I agree. So fun, absorbing and such a feel good game. Very easy to while away a few hours. Added to that the humour, catch phrases "not enough wood m'lord!" and a wonderful soundtrack. Happy times indeed!

which one are we talking about? stronghold or the crusader one or BOTH?? im trying to decide which one to get. would obviously prefer the cheaper one

They are almost the same game, only major difference is the setting.
Just choose which setting you'd like to play in the most, medieval england or the crusade.

I would say that beginners stick with Stronghold vanilla. Crusader is going to throw you enemies in your first mission and you aren't going to have a good idea on what to do.

My two cents.

As Crusader was my first Stronghold ever, I believe it's also the best of introductions to the series. Aside from that, I think the skirmishes are the series' strongest point. Yeah, they might seem a bit harsh to the newbie, but they're not THAT harsh.
I believe that even the absolute beginner can take on Sultan Abdul (1st Crusader Trail), even if he has to try it again a couple of times. The game mechanics are simple enough for this to happen.

Then again, this is how I did it. Judging the matter from a distance, the original does indeed introduce you in a smoother and friendlier way to the game. Myself, I like to play the original just for the nostalgia factor and the music. Crusader is the way to go imo, it has that absurdly fast and dynamic gameplay in skirmish mode, something that the original does lack.