I too, used Bryce 4, then sort of lost interest. I got Bryce 6 for $49 not too long ago and really struggled on a project so decided to give the PLE a try using VUE6 Revealed by Richard Schrand.

I find it much easier to use than Bryce...reminds me of Rhino 3D, which I have used for years.
Just have to decide which version to get.