What's interesting is that this particular friend plays Western RPGs, so she might not be put off by the sprawling nature of FFXII, and one of the things that had me hesitating on FFX and some of the other games is the linearity. So that, I think, depends on the gamer -- some people used to Western RPGs might find the structured nature of FFX and FFIV limiting.

I really enjoyed the FFIV DS version, too -- although it's the only one I've played so I don't have any comparison.