---GREAT LIST IS GREAT---
All in all, Ultima 7's magic system manages to get your imagination going, but fails to deliver in several instances. Many of the spells are just aesthetic, like fireworks, or weather. Quite a few, like telekinesis, could have been useful if dungeon exploration was a bigger aspect of the game (and if the dungeons themselves were worth exploring). Frequently, the more exotic spells are only useful in a very specific instance of the plot, which makes them more of a mcguffin than a spell. Some of the spells could have been give more use if certain aspects of the game were systematized. For instance, if the game kept track of how well liked you are, the charm spell could have been very useful outside combat. In the end, many of the non combat spells in this game are as useful as baking bread. So they end up being more of a setting element than an actual ability.
Well, I wanted to tackle a few more games, but this took long enough. I will try to tackle Ultima 8 next, but I need to go to sleep now, so maybe tomorrow.
Edit: I posted an incomplete version earlier. Sorry about that, only realized it when I posted this one.
Nice breakdown of the of U7/SI spell list. Two commentaries to make:
1) Reagants. As part of the AD&D system that Ultima closely followed, reagents being required for magic seemed like a great idea. However, it results in hording and being stingy with magic instead of feeling like you had it as a powerful tool. This was lampshaded with the Ring of Reagents in the Silver Seed, which removed the need for reagents and had magic only use mana. Ultima 8 had a crazy (kind of cool) approach, where there were three different magic systems to juggle, one using reagents to cast, one using reagents to create single-use totems and another using totems which had infinite uses without reagents. However, I think the best approach was in Ultima 9 (PERISH THE THOUGHT!), where reagents were required and used to first put a spell into your spellbook, after which they simply cost mana to cast. This more aligned with 1E DnD, where new spells could be researched or even created by the player, but could often cost very specific ingredients for the learning.
2) One thing to consider for the Ultima games is that it presupposes a magic-using main character. Much more could have been done to make the non-combat magic less plot required and more integral to the way the game was played inherently, but, at the same time, the fact that it existed at all likely could be traced to the concept that the Avatar is a uber warrior/mage/rogue type that can do pretty much anything with preter-natural skills.
Ultimately, both reagent and Vancian casting make non-combat casting difficult to implement. You either learn silly spells that might only apply once in a blue moon, or you burn valuable materials simply because you couldn't find a way to flip a switch across a canyon. I think a more balanced approach, where simple spells (such as most non-combat utility spells and low level combat ones) cost mana alone, while more powerful spells require the use of materials and/or can only be used sparingly. This would eliminate some of the risk/reward out of learnign and keeping handy more utilitarian spells and would simultaneously avoid spamming nuke spells in combat as the "go to" option.