* Adapted to VB .NET by key Microsoft Insiders --Lead author is the .NET Game evangelist at Microsoft! * An easy-to-read, soup-to-nuts guide that helps you start programming games fast. * Packed with code examples that are complete games, Beginning .NET Game Programming in VB .NET includes an introduction to Managed DirectX 9 and is also an introduction to exciting advanced features of .NET, including the Speech API to generate voices, synchronizing mouth animations with generated sounds, the .NET Compact Framework, data access with ADO.NET, collision detection, and artificial intelligence. * Includes complete code listings and applications for all games included in the book: .Nettrix (a Tetris clone), .Netterpillars (a Snakes clone), River Pla.Net (River Raid clone), Magic KindergarteN., D-iNfEcT, and Nettrix II (for the Pocket PC) as well as a version of the classic game Spacewars and a "Twisty Cube" game.