiting it decades later.