Ok, nuff of this RTFM crap, he needs to know where TFM is!
The Fine Manual is in the second sticky post on this forum
Most tutorials still use Radiant 1.4. GtkRadiant 1.5 no longer has the Zaxis area on the left, use the toolbar button XYZ to cycle the 2D blueprint view.
The default view in GtkRadiant 1.5 sucks donkeyballs but there are some nice options to change it to your liking. I use a dark color theme and the layout with three 2D-views and the 3D view top left.
editIn the preferences menu, go to Interface -> Layout
In the menubar, go to Misc -> Colors -> Themes