Hey Sol, (my favorite star)
The NES Gauntlet was on my mind while I was working on this, that is certain. I really loved that game.
I agree that Underhill is too hard, I've played about 1000+ times while testing, so I adjust the difficulty to my level. I think that selectable difficulty settings would benefit most people who just want to check it out, and not commit hours!
I think that Leveling/item purchase is the next direction I will head in... Thanks for your comments! Please keep sending light and heat to our humble planet!