I have never played any of the HOMM series. I did play Baldur's Gate and LOVED it. Is this similar? I know the description says I will build HUGE armies...do I have a small party that I control through the entire campaign, or is character development not part of this game?
Thanks

Heroes is a strategy game, not a RPG. It's probably closer to the Civilization series than it is to Baldur's Gate. There are RPG elements, such as quests, equipment and the way you develop your heroes, but that's about it. Your armies will contain dozens and, later on, hundreds and even thousands of units.

It has nothing in common. You build towns, a hero explores lands in turn based strategy and the battles are fought in a final fantasy fashion but with numerous units.