As probably many here, I liked a lot Master of Magic and I look for a newer game with the same spirit, then I found this series. But I'm wondering (ha!) what is the best game for a newcomer. I've read the reviews, but ask also to you, folks.

I ruled out AoW III because I prefer isometric 2D graphics. Then I'm left with the first three games of the series.

It seems that Shadow Magic is superior than AoW II for being the same game with more content and options. Besides the original campaing of AoW II, any other eason to go with this one instead of the expansion?

And is the first one a very different game, and maybe superior in gameplay (graphics are secondary)? Or it is better to go with the newer ones?

Thanks for any opinion/suggestion!

Personally, I prefer the art style of the first one. I would start there. ;) Still haven't picked up the other two. The campaign would be the reason to get AoW II.

Gameplay wise, AoWIII is actually the best, for my money, as long as you have the expansions. By far the most complex, interesting and fun tactical turn-based combat, and this game is all about tactical turn-based combat. Also the best random map generator, best tactical AI, and the most variety in what you can play. (Older titles have more races, but AoWIII adds classes which have a huge impact on play.) On the downside, it has slightly smaller armies and less powerful overworld magic. (Still quite interesting, though.)

That said:

AoW1
+ Great style and music. Lots of charm.
+ Fun campaigns with multiple endings and paths to choose from.
+ Various neat abilities/features that for some reason didn't make it to later games. (Explorable dungeons in particular. Later games have dungeons, but they're far more like normal combat maps.)
+ 2 underground levels for truly maze-like maps.
+- Focus on armies of powerful units and especially super-powerful heroes.
+- More static maps: can't found or develop cities.
- Clumsy UI with lots of clicking.
- Fairly weak AI.
- Some tedium
- Iffy balance (There are mods which may help, though these typically change the game quite a bit.)

AoW2 & Shadow Magic
+ A random map generator, though not as good as the one in AoW3.
+ New stuff like quests
+ More detailed graphics and some good unit art direction.
+- City development is much more complex and you can build new ones.
+- Focus on magic and domains that extend through Wizard Towers. Leaders stay at home and cast spells rather than lead armies.
+- The Shadow realm in Shadow Magic adds a layer of complexity on the strategic map. But it has some balance issues.
+- Very different style and music. I prefer AoW1.
-+ Much smaller battlefields and quicker battles.
-+ Units now have voices or sounds! Jay! But half the voices are incredibly annoying. Boo!
- Weaker campaigns. Shadow Magic has better ones than Wizard Throne, but I like the AoW1 ones much better.
- Generic good/evil/neutral priests instead of race-specific ones. Seems like a small point, but annoys me inordinately. Say you play Dwarfs or Goblins, but then you get a generic human-sized priest. Fortunately, there are mods that fix this.

Both games are good. I prefer AoW1 largely because I prefer the style, and don't really care for the focus on the wizards and the wizard-tower mechanic in AoW2/Shadow Magic. But it largely comes down to that style thing. Many people swear by shadow magic.

AoW3 is more like the first in style and feel.

Both games have lots of custom maps in existence you can download. Some are very good.

I haven't played that much Master of Magic, but all in all I'd say AoW2 is slightly closer, though all three games are much more combat focussed.

Iguana makes some very good points. There is another recent thread where some new players are going through all the campaigns in order. You may want to check out their thoughts. If you have no interest in campaigns and only want to do random maps then AoW3 is probably your best bet. You could skip AoW2 since AoW:SM has everything the former game does, but even more content. Let us know what you decide.

Is this because you're worried that you might have to adjust the camera all the time? That's not really a problem in AoW III. I second everything Jason said about that game and it's my favourite game in the series.

Anyway, all of the games in the series are fun. If you want a MoM clone, get AoW II / Shadow Magic. To me, AoW II feels very much like a streamlined version of MoM with a stronger focus on the tactical battles. By streamlined, I mean for example that you don't have to select how many citizens are farmers or workers; all unit upkeep is paid in gold or mana. On the other hand, it also adds some stuff that wasn't in MoM, like quests, or the domain mechanic that limits where you can cast spells.

If you've got a lot of time, I'd recommend playing through the campaigns starting from AoW I. Otherwise, jump right into Shadow Magic.

Thanks for the comments, guys. It seems that AoW III was very well received! Nevertheless I'll follow the suggestion to start with Shadowmagic. Not much time to spare to follow all games, I guess. And if it is close to MoM, looks good. And the cost it's much better than III, too. ;)

But if I really enjoy the game, I'll give number III a try!

You also need a relatively new and high end computer to play AoW III, whereas the older AoW games can be played on almost any PC or Laptop.

AoW SM is among my all time favorite games. It comes with a very good tutorial and a random map generator (which could be better though, but there are enough maps to enjoy the game without it).

You may want to have a look at the fan made patch 1.4:
http://aow2.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=661
It makes some changes to the game and also brings some additional maps.

With that 'new computer' it depends, really... I can play the game comfortly on my quite old pc... but yeah - not near the requirements of the old ones. ;)

@rosumek:
If you end up liking both 1 and 2 then wait for 3 to be on sale - the base game should get at least -50% on one. Thought it would be best to buy the add-on too, cause they add much, but that's for a discussion later on. Enjoy the current ones. :)

in terms of graphics, AI and amount of features & content age of wonders 3 ist the biggest game of the series if you have the two expansion packs.