You will definately want a copy of the Documentation, which is VERY good (with a few notable exceptions). In fact, you can (as I did) learn 95% of what you need to know about DirectX just from Microsoft's documentation.

You just have to remember that DirectX is a relatively low-level API, because it has to meet the lowest common denominator - people who want blistering speed! So, to use "sprites" as an example, it supports transparent graphics operations, but it leave time deltas, frame calcuations, and state info to you.

- Splat

I guess to give you the base functionality of DirectX, I will give you examples:

DirectDraw - The base operation is the Blit() where you will copy a region of memory from one "surface" which you filled with a bitmap to a back buffer on the graphics card, then you will Flip() to make that back buffer visible, and repeat

DirectSound - Basically you fill sound "buffers" with sound data, and then Play() them to have DirectSound mix them into the output sound stream.

DirectInput - This gives you access to immediate input data (ie state of every key - up or down - state of mouse buttons - up or down - and change in mouse X, Y, Z coordinates) and/or buffered data, which is event-based (you have DirectInput fill an array of events then you get a chance to process them and optionally read in more)

That's the core functionality of DirectX, obviously leaving out Direct3D.

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Now, alpha blending: Microsoft has been promising Alpha Blending in DX for a while now, but it is still not there. What you will have to do is write your own blitting function. But it is possible, and not too hard. And it looks very nice, especially with full 8-bit alpha channels.

- Splat