How to view mysql version in command prompt?

To view mysql version in command prompt,
> Goto command prompt
> start mysql
> then type "mysql --version"
it displays the version of mysql as,
mysql Ver 14.12 Distrib 5.0.45, for Win32 (ia32)

To view mysql version in mysql prompt then use,
mysql>select version();
it displays,
+---------------------+
| version() |
+---------------------+
| 5.0.45-community-nt |
+---------------------+