Well, if it's microcontrollers you're looking for, I'd recommend Eagle 4.13 Light Edition. Despite the lable "light", it basically has everything you need as far as as schematic drafting and autorouting go. The only major restrictions are the board size (4 x 3.2 inches maximum), and the 2-layer limit. The component library contains PICs and AVRs in both DIP and SO packaging (where applicable). My only complaint is that I couldn't find any simple SOIC packages in the library because it seemed to be locked.
PCB design was even easier. Just place the parts and type "auto;" in the command line. The ERC adjustments were a little non-intuitive, but I'm somewhat of a newb at it anyway, so that doesn't speak volumes.
And otherwise I found it pretty easy to use. You might say the learning curve here was very generous. Its a really nice no-nonsence tool if you ask me. Well, I hope this is the information you were looking for.