I liked HoMM4 as well, but it isn't a game I've gone back and replayed like 3--I actually liked many of the ideas, tho, like the caravans- and had fun with it on a one-time through play.
AFA is there anything really different in H5, I think it does have a few improvements as well as the defects of 3D. I liked the new skill system, which allows you to build a hero toward an "ultimate skill"--the ranger's is Nature's Luck, which gives you triple damage on a luck hit. The battlefield grid allows you to place your units before battle like the old tactics skill, the Inferno faction has a skill called gating which allows your troops to gate in other demons(double your cerberi,double your fun), the Sylvan faction outTolkiens Tolkien with pointy-earedness, and the Necromancers have a fat zombie.
What more can I say?
There were also things I didn't like, such as the Town Portal spell being much less effective. Not all of the ultimate skills were especially "ultimate" and it takes a very large map or campaign to acheive them, plus the interface is somewhat clunky especially at first, etc.
I have
definitely written enough
--as always,in the end it boils down to personal taste. I don't know if they made a demo for Homm5 or not, but if so, that might be a way to check it out.-
Edit-OOps, you have the demo-my bad.
Edit--sorry to echo some of your post GG-posted at same time-I remember that H4 campaign! My hero was wiping out dragons.