I want to like RTS.....

First off, civilization is not an RTS, it's entirely turned based strategy in format.

That being said, I like most Real Time Strategy games but for some reason I can't stand age of empires. As for other RTS types I recommend these.

Anything from the Warcraft series (excluding World thereof, obviously)

Starcraft

Ground Control 2

Homeworld Series

Command and Conquer series

Star Wars: Empire at War

Dawn of War (and its expansions)

Company of Heroes

Earth 2160

There are many others beyond this but these are some of my favorites.

I highly recommend the original Starcraft and Warcraft III because these games can be fully enjoyed without a high-end PC or graphics card. So are the older Command and Conquer games.

Dawn of War or Company of Heroes and above maybe pushing the limits a bit. But if you have a good enough PC, Company of Heroes and Dawn of War are amazing!

But I highly suggest playing Starcraft first because not only is it cheap, but it's the foundation, I think, of every RTS today. It's like the Mario 64 or Zelda Ocarina of Timefor RTS's, so-to-speak. If you can learn how to play Starcraft than you can basically play everything else.

Since Starcraft 2 is coming out sometime later next year, instead of just waiting for it, you should try the original Starcraft first.

Civ isn't a RTS, its a turn based game, way way too slow if your not in the mood for that pace.

Best to start simple, try Red Alert 1&2, and try the original Command & Conquer, its so simple to learn. A lot of the new RTS games throw a lot at you before you can grasp it properly and accept everything.

If you want a more recent RTS, Command and Conquer Generals, although the storyline isn't really great, the rts gameplay and graphics are fun.

I'm not a huge RTS fan or any expert in it, I just like C&C, its classic and just happens to be a RTS