I'm not sure about the different packs associated with the Bamboo, but I've heard it's a great tablet-- my sister has one! Haven't used it extensively, but it worked perfectly fine when I tried to muddle around with it. It's really small, but I didn't find it any more difficult to work with than my own larger tablet!
I use a large, A4 Trust tablet myself. It's a cheaper brand than wacom, but it gets the job done (and has lasted 8 years without issue!). I honestly can't say if there's any akin to drawing on paper-- tablets feel very, very different, at least to me. It took an eternity to get used to one!
(If it helps, I've an extremely poor pen grip and end up with agonizing cramps after a few minutes of writing/drawing on paper. Haven't experienced any discomfort with tablets-- you don't need to press hard to change the brush dynamics and opacity!)