I have very similar feelings. My dad worked at a steel mill and was friends with a 'computer guy' at the mill who gave him a copy of SQ2 for me to play at home. I played that game relentlessly but was pretty young so I was confused by a lot of it.
Anytime I was really stuck, I would ask dad to ask the 'computer guy' how to get past a certain point and I seem to remember he would kindly provide hints, but not outright solutions.
It's probably been 35 years since, but I even remember with some detail a dream I had related to that game. It really had a big impact on me.
Perfect.