Labyrinth Lord (aka D&D 1st ed) review

I started playing table top RPGs only a few years ago, near the end of the 3.5 D&D era.  And I hadn't played anything earlier.  I've long heard of those die-hard old-school D&Ders who insist AD&D is the better than the new-schoolers.  Where dwarf is a class, and there's this weird THACO thing.  I was skeptical, but I wanted to try it before I could properly form an opinion.  It's been something I wanted to try for a while, but until now, I haven't found a group until now.

Yesterday, I attended my first real dungeon crawl.  Overall, I enjoyed it, however, like any system there are things I didn't like.  In conclusion, it's a game I am certainly willing to play given the opportunity, but I am not likely to go out of my way to get my old-school D&D fix.  7 out of 10 stars.

Things I liked:

• Character creation was easy.  Roll some dice, pick from a nice small list of classes (not like 4th ed where there are a million choices to make, even after you pick a race/class)
• A lack of magic items.  I feel that newer editions of D&D make magic items so common that they are no longer special.  Most 4e characters above first level have at least 2 magic items.  It kills pretty much any "item related quest" which is often done is fantasy stories (ie, you need special sword X to kill your sworn enemy)
• Short combat.  Enemies as well as players have so few hitpoints (my character had 9 hit points, and she had the most of the party), so it's quick to kill the monsters, as well as the players
• Rules-light for the player.  A player does not have much that he needs to keep track of, character sheets are simple, and laid out in a logical manner
• Almost no math.  This isn't important for most people, but I am one of those arithmetic incompetent people who will count their attack bonus on their fingers.  This edition gives you a nice little chart, you roll this number, this is what AC you can hit.  

Things I didn't like:

• Rules heavy for the DM.  The DM has tons of different charts and stats he needs to keep track of, how many turns until the lantern oil runs out, exactly how many feet is that hallway, etc.  The DM slows down gameplay, even if he is an expert on the rules
• Slow exploration.  While combat is over quickly, the constant "I search for traps, I search for secret doors, I listen at the door, I poke the box with my 10' pole, etc" gets tedious and repetitive.  Because first level players are so fragile, they tend to be annoyingly cautious.  Now, I know if I were actually in a creepy dungeon full of traps, I'd be listening at every door, but that isn't much fun.  And fun is my top priority when it comes to gaming.
• Stereo-typed character personalities.  Because characters die so easily, people have a tendency to not come up with original personalities for their characters.  And while playing a Scottish ale loving dwarf can be fun, it gets old after a while.
• Is higher better or lower?  This is where my OCD kicks in, I want consistency.  I like knowing that universally rolling high or low is good and the other is bad.  Which is not done, when hitting things, higher is better, when doing some kind of ability check lower is better.  It gets confusing for a new player    
• Wizards.  Poor first level wizards can't do a damn thing.  They've got their one spell, and if their creative they can light some lantern oil and throw it at something.  It makes being a low level wizard boring and boring does not equal fun.