I thought even the original HOMM V was a respectable game, but they have really improved on it with Tribes of the East. I have actually played through the entire HOMM V campaign (but I have not played the HoF and TotE campaigns, so I cannot really comment on those), but the campaigns are really not the strong point of the series at all- they cannot compare to KB:L in that regard. Do not be deceived by the apparent ease of the HOMM B campaign at the beginning though - it can get pretty tough later on (of course, once you know the tricks of the game, it gets easier, just like KB:L). Not in the first campaign though for sure, but there are six campaigns and they do get progressively more difficult.
The main attractions for me, however, are the various single player scenarios, the random map generator and especially the multiplayer possibilities. I play Tribes of the East for the hot seat multiplayer. It is a family game for me - I play it with my sister and cousins when we meet up over the holidays!
It really is a good game and it is, in fact, through hanging out on some HOMM V/TotE boards that I found out about KB:L. KB:L received a very positive reception there, which is not surprising, given the fact that the games share the same ultimate roots.
