C++ is just a language, so it''s not tied to operating systems like DOS or Windows.

Using Visual C++ is most definitely easier for beginners than setting up a DOS compiler and although I''ve not read that book, it''s guaranteed to teach you something.

I''d start off reading the book, then when you''ve finished it try some 2D stuff before moving on to Direct3D. If you''re not a competent programmer, I''d imagine Direct3D would be a world of pain.

Hope this helps, and don''t feel disheartened - it''ll be worth it in the end.

- Pete

Learning C++ from scratch is definitely easier into a DOS-like environement. In Visual C++ you have such an environment with Win32 Console applications (you can choose this when creating a new project).

Yes, I should have made that more clear - while you want to program on Windows, you should probably start off writing Console Applications first.

I used an online version of the SAMS book and found it to be quite good. After that, it''s up to you but Andre LaMothe''s "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus" to be a good way to move into DirectX. It covers basic stuff (how to open a window) and then moves into Windows GDI (slow way to do basic graphics), bitmap loading, 2D transforming, AI, pathfinding, and some other stuff as well. Granted, there are a few errors in the code of his book that are frustrating and it uses DirectX 6 (as opposed to 8) but I still think it''s invaluable for that first step.