Well, C++ is difficult when you're first learning it (I had a butload of issues). But now 3 years later since my first "Hello World!" program; I'd say I'm at an intermediate to advanced level and I've been offer to proctor a college class at the local SUNY school.
What I do have to say about C++ is that it is the MOST versatile language out there. When someone asks me "What can you do with C++?", it's almost instant that I respond "WHAT CAN'T YOU DO WITH C++!!". An example of how C++ can easily kick DBPro's ass is that I showed a professor a program that I made with DarkGDK and the MySQL C API, simulating a MMO player's inventory, he was quite impressed (I think that is what got me the job offering). It may not sound that impressive, but once you figure out how to do it, you will feel very accomplished.
Well, if you're starting out with C++, I'd suggest this book for starters:
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Through-Game-Programming-Second/dp/1598633600/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277072749&sr=8-1
It's a really good C++ book. When I saw that Borders had a copy of it in their programming section, it would be gone in about a week.
If you want to get started with DarkGDK programming, all you really need to do is just read the first 5 chapters and you'll be good. But I suggest to read the whole thing. Chapter 6 talks about references, they were slightly confusing when I first learned about them, and then I read chapter 7, which talked about pointers, and then I was totally lost. And the last three chapters (8, 9, 10) talk about Object Oriented Programming. It will kinda confusing, but not as much as pointers and references were for me. You might not see the point of OOP at fist, but once you experiment, you'll see it's power. If you have issues with chapters 6 & 7, re-read them, don't re-do the examples, just re-read it. It will help you make sense out of how memory works in C++.
If you're looking for a second book, I'd HIGHLY recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Second-Herbert-Schildt/dp/0072232153/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277073069&sr=1-1
The only thing I can say about this book is "Wow". It is really all-inclusive about C++. This book is so great, if you had to chose to buy one or the other, get this one (yet I suggest getting both if you can).
If read all of the first book that I recommended, read the last five chapters of this one (8 - 12). They are all about OOP, but it's a
really good coverage of OOP. If you're also struggling with memory, check out chapter 4, and the parts of chapter 5 & 6 where Schildt talks about references and pointers with functions.
This book is also available with a spiral binding instead of a spine. Get the spiral one if you can, it's really nice, just be sure that you'll need to take extra care of it.
If you're feeling cheap and don't want to get a copy, there is a
free online version of it, via MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/beginner/cc305129.aspx
You will need an "XPS" viewer though.
What I did with these two books is that I read all of the first one, then the last five chapters of the second, If you can afford both, I'd highly recommend doing it this way.
One thing to keep in mind is that the book only covers console programs. I was really disappointed when I read the first one because I thought I would be creating actual visual games. Working with the console at first will seem, really, reeeally boring. But stick with it, it's vital that you learn this way.
Lastly, if you have any questions about C++, feel free to ask. We're here to help for a reason.
http://ref.darkgdk.us/ <- Online DarkGDK Refernece. More content coming soon.
