D3DXSPRITE_ALPHABLEND

[smush]

In the book "beginning game programming" by Jonathon S Harbor, the source code for a DirectX game uses a method called Begin() which is defined in LPD3DXSPRITE. it requires that D3DXSPRITE_ALPHABLEND is passed into it as an argument.

sprite_handler->Begin(D3DXSPRITE_ALPHABLEND);

The problem is MVC version 6 doesnt recognize this variable:

error C2065: 'D3DXSPRITE_ALPHABLEND' : undeclared identifier

And yes, I have included d3d9.h and all the necessary libraries in the link tab.

Does anyone know why D3DXSPRITE_ALPHABLEND is not recognised ? All feedback appreciated.

My SDK is directX 9.0b, this was the one used in the book.