[@Archmage MC]

I use [url=http://lazynewbpack.com/]this[/url] myself.

You used to be able to set up a full 3D visualizer and control it with the mouse. I don't know if it still works or not. Dwarf Therapist makes assigning jobs easier, Soundsense gives you audio cues as to what's going on, and the Lazy Newb Pack also comes with several graphical tilesets to make everything more visually palatable to the modern eye.