Game Programming for Teens, Second Edition

The book itself appears to be decently written, and progresses in an orderly fashion. The problem I had was with the software. I installed BlitzMax from the disk. It stated it had a 30-day trial period. I opened the first program, changed the player's speed and pressed save, but the software wouldn't allow the program to save and stated that the trial period had ended. I guess they meant a 30-second trial period. No hope reopening BlitzMax with the expired trial period. I then tried to use Blitz Plus, but this has a slightly different coding standard and wouldn't run the programs on the disk. Not that it mattered, as soon as I tried to save anything it also immediately terminated the trial period. What I did see during the few minutes I managed to actually see BlitzMax is a half-baked development environment that probably isn't worth the price for the full-up version. Of course, given the quality issues I experienced with their trial version, purchasing a permanent license is clearly out of the question. I would suggest, as others have posted, that teens looking to learn programming download Microsoft Visual Basic Express for free. It isn't a hybrid Basic/C language, but a real language that is actually used in industry. It can perform all the same functions as those discussed in this book, is pretty easy to learn, and has a much more refined development environment that actually works. Utilizes a hands-on approach to the fundamental principles and techniques of game programming, covering such topics as graphics, Blitz Basic Language, audio, and special effects as it takes readers step-by-step through the process of creating a simple game. Provides instruction in the art of game programming including how to make graphics, animation, sound and music. An extensive tutorial for game programming using Blitz Basic (provided on enclosed CD).