Arduino: is it worth it?
The various Arduino boards use AVR micro-controllers.

With the appropriate software, using the Arduino is the same as using any other micro-controller. However, the Arduino software doesn't support in-circuit debugging, which is available with other development software like Atmel's AVR Studio. You can use the Arduino hardware with AVR Studio and Atmel hardware tools like the Dragon programmer/debugger. The Arduino software supports downloading to the target via a bootloader.

The Arduino web site and forums are very useful if you need help.