Newbie questions

Hi all! I love chess.com and have a few questions.

I'm a beginner and I know basically ust how to play but nothing beyond that. I had an old version of Chessmaster and I liked the tutorials.

 I'm interested in learning the basics. What do you recommend? Chessmaster? Fritz? Some of the other programs available on this site? 

I'd like to progress and play more difficult games like Chessmaster had to offer. But I want more than easy, medium, and hard. 

 I'd also like a good resource on openings. 

Let me know what you think. I'm thinking about getting either chessmaster, fritz of buying the beginner chess mentor set.

Thanks in advance! 

Between Chessmaster and Fritz, Chessmaster is a better tool for learning the basics (tutorials, sparring). Fritz is more suitable for post-game analysis.

The book "logical chess:move by move" is a classic.  It gives 33 full games with EVERY move explained.  It is often recommended as a book for beginners who know how the pieces move but aren't sure how to play an effective game.

Don't worry too much about openings at this stage - tactics are the most important thing.  I think the website chesstactics is excellent.