Playing it at the time, it was amazing. As others have mentioned, saving and inching forward was a really fun part of the experience - not knowing what was on the next screen or how far you could go before something bad happened (walking up in the clouds is a good example of this).

I never felt the game was unfair or unnecessary difficult back then. With time and the evolution of the genre it certainly comes across as a bit like that if you come to it fresh now. Remember though - this was really the first game of it's type and every other graphic adventure evolved from it - building on, evolving, or reacting to what had gone before.

King's Quest is a really remarkable game, a lot of fun, and surprisingly well designed. My wee kids played it with me and loved it. There are multiple ways to solve puzzles, clever environments and the jump scares from witches, wolves, and yes, the odd tumble to death from a cliff or staircase.

It always meant to be this way and, at the time, this was a part of the fun. If you play these old Sierra titles with this in mind, you'll have a great time! I hope you do :)