Finished the Belgariad the other day.
The ending was a bit weaker then I might otherwise have liked. But overall I thoroughly enjoyed the series and am sorry I've never hit upon it before now.
I've started book 1 of the Mallorean: Guardians of the West. I'm keen to see how the sequel goes. Hopefully there's more of Mandorallan, as he quickly became a favourite character. I enjoyed his stubborn obliviousness to danger and painfully over the top Knightlyness. I think it just really worked.
He might have been a part of the group because it was ordained millions of years ago, but really, he was just along for a good quest.