um...its sort of yes and no; "yes" in that direct3d is probably easier to get into (i found it easier anyway), but "no" cos directdraw is arguably harder now than it was, as you have to use d3d for everything (3d or 2d).
i haven't used DX8 versions of dsound/music/play so i don't know about them, but dsound was pretty easy in dx7, so it can't be much simpler