The first DQ does not have a lot of depth and is very grind heavy, but the Super Nintendo graphics make it look nicer at least. I do appreciate that this game gives a great deal of freedom in its progression, several of the collectable "Key Items" can be collected at any time in the story, so you can get them when you first pass the area, or instead come back to get them later. There are also some neat rewards hidden in some of the earlier areas that you can come back to get later in the game. The limited inventory slots for key items is a bit annoying, and especially annoying is having to walk all the way back to the starting castle and talking to the king to save, it gets better when you are able to use the return spell, and while an item which has the same function exists, inventory space is precious and limited in DQ1.

DQ2 is a more involved RPG, the introduction of a party system makes the game more enjoyable than the first, however some of the mazelike dungeons get tedious especially among random encounters. Definitely do not feel bad about using a map to beat this game. This game is also a lot longer than the first and ask a lot more of you.
These games are fun enough, but not really worth playing as much as the 3rd and 4th entries in the series if you want to play an early DQ. While these games have a very light story, they are really great for setting up DQ3 and having played them first makes some story elements in DQ3 a lot more fun.