I got Heroes of Might and Magic III around 5-6 years ago. I remember it as being a very good game. I also bought IV, but didn't start playing it for some reason. I played through it yesterday, but it just didn't feel as good, I'm not really sure why though. I didn't like the way the role the heroes had etc, instead of overlooking the game and helping, they were now in the fight themselves, and they could die. They could also become extremely powerful if you focused on the combat skills, making some steps of the campaigns far too easy(although, admittedly, that was sort of fun too). I didn't like the creature system either. I liked it better when you could upgrade them, instead of having to choose between two creatures each step up the ladder. Still an ok game, it was enjoyable, but I preferred III.

I'm thinking about buying HoMM V. Probably the latest expansion because it works standalone. I've heard and read that it is much more like III than IV was. I hope so, I was slightly disappointed with IV.

Check out HoMM III if you've never heard of it. It's a great game, with loads of hours of play. I think it might just be my favourite game.