I would personally recommend RPG Maker XP and the new one out, RPG Maker VX. With these programs you can program but create games without any programming done by the game creator at all. It is more simple than Game Maker, and comes with its own real time package. I'd say they're your best bet for user-friendliness and creating good games. Wouldn't you agree DeM0nFiRe?

Some games made from Game Maker are pretty crap. But some people make really awesome games. It really depends on how much time you spend on them.

If you want a good 3d game engine. Blender has one built in. Blender is a 3d rendered and game engine all in one. You can also do stuff for cg in movies. If you are wanting to get serious about game programming. Blender is a good place to start. It is all open source, which means its FREE! You can find a ton of tutorials for it on wikipedia, and you can get a nice 3d game going relatively easy.