Reviews (12)

Foreign Service Spanish Program
This is for Magellan and everyone else who tried finding the Spanish teaching program used by the American Foreign Service.

I ran into it on a shelf at, uh, Borders Books. The title is:
Barron's Mastering Spanish, 2nd Edition.

ISBN: 0-7641-7597-1

Barron's hypes it as as the program used by our foreign service. And there are two Flavors: Level One and Level Two. Same format in both, 12 CDs and a textbook. Same price for each level: $79.95.

(The software here insists I rate the program, but I have no idea what it's worth, so I gave it 3 stars, to satisfy the implacable electrons.)

What is Immersion Anyway?
This is a response to the review NOT for true beginners, March 5, 2004 Reviewer: A software user from Somewhereinthe USA. You may be a software user, but you don't know what immersion means. Perhaps you should look it up! It's sink or swim with a foriegn language. You should know that there are immersion schools around the world that operate on this basis. How do you think babies learn to talk?

Good When Partnered With Written Work
I self-study, using this in combination with a textbook, and it has been very effective in helping me gain confidence in actually using the language. It probably replaces the "language lab" I had when studying Spanish in college.

One important note: Their customer support is excellent! I've managed to lose two disks, and they've been promptly replaced each time.

Instant Immersion means just that... so no surprises
To the people who complained it wasn't for beginners...the program is called "Instant Immersion" it is if you want to learn it like you were dropped into a Spanish Speaking country with very little translation available to you. There are two schools of learning out there... hold your hand and start from the very beginning...or this way which forces you to learn to be able to do the lessons... some say you can learn a language within two weeks if you are immersed into it. So now you have no surprises and no reason to complain if you get this program.

Great for Spanish Review
I've had the program for a week and a half and am working on the second disk now. It is a very good program for reviewing Spanish (I had Spanish all through HS, through AP Spanish Lit, but I haven't used it since), but I can see how it might be difficult for the true beginner. If you're looking to review Spanish and don't want to be bored with tedious exercises about stuff you already know (or just need to be briefly reminded of), then this is the program for you. While it might not be the most entertaining program available, I haven't been bored and have learned a lot. There are many types of exercises, which keep things interesting while working different skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

They definitely throw you right in, but the first exercise doesn't have any wrong answers, they just want you to pick an answer and see what happens. If you roll the mouse over a word the definition pops up in a little box, which is very convenient. There are lessons for learning vocabulary and grammar, but most of the time you are left to figure things out as you go (with the help of those pop-up definitions). The first half of each lesson group is point-and-click with the mouse, while the second half uses speech recognition (one of the best features of the program), so you need a microphone.

You also need a Spanish <-> English dictionary, as the built-in glossary isn't easy to negotiate. There doesn't seem to be a search function and it's all Spanish to English. You have to click on a tab for the first letter of the word, then click to advance the "pages" to get to the word you want. It's much more convenient to just reach for the dictionary than to find a word in the glossary (and I've needed to do so many times). The glossary does work well from within some parts of the lessons, where if you right click on an answer choice you can go straight to that entry in the glossary, but for others (e.g. the crosswords), you don't seem to have access to the glossary at all.

Technical stuff: I have Win XP and the software has run very well on my computer except for one thing--it doesn't seem to be able to access the data for a user (or create a user) unless you run the program as an administrator. There might be some other way to get it to work, but if so, I haven't found it. No big deal, but a little annoying.

The first CD installs on the computer, then when you finish that one, you just switch CDs and continue where you left off. The program doesn't ask for them--but it's pretty obvious what to do. I haven't run the audio CDs on the computer, but they seem to be entirely separate from the computer lessons. I listened to the first one, and I'd actually recommend listening to the CDs before starting the program if you are a beginner--they're much more basic. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great for learning to understand by hearing and seeing
I began studying hebrew 2 years ago, but with only occasional classes, I found that I understood very little in conversation. This software helped me begin to do that. It has 8 'chapters', each with 11 or 12 'lessons'. The vocabulary starts out easy and slowly becomes more difficult. At the end, the vocabulary is probably intermediate level.

Within each lesson is 10 sets of 4 pictures. A statement is said aloud (there is also an option for reading only), and you click on the appropriate picture. It seems rather simplistic, but it really helps in understanding the language and associating the words and phrases with the actions being depicted.

Overall, excellent. My big regret is that they do not have a level II.

Learn Hebrew easily!
I teach a special education program in a Hebrew day school. I use this program to introduce my students to Hebrew language. It works! Even if a child cannot yet read, he or she can still learn the language by connecting the words they hear with the pictures. They can then use this program to see how these same words are written. I have some students who can study a unit and take the test in the program and get 100% on the reading test first time. The test of matching pictures to the heard words takes a little longer. I also have some students who excel the other way: they find pictures easier, the reading is more difficult. This program enables my students to improve all aspects of their language skills.
P.S. Before I bought the program, I tried the sampler CD, and learned some Welsh myself. This is a language that has always intrigued me - and if I could learn Welsh from Rosetta Stone, I felt that my students could definitely learn Hebrew using it.
Again, it's not the most exciting game, but if you want to learn Hebrew, this is a great way to do it. ... Read more

Features

• This suite of learning applications, games and lessons are designed to dramatically improve your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills
• Exercises and multimedia clips build students' vocabulary, grammar and comprehension skills
• Have fun and build language skills with Word and Sentence Pronunciation activities
• Advanced speech analysis tools compares your pronunciation to native speakers for superior speaking skills
• Talking dictionary includes thousands of native speaker Sound Dictation activities to enhance listening skills

Reviews (1)

Powerful suite although possibly too involved for some
This learning suite consists of about half a dozen programs, each of which does different things and offers different features. I found it very complete and full-featured but somewhat difficult to navigate around because of all the activities and separate modules. Also, it's hard to tell what some of the mouse buttons mean and you just have to click on them to find out what they do.

Four of the programs, such as the Spanish Alphabet Reference and the Spanish Grammar Basics, install as separate applications and can be launched either separately or from within the main program. You'll find the latter two under "Reference" from the main menu.

The main program is called Language Now! which has all the main features. These include My Spanish Adventure with Andre, which shows you a movie with Spanish narration; Conversations in Spanish; Fundamental Spanish, which contains 100 of the most common words and verbs in Spanish; and Survival Phrases in Spanish, which contains hundreds of phrases in English and Spanish.

Also part of the Language Now! program is the pronunciation program, or digital speech analyzer, which combines a wave form anayzer, pitch analyzer, a fricatives analyzer, and a vowels analyzer, which is even more sophisticated than the one that comes with my Instant Immersion Deluxe Spanish program.

The Survival Phrases section in the main program has phrases for over 30 situations, such as "Meeting and Greeting," "Restaurants," "Emergencies," etc. There is also an Activities area which has games like crosswords, word dictation, Vocabulous!, Unscramble, Verb Quest, Plug-n-Play, and Graffiti. In addition, there is a Pronunciation section and Conversation and Speaking section.

The four smaller extra programs include the "English-Spanish Lexicon" or dictionary, the grammar program, called "Spanish Grammar Pro," which is structured like the Windows Help facility, so if you know that, you know how to get around this one too. It might even be different from the one accessed within the "Language Now!" rogram. The third program is called "Shooting Gallery and Crossword," which are sort of self-explanatory. The fourth one is "Before You Know It," which is basically a vocabulary building module almost 40 different word lists on such things as animals, food, clothing, the weather, travel, and so on.

It also includes a "Flash Card" program which I tried, but didn't find very useful. It only seemed to have a few dozen words and it repeated them too often to be of much help, I thought. I liked the Spanish Grammar Basics program which covers in detail all the different parts of speech and defines all of them for you. So if you need to be reminded about what demonstrative pronouns are, a periphrastic verbal construction, or the preterite (past perfect) tense, this will do it for you.

Overall, this is a very full-featured and powerful Spanish suite that I can recommend although it may take some time for you to learn to use all the features productively. For someone that doesn't want anything this complex I recommend the Instant Immersion Spanish Deluxe edition with 8 CD's instead. It also has a speech analyzer but the entire program is structured somewhat differently from the present one. The lessons are sequential and you have to complete them all in order to progress from Beginner Level I to Level II, and from Level II to Intermediate Level I, the Intermediate Level II, and so on. (This isn't quite true as you can jump between levels and CD's if you want, but the program keeps reminding you to do exercises you've skipped within a CD or difficulty level until you do them). This makes it a little more structured and less flexible than the present one although I think most people will find the interface more intuitive and the progressively increasingly level of difficulty in some ways better for learning. But both programs are excellent and will definitely help you take your Spanish to the next level. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Sometimes you get what you pay for...
After trying two language programs before this and being highly disappointed in their performance I finally put out the money for this program. It is comprehensive and I have found it very valuable in it's method of teaching the Italian language. I highly recommend it.

Love Rosetta stone Italian software
I have had some knowledge of the Italian language so I am not a total beginner, but pretty close to it. The reason I purchased this software is that I found myself loosing the little knowledge I had. How this program works is through picture recognition along with coinciding speech. For an example they will show you a picture of a bird in different sequences such as: flying, swimming, and the color of the bird etc... They also show people doing similar actions. By picture recognition, repetitive patterns, and hearing the words, you do learn the language. The pictures do build in a methodical way and eventually you do learn to form the words, and then into sentences. But, there is no explanation in the how and why the grammar works. The word "the" is different in Italian with respect to masculine, feminine, plural, and the program does not explain this aspect of the language. You learn merely by rote imitation. This indeed is how a child learns to speak a language. A nice feature to this software is that the native speaker does speak in a slow pronunciation, in some parts of the program you can really slow the speakers voice down and hear every syllable. The program allows you to record your voice so you can hear your progress. Learning in this way is fun and I do not find my mind wandering.

Preety good
A very good software but nothing is perfect language always takes a long time and this does not signifigantly shorten the time. But you still learn it faster ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Their method works!
The Rosetta Stone people believe in total immersion. Nothing is translated; all meanings are conveyed by a clever use of pictures. You see a french expression, hear it spoken, and see its meaning illustrated, all at the same time. The method works. It allows the English compartment of the mind to quiet down and the French to take over. I felt that I was absorbing french vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence patterns more efficiently with this program than by any other learning method I have tried.

For the most part the pictures make the meanings obvious, but when they don't you are on your own. I kept Google running in the background and used its translation facility to look up the occasional mysterious word. That usually worked, but the lack of English translations within the program is a design flaw in my opinion. Doubtless they would protest that including translations would go against the spirit of total immersion. Well, having to stop to look things up in a french-english dictionary is not total immersion either. But this flaw is not fatal. The program is so good otherwise that I was willing to put up with the inconvenience.

The method is not a complete approach in itself. No grammar is taught except for what you can figure out for yourself from the examples. French Now! by Transparent Language is another excellent program that complements it nicely. Rosetta Stone is expensive, but their "French Explorer" is modestly priced and provides a generous sampling of their fuller Level 1 and Level 2 programs. If you simply can't afford the fuller programs you might consider using French Explorer in conjunction with French Now!

only ok
All in all this program isn't bad but it doesn't seem to have anything on grammar. Without learning the grammar of a language it is almost pointless to learn it because you will sound like a fool to someone who knows the language. The only other program I have tried is French NOW by Transparent Language which is just as good as this program, has grammar turtorials, and is much more affordable.

You will be talking in no time.
I have tried a variety of language software titles to learn to speak French and I was beginning to get rather frustrated. After several months, I was still unable to put together coherent sentences. That's pretty sad, considering I've taught English to a variety of ages for 4 years and have a strong grasp on sentence structure. However, there's good news! Within a few lessons, I was putting together ideas with Rosetta Stones' French tutorials. The program uses photographs to piecemeal together ideas. You feel much like a child exploring the world in a new language and you will find yourself thinking in French in no time! In addition, you don't have to sit through boring grammar lessons, it just comes naturally. I highly recommend this product, even though it is considerably more expensive than some of the others, it is well worth the price of admission. ... Read more

Features

• Advanced map customization and printing
• Automatic routing on trails and roads
• Nationwide campground information
• GPS compatibility; USGS digital map data
• $50 of free aerial and satellite imagery included

Reviews (2)

Poor Printing Options
I found the software to be slow and have poor printing capabilities. I wanted digitized USGS 7.5' quads to print and use for offroad trips, but not with this software. Advancing to higher level of detail was slow and I had to go through each incremental increase. The largest map size for printing is 11x17 (I asked Delorme). You can select 2x2 or 3x3 mosiac prints, for manual assembly, but not what I wanted. I used the 30 money back guarantee.

Missing Too Much Information
Within 5 minutes of trying to map my first route, I have already discovered a bridge that is missing from the map. This bridge was present in other versions of the program and I was hoping the data in the new version would be better than the old, not worse! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Buy this right now!
I was interested in learning Latin, and my high school only offers Spanish and French. I resolved to learn it on my own, and this product was invaluable. It was amazing how fast I picked up Latin! Within a couple of weeks of study, the language seemed to flow off my tongue. Buying this product is the single most important step you can take to learning Latin. My only criticism is that there isn't a Latin II product to continue my studies. ... Read more

Features

• Extension of the advanced cell-phone data transfer suite, DataPilot
• Transfer contacts from 1 cell phone to the next in seconds
• Supports the most popular handsets on the market
• Includes 2 PC connectors and 9 different phone connectors
• Perfect solution for multiple-phone users or a family

Reviews (2)

Well worth the price!
I found this kit well worth the price. It supports most newer model phones. However, the features offered in the product depend on the model of your phone, so find out if your phone support the all the features.
Even though the product doesn't come with a detailed manual, you can always print it out online. I was able to transfer images and ringtones to my phone without any problems even without detailed instructions because the screens are pretty self explanatory.

Useful tool, but not quite universal
This kit supports most newer phones. It comes with two USB half-cords, and several phone half-cords. One USB cord is actually a serial converter, the other one is passive. The software is an all-in-one package, offering phonebook/ringtone/image/calendar sync and internet dialer, unlike FutureDial's Snap products. The software is well laid-out, however, not all phones support all sync functions. Also, some phones don't support two-way communication - you may be able to upload images, but you can't retrieve them. I gave the product only 3 stars for two reasons. First, the website doesn't mention that some information cannot be pulled from the phone - it can only be pushed to the phone. Second, the package I received had a defective serial converter USB cable - and after having to sit through three customer service reps, who may or may not know what they are doing, on a line that was busy for most of the day, I had to spend more money sending the cable in for exchange. The price is right for all the cables that you get, but there's free bitpim software out there that does the same, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Jumpstart Advanced toddler
We bought this as a Christmas present for our son that just turned 2. We were looking for an educational computer game for him and we already had Reader Rabbit Toddler (which he loves). When I first started Jumpstart Adv. Toddler I thought it was way too simple, then I discovered that most activities have 2 levels. Level 1 is pretty basic and doesn't require the kids to do a whole lot...my son was very bored with this. Level 2 is much better...in fact it is more advanced than Reader Rabbit. Most of the activities do not require toddlers to click on the mouse, but if you can click it goes faster. I was surprised by how fast my son figured out the activities. He can do most everything by himself, but he still needs me to help him navigate some. This package comes with 3 cd's - school time, song time and art time. THe song time cd has several fun songs that he just loves. Overall I really like this game and have found it to be very educational. As soon as my son has mastered clicking the mouse we will be getting the preschool version.

JumpStart Study Helpers Math Booster
Knowledge Adventure's Jump Start Study Helpers Math Booster... is another real winner for all children in grades 1st-5th - like is partner - Knowledge Adventure's Jump Start Study Helpers Spelling Bee - this program has cute, fast paced, great music and sound three styles of arcade-like games to teach your children their math facts - no more boring math flash cards - learn math on a fast paced pinball machine, or arrange math facts for the the "burpers" or "smack" space ships and and space rocks to get correct answers to math problems - fast and fun - even for an old Grandma, me - all games are controled using the arrow keys and space bar excep to the outer space game where you shoot with a mouse - like the Spelling Bee it has over 800 pre-programmed math problems - all basic subjects are covered - addition, subtraction, muliplication, division, decimals and percentages in SIX different leveals - will auto advance at your child's own speed - on screen instructions for everything - also, like its partner, Jump Start Study Helpers Spelling Bee - you can program your child's "real" weekly math problems in to this program so they can learn their "real" weekly school math lessons in a fun arcade style of learning - you will love it for the small price tag - your children will love it for all of the fun they will have - and you will love it even more when your child brings home a A+ grade on their report card in Math. The [low price] is "right" - please buy it - once again this old Grandma is happy to be able to send my first grader, and my second grader back to school this year with this GREAT study tool. Knowledge Adventure can be very proud of these two programs ther Jump Start Study Helpers Math Booster and their Jump Start Study Helpers Spelling Bee - buy them both and enjoy!
A very pleased Grandmother,
Jacqueline Lee Wilson

JumpStart Spanish a winner
My 5 year old loves her new JumpStart Spanish program. She has learned to count in spanish and her colors so far. Very fun games and rewards. She is really picking things up fast. We have not had any real computer problems, it has locked up once, but that has happened on other software as well. The sound works well. For the price I would recommend this as a beginning spanish program.

My daughter simply loves it!!!!
My 2 year old loves this set of CDs. I found that it reinforces all the things we are teaching her.... shapes, colors, numbers the ABC. The duck that sings is very sweet to their ear. I found it sooo great I am buying it for my daughter's school so the other kids can benefit as well.

Jump Start 4TH GRADE ADVANCED
I rented this software from the Library. It is a 3 disc program. My 3rd grader (almost 4th grader) loves the Ultimate Field Trips and Mystery Club volume 3. The fundamentals disc is a little too hard for her right now, so it is challenging. I played it because it looked fun and it was fun for me to play. I love the "mystery" tone of the software. I like these programs because there are fun games that do not get boring, and while your kids are playing the games, they are also learning a lot. I am going to purchase this software and the 3rd grade ADVANCED program so my child can review through the summer. ... Read more

Features

• Street-level map content for all of North America
• Create new maps and analyse geographic trends
• Communicate location-based information by embedding MapPoint documents in PowerPoint, Word, and more
• Integrate maps and other location data into other applications using ActiveX Control or COM APIs

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The ONLY worthwhile language learning software!
The Rosetta Stone series of language instruction software is "Pimsleur" level of effectiveness and unfortunately, Pimsleur level cost as well.

The programs work on a total immersion basis, with no English used at all. There are several types of drills, ones where you hear a word or sentence and pick it out of a group of pictures, another where you read the text of the word and pick out the pictures, etc. There are also typing drills in your language to help you spell (without having to download special fonts), pronounciation drills that allow you to hear a word, speak it to your computer and hear your voice in comparison to the native speaker played back to you.

This is the first program of it's type I've found where this feature actually works!

I own both German and Russian 1 and 2. There is a LOT to learn here, especially if you do all the types of drills for each lesson. You learn grammar from inference, such as word endings when the subject is "in" something rather than "on" or "under" it. You see the same endings used, compare them with the pictures and you start to recognize patterns.

But one of the best things about this software is the user interface. Since it's an immersion program, there's no English used and by it's very nature needs to be intuitive. This is how it should be done. I've used other types of language software that had a klunky, confusing interface with features that didn't work, etc. None of that is the case with the Rosetta Stone software.

On another note, I switched to Mac about nine months ago and Fairfield Language Technologies sent me out a new Mac OS X systems disc for free, no questions asked. At this price level you'd think this would be commonplace, but it's not. Adobe allowed me to change from PC to OS X when I upgraded from Photoshop 6 to 7, but Macromedia wouldn't and expected me to buy all new software (I didn't). So kudos to FLT for their stellar customer service!

Is it too expensive? I'd say yes, but this is a serious language learning tool for serious self students, and it's a lot cheaper than classes at the U. The axiom is true with both this and the Pimsleur method tapes; you get what you pay for.

Great! Help me so much!
It is a great way to learn or review. It makes you learn by seeing a picture and than remembering what it means. It works very well, I used this product at school and it's worked beautifully for me. I had been trouble remembering the pronocation or the spelling of the words, I used this for a couple of times a week. And it helped wonderfully for me.

First its in sections with listening, reading, and translating by pictures or them telling you. The great thing is you can repeat it as many times as you want or you can just click the little icon on the right of the screen and see the answers so your not clueless.

It seperated by units, like one unit would be food or going to the supermarket another unit could be what you do on the weekends like 'I like to sit home and read'. It helps you have conversations with the people and even helps you by testing you at the end of each unit. (And it has many many units ranging from just listening and reading or listening and seeing the picture and repeating it.)

The flaw is that if you are a beginner it would be a Little challenging since it speaks to you a bit faster, hard to understand most of the words. But it makes up for it with some units by viewing the sentance from above.

It's a great program, above much others.

Excellent program with a few drawbacks
This program is a fun and fast way to start recognizing Russian words and sentences. You learn by hearing and seeing written cues along with photographs that represent various concepts. Click on the correct photograph and get a rewarding sound and move forward. It is intuitive, and you will find that you recognize a great deal very quickly.

There are a few drawbacks to the program, however. Because the program teaches using photographs, it is difficult to show that "I" am doing something or "you" are doing something. Most of the sentences, therefore, are in the third person. This is a challenge when you go to speak to someone and find that most of your conversation would be in the first and second person.

The other drawback is that there is no explanation of the grammar, and no translation of new vocabulary. I use this program with a Russian/English dictionary at my side. I understand that the point is that you learn the word for a concept rather than a translation, which is a better way to learn. On the other hand, it is not always clear what the photograph is trying to convey. For example, a photograph of a 1950s vintage green car has a word you have learned to be car, and an adjective. I had no idea what it was getting at until I looked up the adjective to see that it meant "old." Occasionally you might get an answer wrong because you mistook the action in the photo not because you didn't understand the grammar. It's not a major problem, but you do feel a bit cheated when it happens!

Also, it would be useful to have a function that would allow you to look up a grammatical rule behind new vocabulary so that you could not only hear that a certain ending is being added, but have an explanation of why it is being added.

Overall, however, I would recommend this program for its ease of use. It makes you feel that you're making progress very quickly, which helps get you past some of the discouragement you can sometimes face with a text book full of declensions.

I'd recommend using it with a good Russian/English dictionary and the book Master The Basics Russian which has good grammar charts.

You will really learn.. more than you realize...
I've edited my original review since I've used this software for over a year now... see below...

From my original review: you don't have to be a "rocket scientist" to learn with this product. It actually makes learning FUN, and you don't even realize you are learning as you are using it... and yet I find after using it, the retention of the things I've learned is excellent. It has a very intuitive interface, and you are given examples such as "The boy runs" and then shown a picture of a woman dancing, a man walking, a boy running, and a dog jumping... simply select the right picture... or shown a picture and you select the right phrase that goes with that picture... a chime or applause or "winning sound" indicates a right choice, a buzzer or a sigh sounds if you are wrong... you can choose which sound you want to hear, or let the program select the right/wrong sounds at random... Well, before you know it, you are actually learning using pictures and ideas... the same way you learned your own language way back when...

Update a year later and three trips to Russia, a 4th one planned:

Since I first bought this product I've made 3 trips to Russia and made many Russian friends. They have all complimented me on how well I pronounce my spoken Russian. Also, I'll say that while this program did not make me ~fluent~ in Russian, it certainly gave me many words to use that helped me out in every day situations. And I did not even realize how MUCH of this software I was absorbing, until I was actually there IN Russia and speaking with Russians, and then the "images" associated with the sounds and the words and the dialogs in this program were just ~there~ for me.

Yes, I've also found it is handy to have a pocket dictionary handy (on occasion) to look up some of the words when you first encounter them.

However I totally disagree about needing grammatical syntax. That is the LAST thing you want to involve yourself in when you are first exposing yourself to a new language.

Yes, once you begin to know a language, it's definitely important, but if I hadn't gotten the "head start" on learning how to speak and how to read and how to pronounce Russian, as I did with this product, then I wouldn't have made the progress I did.

I notice that one other person prefers the Learning Russian Now! product instead of the Rosetta Stone.

I bought that product too, and as a pure BEGINNER, that product was way over and beyond my abilities at the time. It was way too much to deal with as a beginner learning Russian and just totally frustrated me to the max.

This product will give you a good sound basis to advance your Russian language skills from.

Without having used this product first, a more complex or complicated product, such as one that introduces grammatical rules or complex series of dialogs, would have been way over my head, and would have only frustrated me.

My advice? If you are beginning from Square One learning Russian, start with this product and then move up to more complex products only after you've achieved BASIC skills and abilities in Russian.

And Rosetta Stone will give you those in a fascinating, addictive, FUN environment. A year later and it's STILL fun and I've learned many things going back over the earlier lessons I thought I had down cold. You learn more grammar and syntax than you are even ~aware~ of learning, and that's another reason why this product is so good! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

10x cheaper directly from ABBYY
This software costs only $40 if bought directly from the seller. ANy ideas what Micro 3 Corp is, and why is sells it for $300? Go to www.abbyyusa.com. Overall, good dictionary, found it very useful. Software could have been written better, so I'm upgrading from version 6.5 to 9.0, hopefully they improved the soft. But still the best dictionary on the market in my opinion

Tough to evaluate
The actual dictionary and convenience is superb. Dictionary is huge and works very well. That side of the product is a clear five stars.

Now about the problems:

Protection is a huge problem. It's inconvenient to store (you need to store floppy with CD), it's a hassle to install, and it's just a can of worms (or bugs, if you prefer).

They provide "integration" with MS Office. Don't choose it! It sucks, and it does not work with all versions of Office, and even when it does, it does not make much sense.

Also, I've seen copies of this software stopping to work and crushing after a certain period of time. It seems like this software is suspectible to other software upgrades, it probably uses a lot of shared Windows code, which is not carved in stone. So they need to put some work into stability (may be at the cost of some cool but stupid features like hot keys or "Office intergration").

And last but not least, the price is ridiculous. I would not pay for this more than [money amount]. After all, that's just a dictionary. We are not buying software, we are buying a useful functionality, in this case that's the dictionary, and equivalent printed dictionary is [money amount]only. If they have [bad] programmers and marketing, that's not worth paying for, that's their problem.

Beware! Old dictionaries of 70 -80 years and written new!!
Works very unstably because of protection on enclosed 3.5" diskette (The Lingvo set is CD + 3.5" diskette w. security-key). Permanently it is necessary to reinstall the Lingvo-program. Two times because of it should be reinstalled my Windows. The interface of the program some more of times of Window 95. To work inconveniently because of a plenty of pop-up windows. Bad support of fonts. Periodically instead of Russian characters there are not readable characters. Linvo-support does not answer the mails! Dictionaries (dictionary bases) hardly obsolete. In the documentation to Lingvo is written, that the dictionaries from 2000 - 2002. Practically all dictionaries of 70 years, exampl. Russian-English dictionary of the writer Kuznetsov - 1973, and is written, that the dictionary new. The English-Russian polytechnic dictionary - is written, that dictionary published 2002, and actually paper dictionary has left in the beginning 90 years. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The ONLY worthwhile language learning software!
The Rosetta Stone series of language instruction software is "Pimsleur" level of effectiveness and unfortunately, Pimsleur level cost as well.

The programs work on a total immersion basis, with no English used at all. There are several types of drills, ones where you hear a word or sentence and pick it out of a group of pictures, another where you read the text of the word and pick out the pictures, etc. There are also typing drills in your language to help you spell (without having to download special fonts), pronounciation drills that allow you to hear a word, speak it to your computer and hear your voice in comparison to the native speaker played back to you.

This is the first program of it's type I've found where this feature actually works!

I own both German and Russian 1 and 2. There is a LOT to learn here, especially if you do all the types of drills for each lesson. You learn grammar from inference, such as word endings when the subject is "in" something rather than "on" or "under" it. You see the same endings used, compare them with the pictures and you start to recognize patterns.

But one of the best things about this software is the user interface. Since it's an immersion program, there's no English used and by it's very nature needs to be intuitive. This is how it should be done. I've used other types of language software that had a klunky, confusing interface with features that didn't work, etc. None of that is the case with the Rosetta Stone software.

On another note, I switched to Mac about nine months ago and Fairfield Language Technologies sent me out a new Mac OS X systems disc for free, no questions asked. At this price level you'd think this would be commonplace, but it's not. Adobe allowed me to change from PC to OS X when I upgraded from Photoshop 6 to 7, but Macromedia wouldn't and expected me to buy all new software (I didn't). So kudos to FLT for their stellar customer service!

Is it too expensive? I'd say yes, but this is a serious language learning tool for serious self students, and it's a lot cheaper than classes at the U. The axiom is true with both this and the Pimsleur method tapes; you get what you pay for.

Great program
I really liked this program and highly recommend it.
Two things though:
1. You need a dictionary
The small booklet only contains the text of the course in its original language
2. If you are sure you want to buy Level 1 then do NOT buy the Explorer. The Explorer is merely a subset of Level 1.

Good program
I started using this program so that I can learn German. I live in a Dutch speaking home and Dutch was my first language. Since the two languages are very similar I decided to begin learning German. The program is very good, although translations would be helpful, and if the grammar was explained. Also it would be nice if they introduced the definite articles with each noun introduced in the vocabulary, this would make it much easier instead of having to eventually figure out the noun gender. But all in all this program is quite good to learn basic German, move on to the second version of this program to learn more advanced things.

Great, but an option with translations would have been nice.
This program is the best I have run into for learning a foreign language. It starts with basic German words and pictures, to which is added other words and pictures so that one learns phrases and then eventually sentences. Your mind associates the sound and spelling of a word(s) with a picture representing the word(s), and in this way you learn intuitively instead of having to think or translate. A few pictures, however, can be interpreted in more than one way, and it would have helped to have had an option that allowed one to view a translation. When I was unsure of the meaning of a certain word based on the picture, I used a dictionary and this solved the problem. The different sections in each lesson interactively teach you how to read, listen, speak, and write. For example, you will hear and/or read something and you will have to match what you hear/read to the one of the pictures shown. If you match it correctly you hear a pleasant sound and continue. If you match it incorrectly you hear an annoying sound and you try again until you get it right. For the writing section you hear words associated with a picture that is shown. One of the writing exercises consists of choosing the right words in the right order and another consists of typing in the correct word, phrase or sentence off the top of your head. I liked the speaking section because you can listen to German spoken at a normal speed, a slow speed and an even slower speed: the slow speed helped me hear better how words were pronounced so that I was more confident when attempting to imitate them. This personal edition level 1 course teaches you just basic German. You end up learning to ask and answer questions like "how do I get to the train station?" You also end up learning grammar intuitively. The reasons this program works well I think is: because you learn language naturally through pictures; because it does a good job building from the basics; and finally, because it tests you a lot. I had fun using it because it tests you continually and I like getting "Skinnerian" positive feedback every time I answer something correctly. It's a great way to begin learning German, but I recommend buying a dictionary in case you feel you have to look up a word or two. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Minh noi tieng viet!
The Rosetta Stone products are great. I have bought Vietnamese level 1 and Japanese level 1 and 2. I consider vietnamese to be a much more difficult language to learn since it is a tonal language.
This software helped me a lot and now I am even able to chat on the internet with vietnamese people. However, don't think that this software is all you need to learn the language. Since there are no translations(it is only based on pictures, sounds and text in vietnamese) I had to use several dictionaries to help me through the lessons. In this page is a nice and free dictionary for ...And I also recommend a dictionary such as The Rough Guide Vietnamese dictionary where at the beginning is a reference to the basics of the language. This is where you might want to start before studying the lessons in the RS Vietnamese I.

Great product
This is a great way of learning a language and I highly recommend it. It works for me and I have fun doing so.
Remember that this is a software program and you have to sit at your computer. The small booklet that comes with it only contains the text of the course in its original language, there is no translation of the text. I suggest you also buy a dictionary (I bought Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary which I like).
If you are sure you want Level 1 then do NOT buy the Explorer. The Explorer contains a subset of Level 1. Unfortunately I was mislead because most people who bought Level 1 also bought the Explorer. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

More valuable than meets the eye!!!
Does it "teach? Yes and no. If your native language is English, the Rosetta Stone method is an acquired taste, since it uses no English, or any other language for that matter, to teach. And you'll find it more difficult than the traditional word memorization method.

HOWEVER, the pronunciation and the listening value of Rosetta Stone Chinese is superb! I cannot emphasize enough how important good voice actors can be for language learning software. China is a very large country with many different dialects. Having a proper northern accent is like the difference of having a Hollywood accent and a Texas redneck accent. The voice actors are the best I've ever heard, and a zillion times better than Wenlin's voice actors.

5 out of 5 stars! Not just because they have good voice actors, but because they have IMPECCABLE voice actors. I've been learning Chinese Mandarin for over 6 years, and my native language is English. This is the only software that will get rid of your accent, if you don't have time to travel to China.

Sad difference between this and the sample.
I bought the Rosetta Stone Powerpack. It has a bunch of different languages to choose from. I got to the end of the Manderin lessons. Each of the Samples has 2 levels with 10 lessons. So I bought THIS package, which has 8 levels, so I could continue.
I already took some classes in Bei Jing, so my Chinese is not too bad, but this tought me some more things. The powerpack is great. It is very simple to learn from. It shows a girl, and says "female person", a boy, and says "male person". Short and simple. AND they talk slow, so you can understand every word. And as you progress, they add new things to it.
This Personal Edition is not ADDED levels. It is all new lessons. The speakers are different. The words are different. They seem to use to Bei Jing Way of speaking, not the Proper Way of speaking. They have all these RRRR sounds to things. Boy child is "Non Hie", but in Bei Jing they say "Non Har". ONLY in Bei Jing they use this. Poor Choice for such a big sofware package.
And the first lesson, first page, is no longer "Boy Child", "Girl child", "Boy Adult", "Girl adult". That is simple and easy to understand. Instead, they say "That is a Boy Child" "That is a Girl Child". How is anyone supposed to pick that many words up so quickly? And Chinese use measure words (kind of like La, Los, Le in other Europe Languages, but in Chinese there are about a hundred of them) so how are we suposed to figure this stuff out in the first lesson on the first page?
Also... They talk as fast as someone on the street. Blazing through each sentence, so you can not make out the tone, or even the pronunciation.
Even if you have some Chinese background, this is a hard package. It gives an advanced speaker new ways of saying things, but the beginer is better off getting the Power Pack, and the Instant Immersion Chinese 2 CD set. Also look ... for CyberChinese ... This is a computer version of one of my text books at school: Practical Chinese Reader.
Also get Basic Chinese : A Grammar and Workbook by Yip Po-Ching. I can not say enough good things about this book. It is the best reference book around, and super handy when taking a class, or learing with a computer.
Good luck, and Zai Jin!

The stupidest system ever sold
The computer based speech recognition is fantastic and makes duplicating the nuances of the chinese language easier. But the fact that the computer system and accompaning texts give you no, absolutely no, english translation is the stupidest mistake ever made by a teaching system. Rosetta says it interferes with the "full emersion" system of learning. They forget that full emersion is when you go live in the community and can constantly receive feedback on sentence structure, meaning and tense.

For instance, the standard Rosetta first lesson show a picture of a girl and a spoken phrase in chinese to match the picture. You can also see the picture and a chinese character phrase or pinyin english phrase. But nowhere is there an english translation of the phrase you are learning. So you do not know from just seeing a picture of a girl whether you are saying, "this is a girl", "a girl", "girl", "I am a girl", or "you are a girl".

My chinese speaking friends had to explain to me the phrase meant girl in the singular form and that the singular form was typical for all "feminine" objects.

I have called Rosetta and there is no english translation available when it would only cost them cents to reproduce. Do not buy this system unless you have a chinese tutor available to you.

The easy way to learn chinese
I have been a litlle sceptic when I purchased this product but after having been using it for a year I am amazed by the progress I made. With the Rosetta Stone can I not only learn the vocabulary it also forces you to think in the language and to repeat phrases. The different features enable you to chose speaking reading or wrting excersices, in order for you to work on all of these skills seperately until you are satisfied. Why no five stars? Well unfortunately there's no way of learning Chinese Kalligraphy on the computer so the only writing excersices are in pinyin which uses the latin alphabeth. But on the whole I can recommend this product to everyone who wants to learn Chinese! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

This comprehensive program provides up to 550 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, writing, and speaking. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists or drills. Previews, exercises, and tests accompany every lesson, and there are automated tutorials throughout the program. Graphical speech recognition displays your voiceprint and compares it with the native speaker to help improve your pronunciation. (Ages 6 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Best Dutch program I have found.
This Rosetta Stone Dutch program is by the far the best program to learn Dutch. I have tried many and have found them very basic. Some were good but you only learned how to order food and introduce yourself, etc. My wife is Dutch so I was wanting a program to help me along. I have completed Level I and am working on Level II now. When I listen to my wife's family speaking Dutch I can really understand what they are saying and can have limited conversations with them. I notice I learn better when I use the typing portion of this program. I only wished that they would include a help book on the "word order" of Dutch. Some words like "anndoen", you will put the last part of the word "doen" in the first part of the sentence and the first part "ann" at the end of the sentence. It would be very helpful to learn why it is done this way. It is difficult for my wife to explain this. This is a very time consuming program but is much more in depth that any other program I can find and I have bought about 6-7 different ones. If you want to learn Dutch, or any other language, it seems that this is a very well thought out program and is fun to use. It reminds me more of a college level course compared to the other programs I have bought. The pimsleur program is good but is only 5 cassettes and once you get to Holland and say your "Hi's and Bye's" you have spoken all of the Dutch you were introduced to. Maybe if they had the complete 3-Level program like the one for German you would learn more. This Rosetta Stone program is so much more in-depth. Since very few colleges teach the Dutch language in the United States this is about as close as you can come to having a college level course. ... Read more

Features

• Create amazing 3D graphics that look like today’s coolest cartoons, movies and video games.
• Incredible new computer game works like digital modeling clay to bend, pull, poke and flatten basic shapes into characters, vehicles, animals…anything!
• Decorate with tons of colors and decals to make a one of a kind creation.
• Real computer animations such as running, slithering and jumping bring 3D creations to life.
• • Dozens of cursors and sounds for visual and audible cues to highlight and explain selected tools and options

Reviews (3)

Girl Power
My dad purchased Cosmic Blobs for my birthday. My parents do not let me spend too much time with computer games, plus there are not too many games out there for a young female.

I love to draw and create pictures using pencil and ink. Cosmic Blobs now let's me create and animate images using my computer. The software is very easy to use and within minutes you are creating cartoon characters. I would recommend Cosmic Blobs to any kid that enjoys creating objects using the computer.

Great Gift for Creative Kids!
I bought this as a Christmas gift for my two nieces (ages 8 and 11).They are both pretty creative and artistic to begin with, but this gave them a completely new outlet for their creativity.They both love it and cannot get enough of it!They enjoy bringing their creations to life (everything from unicorns to pink poodles to butterflies).I would definitely recommend this product to any parent/aunt/uncle/etc. who wants to give the child in their life a new twist on expressing their creativity.

Cosmic Blobs
Cosmic Blobs is a really fun game! You can pick differnet 3-D object and push, sull, squeze, bend, color and make it walk around on a course you design! You can make people, animals, alians or anything you can imagine! It is a really a great game for kids if they want to make up their own creatures and play around with it. The only tool you need is your imagination!! ... Read more