Plenty of rough spots, and not for everyone, but a great game nonetheless.
The first thing to get out of the way for newcomers is that this game requires patience. You'll be spending plenty of time moving between stations, or slowly building up your trade empire, and this game isn't for those who want a quick payoff. Once you start to establish yourself however, things move quicker and the rewards become more tangible, though so do the risks.
I will say this, this is a hard game to get into even with the aforementioned issues. The controls are complex, and in some cases not very intuitive, and the economy is diverse and dynamic, requiring a bit of smarts to figure out what's going on.
Once you get used to things however, the game is smart, in both combat and economics. And what's more, it has a large and creative community creating various scripts and mods to further your enjoyment, all on the main Egosoft forums!
The plot itself is stupid, but you get adventures all your own building up an empire from the ground up. The feeling of accomplishment as you build your first station, get your first capital ship, or any number of other things is quite fulfilling, and that merits this game a high rating despite such flaws.
Try it, just be prepared for the long-run.