Gee, Morgan_Corbesant, I would have thought that a member of the Scout/Sniper Association would have a special place in his heart for the Archer, BG2's sniper.
I think that the best answer is the best class is the one you enjoy playing the most. I always have a fondness for playing paladins.
Mages/Socerors just don't do it for me. I'll usually have 1 or 1.5 of them in my party, but mostly to support my tanks. But that's just my personal preference.
I played an archer once. They are seriously kick-ass characters. My biggest problem was that I tend to really get into the role and I like to really be the leader of the party and I found it hard to lead from the rear. I like my paladin to be leading the charge into battle, yelling for "FOR GOOD AND HONOR!!!" (or something like that.) Heck, I was the same way when I played a swashbuckler. My PC just couldn't hide behind the tanks.
Regardless, the answer is play what suits you best. If you like being sneaky, play a thief or maybe a Stalker. If kung-fu suits you, play a monk. I think you get the point. Furthermore, unless you're playing different classes just for the fun, you'll probably enjoy yourself more if you play a character that suits you. You'll be able to live and fight the way you want to, not simply what suits the character class.