Lol, snakes and hobgoblins are a piece of cake for me now.
It only takes me one blow to kill them, and I'm a magic user...just sayin'.
They've been replaced by manticores, stone giants, horned devils, abyss fiends, bear-men, vampires and other nightmarish creatures.
I die. A lot. It's hard indeed...playing at medium difficulty and getting my ass handed to me over and over again.
But, I made it to level 20 of 25 in the dungeon of castle of the Winds part 2 (the previously non-shareware, bigger part of the game).
I plan to finish it today.
Dammit Pev, you just need more perseverance!!