A 40 pin PIC that is 16F877 compatible will be very flexible. There are 18F's that are pin compatible.

For features, it is all up to what you want out of it. You can read up on many. I've used the MELabs X1, and been happy with it. They also have one that is telephone based, but if you aren't working with phone equipment, that's not of much use. The mikroe boards have numerous features, with add-on modules.