Limitations of MiG-29

I just finished reading an interesting book on MiG-29 written by Jon Lake under the Jane’s Fly and Fight in series. Overall, teh Mig-29 comes across as a very limited and poor cousin of the F-16.

a) Short range
b) Obsolete avionics
c) User unfriendly interface
d) Limited utility missiles of BVR time. OK close in missiles with R-73.
e) Bulky and useless HMS

So, if this is the case, why do so many people tout the MiG-29 as anything great? It seems to be far inferior to the F-16 and is probably a marginal improvement over the MiG-23 as it is more agile- that’s it. I think this is a great fraud made up by western defence industry to justify more expensive toys and also demonize enemies like Iraq and Serbia. I would rather even have an F-4 in my air force than a MiG-29.