It certainly encouraged conversation among gamers IRL a lot more than we do today, that's for sure. I don't want to have my hand held either but some of the hints they give you are so subtle or just hidden that they would be really easy to miss. This game was a great example of how dedicated you had to be back in the 90's and 80's in order to complete an RPG. These days though I am sure that most people did what I did and just pulled up a game guide online when they got stuck. Good times.