I just picked up my Rockhopper last week, and I am most definitely satisfied with it. Of course, my last bike was an early '90s Huffy Canyon that was almost dead when I got it 7 years ago...
The RH is definitely a nice bike, even at the base model, I have no complaints (other than a poor job of tuning it by the LBS)

(And by the way, I'm 18, so it's not just the old farts that go for the Rockhopper!)