Visual C++ 2010 Express

Essential toolkit for Visual C++

Visual C++ 2010 Express is a free set of tools that developers can use to create custom applications using basic and expert settings.

Visual C++ is a powerful development environment that's designed to give you detailed control when you build either native Windows (COM+) applications or .NET Framework managed Windows applications.

It's easy to install, and as long as you know your way around C++, shouldn't give you any problems. The newly designed start page makes finding your way around Visual C++ really simple, while an improved code editor also goes some way to making the process as easy as possible.

Just bear in mind that this is the express version of Visual C++, so some of the features that you may be used to - especially compilers and debugging tools - in the full version won't appear. Even so, it's a clean, crisp version that's perfect for beginners and users for whom C++ is a secondary programming language.

Visual C++ Express is a pared-down but still highly functional toolset for coding in C++.