What else can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? As a kid I spent hours and hours and hours playing this by myself, with my friends (hotseat play, what a forgotten feature in today's gaming world), playing random maps and creating my own. Having fun putting all the artifacts near my base or creating nigh impossible maps to beat. It's a classic, and one of the best TBS games of all time. Definitely the best fantasy TBS game of all time I believe. Granted the AI hasn't aged well, and never was super strong to begin with (although when you're a kid you think stacking armies is gonna win you the game instead of spreading them out amongst heroes, so the AI was "harder" back then, but then again when you played with friends stacking armies really was the way to go). I really cannot praise this game enough. I am glad it is on GOG so that 1) people like myself who love the game could get a great copy of it that works flawlessly on any modern system (I still have the discs somewhere, but playing with those is....a challenge to say the least) and 2) people who never played the game can give it a shot and love it too. Yes it is simple compared to modern TBS like Civ 5/6 (I love Civ by the way and think those are also among, if not, the greatest TBS games of all time), yes the AI hasn't aged particularly well, and yes the graphics and resolutions are annoying. But there are some remedies to these problems: mods. The ONE MOD I THINK IS CRUICAL IS HOMM HD. It allows you not only to play in modern resolutions but also windowed mode etc. The HD update on Steam and elsewhere is a scam: it doesn't allow any of that, simply puts on some SLIGHTLY nicer textures that do not really make the game look better (and considering the game came out over 15 years ago says all it needs to) and doesn't contain any of the expansions. THIS is the definitive version of the game, and with the HoMM HD mod, it is still a favorite of mine to play to this day. If you have never played it: buy it and play it. If you are on the fence about purchasing it: buy it and play it. And if you have played it, loved it, and miss it: buy it and play it. There really is not a single scenario in which I would say to not play this game, except maybe if you don't like fantasy TBS games. Even then I would say: buy it and play it, because this one will probably change your mind.
