I had never played this game before buying it. I bought it because the HOMM and Civ series are 2 of my favorites. I have spent about 3-5 hours now just *learning the basics* of this game, and I'm still sort of baffled by combat sometimes (i.e. when creatures that are seemingly far more powerful get slaughtered by swordsmen). That said, I can tell that there is a really great game here. It's very apparent as soon as you get into it even a little. The breadth of races, creatures, spells. The hero abilities, the racial bonuses and drawbacks. I can see why this game is a favorite of many. I'm going to keep trucking away. I think it will be worth it.
