Useful things or would they just wander off like a kid in a toy shop?

Yeah, haha, mostly. At least they built in some self-preservation into them when they are being controlled "by the computer." I have played other games where your computer controlled partners just Leroy Jenkins everything you encounter.

You seem to dig old-school gaming so perhaps, if you can get it for free, you should try the remake. I recall reading from some users that they didn't like the "improved" interface but since you have never seen the original it may not bother you.