I've heard so many good things about monks, so i decided to try the game using one.

I'm now in chapter 2, he is level 10 i believe, and doesnt seem to be quite as good as was made out. He has 18 strength, 18 dexterity and 18 constitution, but still doesnt seem to deal out much damage with each hit. Also he gets rather badly hurt quite easily...

i think monks are great!! good ac, and when you gain a few more levels, you will see why they are so good. just keep at it.

before the patches, monks ruled supreme (no no-proficiency penalties, same number attacks with weapons as unarmed).
they are still a decent choice, but they require a strength enhancer to be effective and aren´t really on par with other fighting types.
quivering palm is nice but not reliable, and stunning blow lacks appeal if fighters can use celestial fury/pixie prick to get a similar effect with every hit anyway. however, stealth and faster movement can be used to great effect in many situations, and magic resistance is simply priceless.
they would be an excellent class if the game didn´t have so many extremely powerful items that put the gauntlets of crushing to shame. nevertheless, monks are an enjoyable and decent option for an offensive fighter - magic resistance without dependence on an item makes up for many of their other shortcomings.
give your monk a girlde of giant strenght and, if you´re not above doing something slightly dubious, keldorns armour and things should improve by quite a bit.

monks reach their true potiential at the higeher levels. a naked level 20 monk will eliminate almost any standard creature without breaking a sweat. a naked fighter would have a much harder time of it.
a monk is soloable, a base fighter is not, which is another point if his favor. (yes, you could solo a fighter, but i dont think youll get very far)

(note to the mad - naked means no items/weapon/armour, not actual nudity)