how do i monitor keyboard input w/o stopping execution, i.e. getche()

in QBasic you can check a variable called inkey which records any key pressed no matter what else the program is doing... the input functions in c++, getche(), scanf() etc all stop program execution to record input...
at least those i have seen so far...
so i need to know how to get keyboard input without stopping program

i am making a game and i just finished the timer, then realized it would not work w/o this...

example:
(prints location description, starts timer, random chance to meet enemy every second, also checking keyboard for keys)

if anyone could offer help i would greatly appreciate it.

stupid me, finally read FAQ, found kbhit() so im okay now but ill have more questions!

Quote:

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ill have more questions!

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Well, make sure you read over the FAQ really well, and there is, also, the search function (look up at the top right corner of your screen and you will be able to find the search tab). This is all just for future reference of course.:)