Play the Early scenario until you feel comfortable with the game before you jump into the really nasty middle and late republic scenarios. However, once you've played the game, it's awesome. I hate being blocked because I need either a tile that's already been played or a straight and someone else lays a perverse brown tile with everything but a straight just to spite me. The historical flavour is excellent, something which I value highly in a game. And, the player interaction is continuous.
Nobody can accomplish anything without the aid of someone else.
Also, the game length is ideal - should be no longer than 4 hours, possibly shorter, between relatively experienced players. I only have a two gripes with the game. Firstly, between novice players, the game can easily be decided by luck. The die rolls for persuasion, knights, and wars can seem arbitrary, and for critical things the dice can decide your fate, never mind the large number of options that can easily swamp a novice. Secondly, if you want to play a game that's more casual, you're better off with 1830 or Civ.