I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is trying to start out in game programming. I am a grad student engineer and have been programming for over 5 years. I just recently got into game and graphics programming and this book is really terrible compared to some others I've seen. The only reason I gave it two stars is because the chapter on graphics mathematics is fairly complete, and the book provides a good high level picture of how a game is structured. However, the code specifics are downright horrible, the listings seem to be randomly thrown in without any clue as to where they should go in an actual program, the writing is boring, the directions are sparse and inchoerent, and much of the source code provided on the CD is incredibly difficult to get running (if it runs at all). Also, there is a discussion board on wazoo, but don't excpect much help. Many of the forums end with unanswered questions including many that I had. For an intro book to programming games, save your money for another book, because this book just isn't worth the cost in wasted time and money.