Hehe, yeah, I suppose it is just as undecipherable as the C++ if you don't know the functions and such - but at least on a syntactic level it's simpler (it's just parenthesis and words...not a ton of symbols and rules about where those symbols can and can't go.)
Regarding your questions: I'm far from a lisp expert. I just started learning it a couple months ago because BlitzMax wasn't the right language for my MUD server. I needed multi-threading. The fact that Lisp allows things such as a custom scripting language, remote debugging of a live application, etc, just made it all the sweeter for this particular project.
Regarding libraries, that's the weak spot with Lisp. I suppose that's the main reason I and others try and get people interested in the language - the more that hop on board the more libraries you'll find. As of right now I know there is an SDL wrapper that can be used for games, along with others that can be found here: http://lispbuilder.sourceforge.net/
There are many Lisp implementations (unlike say Python where there is the one canonical implementation of the language), and while most of them follow the Lisp language standards closely there are a lot of areas that the standard doesn't clarify how things should be done. Networking and sockets, for instance, where each implementation has it's own library. If you want to work with windows, Corman Lisp has an unlimited trial and is fairly cheap
http://www.cormanlisp.com/
The two big name Lisp implementations are Allegro Common Lisp and LispWorks. These have much more powerful IDE's and a ton of other features that can be read about on their respective websites:
http://www.franz.com/
http://www.lispworks.com/
They both offer free trial editions, and both run on Windows and Linux and I believe Mac, too.
If you want a free implementation and are using Linux, I'd look at either SBCL Common , CMU Common Lisp, Lisp, or CLISP.
While there aren't a ton of game development oriented libraries out there for lisp, you CAN interface with C/C++ code through Lisps foreign function interface. So, like BlitzMax, you could write a wrapper for most of the popular physics/3D engines if you felt up to the task.
Lastly, regarding learning the language, I'd recommend the following books in the following order. I'm sure there are others that are as good or better but these are the only ones I've managed to read (or partially read) as of yet. All of them are free, too.
Lisp - A gentle introduction (a very basic but hands on book that'll engrain the fundamentals of the language into your mind. I'd recommend doing most/all of the exercises in the book. If you've done a bit of programming before, this should be a pretty quick read)
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/dst/www/LispBook/index.html
Practical Common Lisp - A good book that'll show you how to put Lisp to use in real-world programs.
http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/
Successful Lisp - a good overview of the language. I haven't read it all but have used it as a reference and as a secondary text along with Practical Common Lisp.
http://www.psg.com/~dlamkins/Site/sl.html
On Lisp - I've started working through this but am going back to finish up Practical Common Lisp first. The techniques in this book begin to expose the power of Lisp and many techniques that just aren't feasible to attempt in other languages.
http://www.paulgraham.com/onlisptext.html
Regarding your questions: I'm far from a lisp expert. I just started learning it a couple months ago because BlitzMax wasn't the right language for my MUD server. I needed multi-threading. The fact that Lisp allows things such as a custom scripting language, remote debugging of a live application, etc, just made it all the sweeter for this particular project.
Regarding libraries, that's the weak spot with Lisp. I suppose that's the main reason I and others try and get people interested in the language - the more that hop on board the more libraries you'll find. As of right now I know there is an SDL wrapper that can be used for games, along with others that can be found here: http://lispbuilder.sourceforge.net/
There are many Lisp implementations (unlike say Python where there is the one canonical implementation of the language), and while most of them follow the Lisp language standards closely there are a lot of areas that the standard doesn't clarify how things should be done. Networking and sockets, for instance, where each implementation has it's own library. If you want to work with windows, Corman Lisp has an unlimited trial and is fairly cheap
http://www.cormanlisp.com/
The two big name Lisp implementations are Allegro Common Lisp and LispWorks. These have much more powerful IDE's and a ton of other features that can be read about on their respective websites:
http://www.franz.com/
http://www.lispworks.com/
They both offer free trial editions, and both run on Windows and Linux and I believe Mac, too.
If you want a free implementation and are using Linux, I'd look at either SBCL Common , CMU Common Lisp, Lisp, or CLISP.
While there aren't a ton of game development oriented libraries out there for lisp, you CAN interface with C/C++ code through Lisps foreign function interface. So, like BlitzMax, you could write a wrapper for most of the popular physics/3D engines if you felt up to the task.
Lastly, regarding learning the language, I'd recommend the following books in the following order. I'm sure there are others that are as good or better but these are the only ones I've managed to read (or partially read) as of yet. All of them are free, too.
Lisp - A gentle introduction (a very basic but hands on book that'll engrain the fundamentals of the language into your mind. I'd recommend doing most/all of the exercises in the book. If you've done a bit of programming before, this should be a pretty quick read)
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/dst/www/LispBook/index.html
Practical Common Lisp - A good book that'll show you how to put Lisp to use in real-world programs.
http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/
Successful Lisp - a good overview of the language. I haven't read it all but have used it as a reference and as a secondary text along with Practical Common Lisp.
http://www.psg.com/~dlamkins/Site/sl.html
On Lisp - I've started working through this but am going back to finish up Practical Common Lisp first. The techniques in this book begin to expose the power of Lisp and many techniques that just aren't feasible to attempt in other languages.
http://www.paulgraham.com/onlisptext.html