[super_smasher3]

One good thing you guys didn't say about magic missle: Casting time=1. That's what makes it so good. Same with Chromatic Orb. I am playing a game where I pumped up a sorceror in SK (Yes, I know it's cheating, but I thought it might be fun to go around and check out all the tight spells. I am not using this to figure out how to do anything or giving away any of the plot with it. His name: Sauron =). Also I have not jacked him up to much in anything more than spells so he still can die and it is a challenge to cast the spells right agaisnt hard enemies, especially becuase the difficulty is on insane.)anyway, one thing that makes Chromatic Orb better than finger of death is that it takes hardly any time to cast. Whereas FoD, Disentigrate etc. take so long to cast that usually someone has attacked you by the time you cast it.

Anyway, my favorite/must have spells would be:
Magic Missle
HASTE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Raise dead/Harper's call
Heal
Animal summoning III
That's all I can think of right now. (note that I have only actually played through the game far enough to get Imoen and I don't know too much about how some of the high level spells fit in with the game.) Jaheira's Harper's call followed by a heal spell is awsome to have. Also Restoration is a critical spell to have when dealing whith so absolutely NASTY vampires (I didn't realize that Aeirie could cast that spell untill I had already spent countless hours going back to temples to get my level drains restored. Oohh those things are nasty! *shudders*).