Starting C++, any suggestions on compilers?

[Sgt. Pepper]

I bought the book C++ Primer Plus http://www.amazon.com/C%2B%2B-Primer-Plus-Stephen-Prata/dp/0672326973/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202680271&sr=8-1 because i plan on learning the C++ language, but i can't really understand what it is trying to say when it is suggesting compilers. Can anyone give their feedback on the best compilers for beginners?

And also, C++ is the best place to start for a Game Programmer right?

[Bench]

I bought the book C++ Primer Plus http://www.amazon.com/C%2B%2B-Primer-Plus-Stephen-Prata/dp/0672326973/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202680271&sr=8-1 because i plan on learning the C++ language, but i can't really understand what it is trying to say when it is suggesting compilers. Can anyone give their feedback on the best compilers for beginners?

I assume you're after an IDE aswell, or do you intend to use a plain text editor (such as Notepad)? I also assume you're running Windows. If you're running linux, you're already equipped with the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC).

IDE's are a matter of personal taste. That being the case, you might want to try several of these, and decide which one you find easiest to use. (I would probably suggest Code::Blocks, because that one seems fairly beginner friendly)

Visual Studio Express: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/
Code::Blocks: http://www.codeblocks.org/
Quincy: http://www.codecutter.net/tools/quincy/
Dev-C++: http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html
Turbo C++ Explorer: http://www.turboexplorer.com/cpp

If you just want a compiler which you can run from the command prompt, check out MinGW (which is a Windows GCC port)
http://www.mingw.org/

And also, C++ is the best place to start for a Game Programmer right?

That's fairly subjective, and depends what kind of games you want to write. C++ is used in alot of professional game development environments, where games are developed by large teams of people. Many large commercial games are written in C++, and some have released SDK's in C++.
- You could write simpler games in other languages, such as C# or Python, and you'd have an easier time getting the GUI, sound, hardware interaction, etc working. C++ is a platform-neutral language, and therefore has no standard built-in support for hardware devices, graphics, sound, etc. (All that kind of thing is done through 3rd party API's)

[Sgt. Pepper]

Thank You