But I, personally, tend to stay away from magic as much as possible and work at hack and slashing. It is just my approach to the game and, of course, is not for everybody.As a rule, I only use magic for buffs, debilitating spells, and travel and almost NEVER cast spells that directly hurt or kill the enemy. I rely on ranged and melee attacks.
BTW did you clear out the maze with you KTCS without any reloading? If my party experienced a full party death, the game is OVER for me and I must start anew. This is my ONE unbreakable rule and I never deviate from it. I also never multiloot monsters and never save/reload at shops.
Each to his own, of course and each has his/her own style of playing. Who is to say which one is "correct"? My motto is: "I play these games for fun, if I want a job, I'll go out and find one!" 
