Check if a key is down

[garob]

I am making a game and I need to know if an up key or down key is down and move the player accordingly. I found GetAsyncKeyState and GetKeyState on google but I can't figure out how they work and what I should use.
Can someone explain how to tell if a key is down please.
Thanks

[Bazzy]

Try ReadConsoleInput, here you can find an example: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms685035%28VS.85%29.aspx

[garob]

I found something explaining my problem at http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=338405