I've got an app that does Text-To-Speech; but I wanted to show an animated face/character to go with it. I found a tutorial on Microsoft Agent and I implemented it in my vb.net app.

The problem is with the transparency color.

Unless I run application in compatibility mode/256 colors, the characters will appear with a purplish-pink background image instead of a transparent back-color. But running the app in 256 colors the rest of the app looks awfully out of place.

First - is there something that works similar to MS Agent I can use that would be more appropriate?

Second - if I'm still MS Agent - can I get the transparent color to work correctly without limiting myself to 256 colors?