I've been browsing forums for weeks, looking at all the different versions of the game through the versions sold on GOG and other that can be emulated, from the Apple GS ][ to the Amiga and back to DOS.

I have to say I'm fairly confused, what are the less buggy / prettier versions available for all the 3 games ? What are those able to run fine in an emulator with the possibility to export your party over the 3 games? Is it the Amiga? I heard its full of bugs, same for the DOS versions wich are a mess, the apple GS ][ doesn't have BT3 and has proven to be difficult to set up for emulation... I also heard there's a remaster, but according to their forums, the studio working with Inexile has stopped working on it, so we can call this attempt dead and buried

I really want to play these games and make an informed decision over wich one is better and I've been at it for week, is there an "expert" around able to shed some light ? or should I skip everything and go for DragonWars on the amiga ?

For 1 and 2, the IIgs versions are probably the best, but the DOS versions are certainly playable and much easier to set up. For 1, the biggest bugs I've encountered are traps only doing damage (basilisk snare isn't a threat), rogues being useless (but I don't know about other versions), and the song that's supposed to boost luck not working. The DOS version of 2 is a bit buggier, with the worst bug probably being Hunter/Rogue skill overflow; if you level up enough (this seems to first happen in the teens IIRC), your chance of critical hitting, or what should be your thief skill success rate, will overflow and become small. (This doesn't happen in BT1 DOS.)

For 3, however, I would avoid the DOS and Amiga versions, as those versions have so many bugs they make the game less fun. For example, monster special attacks don't work, so dragons will never breathe fire, and slayers will not critically hit. Also, anti-magic areas dispel light but not levitation, the Stoneblade (and similar weapons) doesn't work, Divine Intervention does not heal the party, enemies appear where they shouldn't (like sharks out of the water, for example), and outside dungeons (there are at least 2) are dark if you don't have a light source. Play the Apple 2 or Commodore 64 version instead.

The 2gs versions of 1 and 2 do have some interesting unique traits. 2 has an automap, while 1 has a little easter egg (hint: the Mad God's name is not "burger").

The DOS version of BT1 is bug free, I think.
Amiga version of BT1 and/or 2 has an integer overflow bug with the Hunter's critical ability.
All versions of BT 3 except the Apple are buggy, some more than others. But there is a fan made patch made which fixes the bugs of the DOS version.

Bottom line: play the DOS versions, and use the UOP for BT3.
Or play the Apple versions if you want the "authentic" experience. The games were originally written for the Apple, and at least for BT1 there are some small differences compared to the other versions.

Not true. As I said before:
* Dungeon traps don't work correctly; all they do is damage you, even if the trap should do something else (i.e. Basilisk Snare won't petrify you)
* Not all the bard songs work. In particular, the one that is supposed to boost luck does not work. Actually, I'm pretty sure that no version of BT3 is completely bug free, though I believe the Commodore 64 is the least buggy, followed by the Apple 2 version.

In particular:

Apple 2:
* Certain staves are supposed to restore 2 spell points per round; they only restore 1.
* There is a very easy exploit (I believe I found it by accident) that allows you to get a 600,000 XP reward multiple times; I remember raising an Archmage past level 200 this way (this was on real hardware back in the day).
* Apparently, in disk images floating around the internet (and reportedly even in the version included with the BT game from the last decade), some of the graphics are corrupted.

Commodore 64:
* Don't know about other versions, but Giant Strength doesn't seem to do anything.
* One person has reported that an important clue is missing in this version, but isn't present in the Apple 2 version.
* Won't work in an emulator without "true drive emulation" enabled; this means that you get the same load times that you would get on real hardware.
* On the other hand, the music is better than in the Apple 2 or DOS versions.

The DOS version has far mare serious bugs, as I have noted above, and the Amiga version, from what I understand, is similar to the DOS version in that respect. (Note that I am not aware of any patch to fix the Amiga version.)

Also, I remember one more detail: In the 8 bit versions of Bard's Tale 2, apparently you can gamble at the casinos. This is not possible in the DOS and 2gs versions, and from what I have read, the Amiga version similarly disallows bank usage. (The game blames Lagoth Zanta for this.)

Alright... to sum this up.

BT1 & BT2 :
- Apple GS ][ : For better graphics, fewer bugs, but harder setup.
- DOS : For convenience and bugs bunny, I've also noticed its a bit more fluid.
- Amiga : Similar to the Apple ][ GS, but it seems to run slower and WHDload files for BT2 aren't easy to find on the internet.

For BT3 :
- DOS : Same as above, but the fan made patch makes it more playable? Also good if you want to transfer characters.
- Amiga : Buggy but pretty, avoid.
- Commodore 64 : Complex to emulate, better music, fewer bugs.
- Apple 2 : fewer bugs, some corrupted graphics (?).

DragonWars :
- Amiga : Ideal version.

Yeah, the Amiga version of Dragon Wars is superior.

If you want to play the Amiga versions of BT1 and BT2 for the superior audiovisuals, avoid the Hunter class since it's buggy. The floppy disk version of BT2 is very slow, though, reading graphics from the floppy every time you enter and exit a building takes a second or two.

I also advice against transfering characters between the games, since it makes them far too easy and boring.

So I finally opted for these:

- Bard Tales 1&2, using the files provided in the GOG bard tale game installation along with the ActiveGS emulator wich is quite easy to use.
- Bard Tales 3: DOS version with the unofficial patch.
- Dragon Wars: Amiga.