Heroes of Might and Magic® 2: Gold

Excellent game. AI is a little outdated, but still worth thousands of hours of gameplay.

HoMM2 is a masterclass in combining overworld map with tactical combat and RPG continuity and progression. Other than its sequel, HoMM3, no other game has done it better. There are some old contrivances which would not be in a modern version of the game but aren't enough to dissolve the strength of the core gameplay elements. If you are wanting to know how the genre of roleplaying tactical combat games was born, play this above all others.

I know this the sequel gets near-universal glowing praise, but this game is also decent. The graphics aged pretty well, and the music is still great. The different factions aren't balanced, but that's not the point anyway.

I am extremely biased and I don't care. Reminds me of my childhood. Nice to get back to a game I used to suck at and suck slightly less.

Clean and straight forward gameplay. Some may dislike the balance, but percieved issues are mostly failure to play a suitable strategy for the situation. For example, some classes' armies have an advantage early in the game, but can't stand up in long games. It is up to the player to account for this. Some might find that frustrating, but I think it makes the game more interesting.