Hi all, I'm interested in checking out the Forgotten Realms Classic Collections but I'm not sure where to start. I'm familiar with the likes of Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment etc. and have played a lot of isometric and first-person RPGs but I'm less familiar with older RPG games.

I have some idea of what to expect but would appreciate starting with a game that won't be too overwhelming or difficult. Should I just start with collection 1 and go from there or would you recommend I start with a particular game? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Gateway to the Savage Frontier is probably the most newbie friendly of the games, but (IMO, at least) also the blandest one.

It’s got to be Pool of Radiance.

I wanted to say, yes, Collection 1, that is the Eye of the Beholder series, is the most accessible, but then I remembered that it has no automap - I actually still drew my own maps back in the days. Nowadays there are tools to do the mapping for you, but I generally dislike having to use anything outside of the game like third party tools, and also having to look up journal entries in the manual, as you have to do for many game of Collection Two, because the small program files could not hold all the text to tell the story ...

My favorite game of the whole bunch, and the one that I still find pretty accessible today after a period of accostuming is Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures from Collection 2. But it's also the least official, as you use it to play innumerable fan-created adventures, not a licensed D&D campaign, similar to Neverwinter Nights.

The Gold Box Companion does automap for goldbox games.

https://gbc.zorbus.net/

Pools of Radiance was the 1st of the Forgotten Realm games released, so I'd be inclined to start with it and then play them in order.