With NONE of the new nations, spells, and random stuff, I would still not go back to Dom2 after the improvements in this new version. Since it's a given that I play Dominions quite a bit, it's been the best computer game buy since... Dom2 for me.
Before 2004, it might have been Master of Orion 2, Master of Magic, or Warlords Battlecry 2. So you know where I'm coming from.