Matte or gloss?
Personally I don't like gloss - it will show up marks, scratches, dust and footprint as well as creating glare if you have lots of light in the room. Hard to keep clean and looking good. See if you can take a sample home to test.
Have you looked at quickstep? We've just had quickstep laminate put down (Light Grey Varnished Oak). It's not glossy, easy to clean and looks great. We're very happy with it. Most carpet stores stock it.
When looking at laminate, also check on how many different patterns there are in the color you choose. Some of the cheaper brands don't have much variety, so in a large area you'll see the same board pattern repeated over again.
AC3 is the wear rating. Our quickstep is AC4 - I think AC3 is the minimum level for domestic use, so get the highest you can.
Hope this helps
eimaj