I have a 98 coupe as well and a buddy and I did my ground control coilovers and KYB AGX's. We did use a spring compressor, but only to get the old protective sleeves off the old shocks to use on the new ones, but if you dont want those on then the compressor is not neccesary.

You will want to jack up the entire car, its easier that way. Took us maybe 3.5 hours only because we had to figure out what we were doing on the first one then it went smooth from there on out.
I encountered a seezed bolt which i had to have a shop remove, other than that, no problems.
No special tools needed, just your basic socket set.
Overall I'd say pretty easy, especially for not ever doing suspension work prior