Are you talking about the demo or the full game? Maybe I don't remember so well but I don't think I was doing anything more complex than what the demo offers in the beginning stages of something like say, Baldur's Gate II or Icewind Dale (both of which I love for different reasons, and actually played relatively recently). Granted, D&D is a much deeper combat system and I had to learn it from scratch when playing those two games, which was quite the task initially (although low levels aren't exactly complex either), but the exploration and discussions were on the same level as what I've seen in Avadon's demo. Not every classic/good RPG (not that I'm claiming this is a classic, I'd have to finish it first) is as open as Fallout or has as many choices as Planescape Torment. So, yeah, you're sent on a simple first task (talk to Dragon, do as he asks, return) but on the way you can explore and do other tasks at your leisure. I played for a few hours yet I never did that first task (the area you complete it in is unavailable in the demo).
There were several quests to do and the underground areas were pretty much as large as the surface, I liked that multilayered feel. I also liked the inventory management, I got quite a few items, accumulated about 3000 gold from the quests and spent some time buying, selling and pimping out my characters, including a trip back to Avalon to reforge some equipment with a couple buff gems. The weight limit made it so I couldn't just equip the best armor even if I did meet its requirements. For example I had to have my warrior using some light leather gear and only a few iron/steel/plate items trying to maximise the armor he could have before getting encumbered, and to balance his attack.
The fights were as easy as any RPG's early areas. I did come across enemies that had some immunities and area of effect skills at one point. I read these games should be played on Hard or Torment, normal (which is what I played on) is apparently meant for most people to be able to complete it without much frustration, and casual is for total newbies.
But yeah this definitely appears to be his most streamlined game so you might wanna try his previous titles as Technomancer described their qualities (or was that in another thread?). Just keep in mind the further back you go the more dated they will seem to be even compared to Avadon's polish (duh).
