The thing about the first is that sometimes, the stat growths were ridiculous at times. Even around the beginning, by lucky chance, a knight could get a 7HP boost when he levels. What the heck was with that? And there were times where some stats wouldn't grow at all.
Plus, there were some levels where there were tons of monsters, yet they provided no challenge. In a tactical game, I'd much rather play against a computer that has quality rather than quantity.