[Midget Gems]

That's right, as Katherine says there is no 'best' party except the one that suits your style of play at the time. If you want a party with all strong characters that make the game easy then go for Kivan, Minsc, Coran, etc. On the other hand you could make things more challenging by taking the weaker characters, who often have interesting personalities. The interaction between the NPCs is one of the best features of the game so give them all a try at some stage.