mortalez, I suggest trying out the vB demo found
here which gives you access to admin functions as well as a private test site which is valid for 24 hours.
IMO, vB is the Daddy. I've used phpbb and IPB and have never looked back since I got vB. It is really easy to customize and with the plugin system which is standard in the 3.5.x series, you will probably never need to touch any of the php files (except the config file when you are installing).