The RTS Thread.

[Fat_Hippo]

1. Congratulations on your absolutely FANTASTIC rhyme! You are the master.

Now, with that out of the way: Well, like you said, Starcraft is just the absolute bomb and is still loads of fun today. I always liked the CnC and AoE series too, with the newer games being no exception.
An absolute bust...well, I actually kinda tend to keep away from those by informing myself before I make a purchase, so I buy very few bad games and can't really help you there.
As for Rise of Nations: I've heard of it but haven't tried it. But if it's as good as you say, maybe I'll check it out.