Don't even bother with VIII, Neovenom. It was an atrocious game that tried (unsuccessfully) to blend fighting with the classic KQ formula. Mask of Eternity was categorically dumb.

I actually disliked V and VI more than I did the previous ones. Too many puzzled based not really on logic, but that required you to first help someone else in an entirely unrelated place (who would then come back and rescue your fat from the fire later). III was my favorite KQ, with IV a close second.