It was the brand's cheapest adult MTB in the late 90's. Nothing special about it, probably nothing wrong with it either, other than being nearly 30 years old. Best advice, if you want to keep it, is bring it up to code, and just ride it. Like any such bike it would be a great commuter if it's not worn out.

A 1x conversion has appeal - front shifting always sucks. But a proper 1x conversion would be expensive. The front crank likely has rivets, not bolts for the chain ring, and the rear has a 7 speed freehub that won't accept 8-12 speed cassettes. So you are looking at the entire crankset, shifter, derailleur, chain, cassette, rear hub and maybe entire wheel. It won't save a lot of weight as the wheels and frame and fork are also pretty hefty. If you are looking for a bike from which to do a 1x conversion, it's much easier to start with an 8-speed or more bike that was nice enough to have come with a bolted chain ring. That cuts the parts list in half.