I have played the first 3. Dragon quest 3 is one of my favorite games i have ever played. It has a good balance between leveling and exploration. 1 is very dated though and has too much grinding for me to play more than once between very long periods of time.
I have played the remake of 3 for the gbc though not the original nes version. I like the added features even though they make the game more complicated. I think Zoma's theme id pretty cool too and wish i could have heard it used more. I love the twist Dragon quest 3 has. I really think the king has a lot of nerve though to send you off to save the world after giving you some pretty shitty weapons. The clubs are ok but what kind of a king gives a hero a stick to fight with.