There are definately some great altcoins out there but you gotto do research. Don't go after shortterm hype things promising all the great features to develop, they may not deliver.
Best look at some older coins that are solid, still around and developing properly. You can read the ANN and all posts to get impression of the community.
I don't think altcoins are good investments. It is better to just keep your bitcoins.
I like alt coins so I don't agree they aren't a good investment, but Bitcoin is certainly looking cheap right now to me, with plenty of space for a nice rise.