Mortification, everything you said is on the money. I can't think of much more to add to it, other than I WISH they had had a better way to get around the Dragonspire, at least after you finished that part of the game! Even Wizardry did that by letting you open up a secret passage or something to let you bypass the main dungeon after you had finished it. Oh well!
But every point you make is correct. It's a fantastic game, but one hopes that they'll address these issues in the next one.
And thank you for keeping it positive! I hate reading threads that do nothing but bash the game without offering other positive points as well.
Very good post!
-Sazerac