I have noticed that the samples tab has been removed from under the raytrace options in the spotlight- why is that and how can i achieve the same effect?
By using a shadowbuffer spot 
You can use intrr’s suggestion, or you can go for the Arealight, which will give you options for creating soft raytraced shadows.
Area light gives the best results in my opinion. But it does require additional render time.
BgDM