This show stood out head and shoulders over all the other cartoons - and it always puzzled me as to why...until I recently saw them on DVD. This show has something 90% of other shows, both for kids and adults, do not. Great characters. Really great characters. Characters you remember all your life. I don't know of any other kids' show before or since that had such emotional realism. These kids really react the way a bunch of teenagers would if placed in the D&D world. They run the gamut of emotions: scared, selfish, cowardly, brave, helpful, sarcastic, amused, mean, arrogant, humble. The story lines are fast paced and even a little intense by other shows' standards. But that's part of what makes it so great. It has a moral message without being too preachy. My only problem was that Eric was the butt of a joke so often, but I believe that had more to do with the influence of self-appointed "parent groups" than the scriptwriters. Both as a kid myself and as an adult, I still love this show. Modern TV could learn a lot from this.
