Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by New World Computing in 1995, initially for DOS and later ported to Windows 95 and Mac in 1996. A spin-off of the long-running Might and Magic role-playing series, it tasks players with building armies, commanding heroes across overworld maps, and engaging in tactical combat against rival factions. The 1996 Windows 95 release expanded on the original with additional scenarios, a map editor, a random map generator, and CD audio, offering considerably more replayability than the initial version. That updated edition also bundled King's Bounty as a bonus title. The game's commercial and critical reception spawned multiple sequels, establishing Heroes of Might and Magic as a distinct and enduring franchise within the turn-based strategy genre.

Storyline

Heroes of Might and Magic tells the story of Lord Morglin Ironfist, who is forced to flee his homeland through a magical portal, because his cousin, Ragnar, had usurped the throne after his uncle, Ragnar's father, killed Ironfist's father, the legitimate owner of the throne. He finds himself along with his few followers in a strange and uncharted land, called Enroth. The land is unruled but contested by Ironfist and three other warlords: the barbarian Lord Slayer, the sorceress Queen Lamanda, and the warlock Lord Alamar. In the canonical storyline, Lord Ironfist defeats his three opponents and founds a new kingdom in Enroth. It is possible for the player to lead the other factions to victory, however this is not reflected in the following games of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.