Hi
Never played before...should i start with 6....I thought trying 1 but looks like it could be a pain to play..where is everybody else starting?Also I'm a 63 year old gamer so howdy all!
Tom

I would recommend starting with either MM3 or World of Xeen (4+5). Those are the most polished, approachable, and relaxing, in my opinion.

I agree with Mentalespy. MM1 and 2 might be too "roots" for somebody approaching the series for the first time. The most surprising thing might be that in 1 & 2, combat is semi-aleatory, because when you move, you never now if in the "space" you're entering, there's a monster or not. A little bit like the Final Fantasy series.
In MM3, you can see monsters from far away, so you can plan your moves, plus you can cast spells or shoot arrows to them while they're away. Much better, in my opinion. Plus, graphics are really polished from MM3 on.
So, i'd recommend you to start with MM3, but as Mentalespy said, World of Xeen is also a good option. Keep MM1 and 2 when you'll need a shot of "old-old-old-school gaming"... ^_^

I have only finished MM6, but as far as the actual gameplay is concerned I would actually recommend starting with that game. It's in many ways the easiest one to get into, while at the same time being very different from the earlier installments in the series (which means there isn't any particular reason to play the closely related MM3-5 before you play MM6).

In my opinion, MM6 is a bit too hard and way, way too combat-heavy to be a good introduction to the series. Of course, if the OP doesn't mind that, it's as good a place to start as any.

thanks all..3 it is!

After downloading and installing last night I decided to start on MM1 since I had never seen it. In my memory I always believed MM3 was the first I had played. Well, I gave up on MM1 after about 1.5 hours. It's pretty painful unfortunately.
I was quite surprised when I loaded up MM2 to discover it was actually the first one I played waaaay back when. I actually still remember where some of the locations are in town believe it or not. Perhaps it was direct comparison to MM1, but with the time I spent playing MM2 last night it seemed very approachable and enjoyable. One big difference is that MM1 has no automap feature, but MM2 does once you get the cartography secondary skill, which is available very quickly in the first town.
So I'd recommend giving MM2 a quick try. Maybe just run around town a bit with the default party and see how it grabs you.

Good advice, thanks. :)

I've always seen MM3 as the best way to get started with the MM series. After completing 3 and the xeen games, go back and get a taste of what gaming of old was like. MM1 and 2 can be a bit of a pain, (1 especially), but give it some time and you will appreciate both of them equally.
I just got the MM pack and have started MM3 up. It's amazing how all the keys are still fixed in my memory even though I haven't played this game in 15 years or so.