I'm not an RTS fan either, but I was drawn to buying COH too. And I dont regret it. I think it's the attention to detail and the tense atmosphere it manages to create which makes it entertaining.
Each level has an epic theme/objective to it, and a different slant on the strategy for that mission. So it's not just build build build build aattaaaack! (like a lot of rts's are) You can have fun with the strengths of different units, and have to plan which of them would be best for the job. Some units are flexible too, like engineers who can build and fix stuff, can also man anti-tank cannons etc if they happen to be around and you're in a moment of weakness.
The sound is something else! A decent setup can make you feel as if you're there.
I quite like the territory capturing theme that runs through the game. Each territory captured gives you a boost in different types of resources, which make building stuff easier as you go along. One mission can last hours, so when you capture each area, it really gives you a sense of achievement and progression, and so you want to keep playing towards the end goal eg destroying a german V3 launch pad which may seem impossible from the start.
One other thing I really liked in one mission was when it even had the balls to get the player to painstakingly build a stronghold guarding 3 bridges, have you fight it out for an hour and then script in an enemy artillery bombardment which slowly makes you realise you're fighting a losing battle, and therefore have to plan to retreat to an earlier location. It's not just Allies beat Germans, therefore we rule!
It's an intelligent game overall, and I reckon Relic have done a great job here. I'm sure you'll love it Lonestrider.
