Of course you should check the obvious first Spark plugs and leads etc.
The cause of your problem if engine management related will be either.
1 Crank shaft posistion sensor
2 Injectors
3 Engine control module
4 Heated oxygen sensor
The ECM fault memory can only extract codes with dedicated test equipment however you can check individual components with multi meter.
If you want to know how to check these I can tell you and provide data.
chris
December 2005