Welcome to the forum Lotjie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
Some keen observations there, some bothered me too, others didn't. I hope that at the end of the day you still enjoyed the game, I dare say you have.
I can't agree with you about the manual though, the descriptions are rather brief, but they're present. 'Pathetic' is just to strong a word. These days a manual is often nothing more than two pages of hotkey references, but in this case it is still a very informative, beautifully presented booklet fifty-five pages thick. You can tell a lot of work went into it.
Nevertheless, it's good that you list your criticisms, the developers read these posts, so perhaps some of the things you disliked will be changed or deleted. Now just make a similar list of the things you really liked and everybody is happy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
