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 addition of the curriculum text manual is great!
I bought the Arabic Level 1 edition soon after using the "Explorer" version. To my great relief, Level 1 includes a 200 page text which provides all the written Arabic screen prompts used throughout the program, in two formats no less, modern standard without the short vowels as well as fully-vowelled. This really beats trying to copy down everything by hand for study notes. As the lack of this text was the only shortcoming I found with Explorer, I am now a very happy camper. The other reviewer comments on Level 1 are right on the money as far as I am concerned.

It can be done!
Tell most souls spawn from an academic mileu that you want to learn Arabic on your own and you'll get a wry smile and a patronizing mental-pat on the head. Ignore the nay-sayers! As the above reviewer mentioned, this program is a vital tool for Arabic self-study. Along with it, I recommend purchasing "Alif Baa" along with the Cd's to learn the script. Also pick up Wehr's dictionary along with the 'Oxford English to Arabic' dictionary. Around lesson 4.05 of the Rosetta program, you've reached the point where you're ready for some supplementary material. So far, your approach to the language has been passive, and if you have a desire to write in the language, as well as understand long strands of verbal narrative, you'll need more material. I recommend Vol. 1-2 of Al-Kitaab [the 'red' book] along with the accompanying Cd's. Also, if you have a thirst for grammer and more traditional structure, try "Elementary Modern Standard Arabic" [the orange book] Vols. 1-2. You can also purchase a marvelous software program entitled "Emsa Companion" that is critical for those covering the material on their own [see creativeworks.byu.edu/HRC/arabic.html]. Learning a colloquial dialect can also be fun--and critical if you need to find a toilet while touring the Middle East. Try 'Levantine Arabic for Non-natives' (see the reviews before buying.) There's so much more, but I grow weary of the keyboard. Master this material and you'll be well on your way. It may sound expensive, but it's far cheaper than a couple of semester of school. Adieu

Excellent addition to other study materials!
I've just started to learn Arabic in August of this year and have done a lot of looking around for materials to help me. I've read all the reviews on the Rosetta Stone software and have begun using this product. My opinion:

This is a fun tool to help you acquire vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and see how the language works. Some people don't like the fact that there are no English translations anywhere, but I actually enjoy the total immersion because it becomes a puzzle for me to figure out. It keeps me studying longer than if I was just looking at a bunch of flash cards. And since there aren't many Arabic speakers in my neck of the woods, the speech recognition part is indispensible.

Yes, sometimes it's hard to tell exactly what meaning the picture is conveying. That's when I pull out a dictionary and look the word up to confirm my guess as to the meaning. And it's not going to teach you phrases you need for travel, either. I have a pocket phrasebook and a Pimsleur CD for that.

Also, I wouldn't recommend that a rank beginner start right off the bat with this. First learn the alphabet and how the script works, because this won't teach you those things. But once you get a little feel for those things, then this would be a fun addition to your program.

No book or tape or software product can ever replace talking with native speakers, but for those of us who can't get to native speakers, this is a darn good 2nd choice.

Highly recommended so long as you understand that it is one of several tools to use to learn the language.

Rosetta Stone works
I've always thought learning a new language would be impossible. I'm not disciplined enough to go over vocabulary lists over and over. The way Rosetta Stone's program is laid out has made it very easy to use. You just sit back and click. You'll be suprised at how fast you'll pick stuff up. It's almost as easy as watching TV. If you're lazy or a dummy,or both, and want to pick up a language; then I recommend you get this. ... 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 (4)

YOURE PAYING FOR A LOT OF CONFUSION.
This is a well meaning program that will leave you with nothing but doubt and unanswered questions.

Fairfield uses a "picture to words to sound" method for teaching different languages. This is an excellent way to teach a language. It lets the user hear proper pronunciation while seeing the proper spelling (romanized or japanese) for the word. They also slap a picture of the subject so you can achieve a visual connection with the word or words mentioned. That's it, and thats where lies the problem. There is no confirmation in English to what you just learned. This leads to doubt because you don't know if the picture matches the word 100%. You cant make the vital connection between the Japanese word and the English one. To make matters worse not all the picture are crystal clear as to what is being refered to. Anyone who has studied Japanese knows what a difficult language it is to grasp and Fairfield thinks that you can just jump into it with this poorly thought out program. I don't know how well this method works in other languages but it fails in Japanese without that English reasurance. So in closing :

1. Dont be fooled by the "impressive" list of users of this program.
2. The poor structure of this program will leave you confused and reaching for your dictionary more than you'll be able to stand.
3. The price of this software package is ridiculous for what you get. It doesn't make $en$e.

Will not give you proper education
You learn the language through immersion. The software immediately presents you with a set of pictures, along with their japanese text and pronounciation, and you have to match the text with the pictures. The text are available in romanji, kana, and kanji. There are no english explanations at all.

First, if you're serious about learning japanese, you have to learn how to read and write kana, and this product gives you nothing in terms of learning kana/kanji. If you leave the text set at kana or kanji, you will be hopelessly lost. If you set the text at romanji, you will be looking at the romanized version of the japanese text, which is useless because you won't see romanji anywhere in Tokyo.

Second, you can pretty much guess at the right answer by process of elimination. The software isn't "smart" enough to deduce that you've actually understood the images presented to you. Also, some of the images are ambiguous. It's possible that you misinterpret the picture and end up with the wrong definition.

Third, this software is horribly slow. You will learn very little after hours of use, and in the end, you will have little or no grammatical knowledge at all.

Given the price of this product, I do not recommend it at all. I suggest you spend your money on the Pimsleur series. They are also expensive, but they will give you a solid foundation to speaking japanese properly. I suggest buying the Japanese for Busy people Kana workbook for learning Kana.

Great Software but takes Patience
You know that a child doesn't learn a language overnight. However they do learn their first language with out anyone really explaing to them what this word or that word means.

This program uses the same concept of learning. You learn by looking at pictures and actions, and you try to understand what is going on and attribute that to the sound that you hear.

Overall this is great!! It works, and is very comprehensive however it takes alot of patience and work.

If you want to learn a language fast and don't need to know so many words then this program is not for you. However if you don't mind waiting and going through many lessons, and getting a comprehensive understand of the language then this program is for you.

In the end it really depends on your needs.

Best language software I have seen so far
The way this software works is simple. It shows you four pictures and gives you a word or phrase describing each. Then it will ask you to match up pictures and phrases. Later sets of pictures build on vocabulary learned in earlier lessons to build up more complex phrases.

The user interface is one of the easiest to use I've seen, and the sound and picture quality are better than I've seen from other language software. The reason I really like this software though is that it is the easiest and most effective learning method I've found. Rather than trying to memorize words, you hear them used in a bunch of different contexts until their use becomes natural. Also, this method is much better for developing listening comprehension than other methods, which are often mostly visual.

This software doesn't explain any grammar rules. It merely tries to provide enough examples that they can be inferred from use. I find that having a grammar reference that I can refer to in addition to this software really helps with the trickier bits of the Japanese language, although for many things it is unnecessary.

Overall, this software is expensive, but if you are serious about learning Japanese, I would say it is definitely worth the price. ... Read more

Features

• Create, play, and experience music using only your mouse and imagination
• Innovative software by world-renowned composer Morton Subotnick
• Endless possibilities to draw original compositions on your screen
• Cool games teach rhythm, melody, pitch, musical instruments, and more
• Choose from 16 instruments; compose with 23 tools

Reviews (1)

An old favorite remains the best of its kind!
As a third grade teacher, I had this product in my classroom for years, until one day it inevitably got lost. I have been looking for a new copy for a while, and was glad to find it available on Amazon. It is, in my opinion, the best program of its type. The concept is very easy, children paint in a KID PIX type of format onto a white board, and that painting is then translated into music. If you draw at the top of the screen you will have a high note, at the bottom a low note. The longer you draw the same pitch horizontally the longer the note will be held. The simplicity makes it accessible to kids as young as kindergarten, but there's lots of features that make it riveting for older kids and adults as well. You have a wide variety of instrument to "draw" your music with, and there are lots of options that allow kids to experience their compositions in different ways. Hear your opus backwards or learn what it sounds like if it were flipped upside down. This is a program that people of all ages will enjoy (it was one of everyone's favorites on parent night). Sometimes simpler really is superior, and this program is a perfect example. ... 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)

Product is awful
Two main flaws which caused me to return the product:

1) Interface is shoddy at best. I was never able to start a drill lesson in the middle by skipping pages. If I returned to a prior lesson, I had to click on answers in order to advance, instead of being able to move forward as the interface supposedly should work.

2) Much more importantly, there were grammar mistakes in the product. My wife is native Korean. During the first lesson, the product tries to teach you the words/concept of "above" and "underneath". My wife and 4 of her friends who are also native Koreans all listened to the drill and they all said that the phraseology would never ever be spoken by a Korean. They said that the phrasehology was actually incorrect.

Other than that, while I echo the other comments about the navigation being unclear, I did think that the drills would help one learn vocabulary words.

Marginal Interface and Hard copy Materials
This program completely lacks a structured approach to learning the Hangul alphabet and completely lacks the ability to teach ANY Hangul using the keyboard. Some of their other programs have this ability, but not the Korean one.

Also, the teaching approach is completely by example using photos with no explanation of sentence structure, culture, etc. If you wanted to use it and repeat the lessons over and over and over you could probably learn the material, but the overall interface on the thing is lacking.

I'm having a blast...
I bought this software because my nephew is adopted from South Korea. He doesn't know Korean, but I know someday he'll grow up to probably have some interest in his heritage, and I thought it would be a cool thing if I knew a little Korean by that time.

I worried about blowing such a wad of cash on this software, but I took a risk, and I've been very happy with what I got. I'm still in the first "unit," so I have a long long way to go before I can actually speak or understand any real Korean, but I have found the exercises entertaining, and I have discovered that the knowledge does stick. Learning anything is hard; learning a foreign language so very different from English is super-hard, and learning it as an adult is downright daunting, but I'm finding that I'm not worried about that, and I'm just enjoying being exposed to something totally new.

I think this software could definitely benefit from some better directions; since everything is in Korean, you have to learn even the basics of navigating the lessons just by doing, and I found that a little frustrating at first, since I was already feeling pretty overwhelmed by the weird language. And there are lessons where they're going over the difference between boy and girl, man and woman, and sometimes the photos aren't clear enough to tell what gender the subject is. I have also found some sort of bug in the written exercises, where you can click in one frame and it'll react as if you clicked in another, but that doesn't go wrong very often.

I've had the software about two weeks. If you're in a rush to be able to ask the way to the bathroom on your upcoming vacation to Korea, this isn't the right approach for you. But if you're looking for a fun way to stimulate your mind and to learn something interesting and new while you do it, this is ideal.

Worse Product EVER!
This was the MOST useless product I have ever used in my life. I've been studying the Korean language for almost 4 years now but had absolutely no clue what was going on with this software! I can't imagine anyone being able to gain or further language skills with this ... I can't believe that any company would claim such a shoddy product or have the gumption to charge [amount] for it. Run away from this software as fast as you can. ... ... Read more

Features

• Door-to-door route planning for the United States and Canada
• Over 7,300,000 miles of road; 4,000,000+ points of interest
• Over 6,500,000 streets; 75,000,000+ house numbers
• GPS-compatible; new up-to-date maps
• Multi-lingual user interface including Spanish

Reviews (18)

Great Product With Some Need For Improvements
This product isn't perfect, but it's quite good considering this is the first time I've seen it and could not find any mapping software for OS X a year ago.

The interface is a little strange, but once you get used to it, it seems fine.

The detail of the maps seems very good, although some out-of-the-way small towns (with a few hundred people) may have little to no detail. It did, however, find two addresses that Yahoo Maps and MS Streets had no record of, which I thought was impressive.

One thing that most mapping software is horrible at is printing options -- the options for Route 66 I thought were very good.

The redraw speed while *scrolling* (not zooming in/out) was a little slow and could probably be easily fixed with an update that cached surrounding map details better. No matter how much detail I had turned on or what my zoom level was, it never took more than 1.5 seconds to redraw while scrolling. This may depend on how fast your computer is and how much memory you have -- I have 1.1gb of RAM and Route 66 was using 212mb according to "top" (command line resource reporter).

The GPS compatibility is nice, but haven't tried it yet -- I need to find a USB cable for my eMap GPS.

This software is very much worth supporting since I know of no other mapping software for the Mac currently and this software costs $35-$40. In my opinion, it's worth every penny of the $40 I paid for it.

3 thumbs down
i was a user of MS streets and trips, and belive that it was the one thing MS did correctly and i am shocked to say that not only is the mac competition (RT66) lacking, but simply not worth using. RT66 makers should be ashamed and do not deserve to be among mac and its usual integrity.

Pretty awful...
I recently switched to Mac from PC and so I'm coming from a background of MS Streets and Trips, and Autroute.

In comparison to the MS offerings, the Rt66 product are, well, kind of a joke. I purchased both the US and European versions (they're the only game in town for Mac.)

The maps are drawn (slowly) in such a way that they are quite unclear. They are also kind of incomplete. It couldn't find my old house (11 years old) only the street. It doesn't even know the 4 year old subdivision I live in exists.

Smaller towns are really hard to find. I searched for Carrie, Idaho (near Sun Valley) and the search engine came up empty. So I scrolled over to where I know it is and finally found the name of the town spread out over a general area and superimposed with another word in the same font.

From an overview position on the map, there was no indication at all where exactly the town was. I knew, though, so I zoomed in on the area. It took until I was at a 2000 foot distance before the streets began showing up. Street names didn't appear until 500 feet. If that doesn't mean anything to you, think about reading a map with your nose an inch from it.

So, in a nutshell, if you know exactly where a town is and are familiar with all the streets, you may be able to find it on their map. How useful...

How did MS Streets do? It found Carrie immediately, displayed it clearly, and showed all the streets from an impressive distance.

Overall, a pretty dismal product. I'm looking into a Windows emulator to allow me to run Streets and Autoroute, but I'm guessing that it'll be too much trouble and I'll just suffer with these. If anyone out there is a programmer--here's a nice opportunity for you...

Mediocre
I bought this software because, well, it was the only one available for OS X. This is beta stage software at best - it doesn't tend to crash, but the UI is really poor. It is as if 12 different people wrote different pieces of the program and then tried to cobble them together. Nothing is very intuitive, and things that should be simple are cumbersome. The routes are sometimes often adequate, but not infrequently poor choices or just wrong. For instance, I tried to plot a route from Durham to Salisbury, MD. I had a nearly impossible time 'forcing' it to choose the most logical/shortest/fastest route. It continually tried to send me 100 mi. out of my way. Even when I roadblocked all of the roads it wanted to send me on, it sent me 250 mi out of my way rather than the most direct route.
I hope this software improves. If the company is motivated, it could be the basis for a really good program. However, any company that would put something this haphazard on the market with almost a complete lack of documentation AND no competition is unlikely to put much effort into this. After all, why should they?

In summary, if you need a map program for your mac that has a lot of points of interest, a good database of roads (although poor search engine), GPS input capabilities, doesn't require a CD in the drive, and 35 bucks doesn't seem like too much for slow, unintuitive, occasionally counterintuitive information and interface, go for it.

Printing problems!
I must concur with the previous review. The mapping software is really quite good and shows much promise; but there is a major bug in the software. It will *not* print directions - only an overview map of your trip! Very odd. I thought this might be a problem unique to my G4 Powerbook, but I encountered the exact same problem on a desktop and another more up to date Powerbook.

Again, to echo the other reviewer: Route 66 software is on the right track, but this piece of software is *certainly* not past a beta testing stage and shouldn't be offered as a fully functioning, full-priced product.

If and when they iron out the kinks, they'll be cooking with gas. ... Read more

Features

• 92 immersion-style lessons for the serious language learner
• Over 3500 real-life color images and phrases
• Selected by the U.S. State Department, the Peace Corps, and NASA
• 250 hours of mastery instruction in comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing
• Previews, exercises, and tests accompany every lesson; automated tutorials throughout

Amazon.com Product Description

Instant Immersion Japanese delivers an authentic Japanese language-learning environment to your desktop. Based on the Euromethod--an approach that immerses students in a country's language and culture--this four CD-ROM suite includes Talk Now!, World Talk, Human Japanese, and JquickTrans. It's filled with cultural videos, entertaining games, easy-to-follow lessons, quizzes that test your progress, and interactive dialogues with native speakers, so you'll be speaking Japanese in no time. Rounding out your immersion experience, the JquickTrans CD-ROM is a remarkable Japanese dictionary, study guide, translator, and kanji reference source providing Japanese-language online chat and surfing support. With Instant Immersion, you learn by hearing, seeing, and doing. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Winner
If you're starting to learn Japanese, a feat to be applauded in itself, this is an amazing package. It's fun, interactive, and educational. Don't even think about trying to get a foot in the door without this. Books are great but to be able to see people pronounce the words with enthusiasm in correlation to the picture of the word is SO helpful and helps it stick amazingly well too. Another commenter posted that the games were worthless but they're only useless if your not focused on learning. This makes it so simple AND enjoyable, something I've never found with any other software out there. I was at first hesitant by the low price wondering how it could possibly deliver. BUY this as it's a steal and for the dedicated learner, a great way to start.

Terrible.
Your money would be better spent on a book that teaches you grammar AND vocabulary. This set comes with no directions, just a bunch of CDs in a box. Using the software isnt explained, the games are useless as you can win just by clicking all over, you dont have to learn anything.

Learning phrases isnt helpful for any language if you dont know how to take vocabulary and form your own phrases.

Honestly this is a waste of cash. Get a book. If you need pronunciation help buy a book with an audio disc included.

Some hits; some misses
This product consists of 4 CDs. This product is far from perfect but overall it is a good value and an excellent supplement if you have other learning tools at your disposal.

#1: Talk Now (rating: 5 stars): This is a fun CD for building a simple vocabulary of words and phrases. It makes learning easy by associating the words and phrases with the actual object or action instead of over-emphasizing the English translation. This helps you to start thinking in Japanese instead of thinking of an object in English then attempting to translate that word into Japanese. The games and quizzes are entertaining and keep your interest.

#2: World Talk (rating: 0 stars): This CD is practically impossible for a beginning student to understand. It is not a logical progression from the first CD. The help button gives you some clues as to what the lesson is attempting to teach, but it is very inadequate and confusing. There is also a section for transcription. There is a control to adjust the rate at which the sentences are read, however, it actually only adjusts the amount of time BETWEEN sentences, not adjusting the speed at which the words are spoken. Most people have a difficult time transcribing their own spoken language at normal spoken rate, so to transcribe a foreign language is incredibly difficult.

#3: Human Japanese (rating: 4 stars): This is an online textbook that covers grammar, vocabulary, writing hiragana and katakana, and even a little culture, too. It is written in a very readable, easy-to-understand manner that's not sterile like a typical textbook. New vocabulary is introduced in an accessible manner. The instruction for learning hiragana and katakana is excellent.

#4: JQuickTrans (rating: 3.25 stars): This is a nice translator. The interface is a little bit confusing, even for people who are very comfortable using computer applications. You should definitely read the Quick Start Guide to get a better feel for how to use this program.

A very helpful and [inexpensive] product
...this is one of the best Japanese software programs I've ever seen. It's better than some I've pated [much more] for, and it's well woth it to anyone who wants to learn to speak Japanese.

Human Japanese (Disc 3)
I have read several other reviews of this software. Apparently, I have a different version or something. I have read comments from "XP bugs" to "doesn't teach anything." I have had no problems with XP, and if you actually buy the four disc set, disc three has a very useful piece of software ("Human Japanese") that is a wonderful teacher. Not only is it thorough, the author used excellent teaching techniques to help you understand the content. The only thing it really doesn't hit on is Kanji. If you want to start learning Japanese, I cannot urge you enough to try this software.

The other CDs are useful as well, but are only programs to test how much you know; not teach you (there is also a good translator program on disc 4, JQuickTrans). ... Read more

Features

• Learn body and hand positioning for grammar and fingerspelling
• Video lessons and explanations of ASL phrase syntax improve beginners' foundation in ASL
• Hands-on ASL dictionary packed with over 6,000 words - plus synonyms and written sign movement descriptions for each entry
• ASL Phrase Guide offers real-life communication -- over 600 phrases are introduced, with video demonstrations of each entry
• Complete reference guide provides overview of the scope & history of America's third most common language

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 Review

With the modern PC having a variety of possibilities of which traditional language-learning methods could only dream--voice recognition, video dialogues, and so on--the past few years have seen an extraordinary boom in language-learning software packages. However, as picking through this surfeit can be tricky, it is important to find a reliable brand, and the Learn Now! series is definitely among the best software packages.

The program comes equipped with 2 CDs, one of which has various key sections--useful "survival phrases", fun activities, conversations, and practicing speech against the voice of a native speaker--while the other has a thorough grammar tutorial. This combination is certainly a valuable one for people who are serious about learning a language, and the product is clear and easy to use: in role-plays, phrases are highlighted in a box and their English translations placed underneath, while the voice recognition software allows you to measure your own voice against that of a native speaker, and the games hone the things that have been learnt. Sections are tailored to various activities, such as getting around, going out, and business situations, while at any point you can call up a grammar tutorial which explains a particular point on which you are unsure.

In addition to these sections, the part on survival phrases will be of much use to those who have already reached a basic level. There are several practice dialogues based around commonplace situations--in the hotel, the bar, the airport, etc. Although some of the advice borders on the infantile ("When you decide to travel outside the USA, you will probably need a passport"), much of it is useful, and rounds out what is a well composed package for someone starting out on the road to using the language overseas. --Toby Green, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A great way to learn Italian
I found this software to be extremely helpful. The sentance dictation section was excellent, as it allowed you to hear spoken phrases (not just one or two words) by native speakers. In addition, you could adjust the speed of the spoken phrases (either fast or slow). I used this software while I was taking Italian languages classes and it was helpful in reinforcing what I learned in class. In addition, the video clips used in the software are from a video series that is commonly used in Italian language courses. The downloadable grammar guide was also an excellent resource to have on hand while using the software. As you do the drills/exercises, you are also able to click on most words to get detail about the grammar rules. I would definitively recommend this to a someone who is trying to learn Italian quickly.

Best Italian Software
I found Italian Now to be quite good for learning the Italian language. It gives you the ability to start almost anywhere making it ideal for beginners through experts. Being a beginner when I bought this program I started with the alphabet reference and a grammar tutorial. These were both very good features and after some practice they helped to lay a good foundation for further learning. From here there are endless things to do. This program does an excellent job of teaching vocabulary and useful phrases. Perhaps one of the best things this program does is working on your pronunciation. In several different activities I had to speak Italian into a microphone and it was compared to a native speaker's pronunciation which helps you to drastically improve your own pronunciation. I am more than satisfied with this program and I highly recomend it.

Eh, good if you get them cheap
You will NOT learn a foreign language by one of these programs. The vocab is way too limited, and neither the Version 8 series nor the Version 9 series addresses past or future tenses substantively. I have purchased six of these over the past couple of years, four Version 8 (German, Irish, Latin, Hebrew) the other two Version 9 (Spanish, Italian), and for some idiotic reason, the Version 8s are SUPERIOR to the upgrades. The Version 8s have more texts and thus more variety. LatinNow Version 8 is probably the best program I have seen from this company, good texts of various grade levels, plus you can fresh up on your Roman mythology!

These "tapes", and that is basically what they are, computerized language tapes, are only going to be useful if you plan on dedicating time for rote memorization of grammar and vocab outside of the program. These programs can be good to help supplement textbook study, as we need to hear the language and grammar for it to sink in. If you think any one of these programs in and of itself is going to make you fluent, you're very sadly mistaken. I would recommend finding them cheap and working on them while you eat breakfast, then spending 15+ minutes a day per language w/ grammar, vocab, writing (ie thinking w/in the language), out of a textbook. That way you can cover your bases, if you are the self-guided student looking to master a new language to get a head start on college credit or to learn it just for the heck of it.

Also, the Hebrew keyboard layout is atrocious and barely functional. I assume this might be a problem w/ all non-Latin/Germanic alphabets, like Chinese and Russian. This makes the games worthless--and the games are probably the best part of the program.

The worst possible way to learn a language
The user interface is so hard to follow it's unbelievable. You have to scan up the screen, then down to the right, then over to the left and track all of this while trying to learn vocabulary.

I bought this thinking that it was only $40 so how bad could it be...well it is BAD!

Buy the FSI courses or Rosetta Stone - they are much more expensive but worth the price, especially if LanguageNow is the alternative. I have French, Spanish, German, and Russian and each of them are fantastic. Of course they are two different methods of learning but both are effective in their own way. At the end of the day you need to go to the country where the language is spoken and spend some time to really learn a language...

Good start but lacks cohesiveness in its (Italian) method
The single major flaw in this product is its lack of direction for the beginner. I purchased the Italian version to compare it to Rosetta Stone's method. The difference in price will tell you which is the better one. This product has good ideas (dialogs & memory games) but Rosetta Stone's approach is sound and well organized.

This product DOES have more resources than Rosetta Stone but they're left to the user to figure out how to utilize them when studying the lessons. For beginners this will lead to a lot of wasted time and frustration.

Stuffing the product with goodies does not make it better. They need to concentrate on the HOWTOs. Until such time this product is not very useful to beginners. ... Read more

Product Description

This product is a low cost solution for you to simply transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your Garmin GPS and PC. Included in Trip and Waypoint manager is a general worldwide basemap providing basic cartography including: interstates, highways, motorways, cities, oceans and various other background features for general reference. This product does not include any detailed maps for download to Garmin GPS units. Trip and Waypoint Manager is an excellent basic tool for you to manage or archive waypoints, routes and tracks for later use. This product is compatible with nearly all Garmin GPS units, excluding the iQue 3600. ... Read more

Features

• Manages trip and waypoint data flow between your GPS device and PC
• Plan your trip at home and transfer the data to your device
• Perfect for backing up waypoints, routes and tracks
• General worldwide database provides basic reference details

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)

The Best Program for English as a Second Language
When my cousin and her family arrived from Venezuela to join our family business, I knew that the first thing we needed to do was to teach them English. I asked around and found that the Rosetta Stone was the best program that they used in all the schools here in Miami. We bought the Level One and were soon amazed to see how fast my cousin and her seven year old daughter began to learn English. We all have a lot of fun with this program and it has so many beautiful pictures. Now my cousin is working with us and she is speaking English to the customers. We bought the Level Two which has even more lessons than the Level One, and some of the pictures are little movies! I would recommend the Rosetta Stone program to anyone who wants to learn English very quickly. ... Read more

Features

• Create maps that you can alter for Personal use or business presentations -- add company logos, text, titles and more
• Document Linking attaches Digital pictures, spreadsheets, documents, and more to locations
• Share map information across networks or through email, with friends and colleagues
• Includes valuable demographics data for better sales and business planning
• The Info Tabs provide easy reference -- browse multiple maps with a mouseclick

Reviews (3)

Great Software!
This is a great software to learn Chinese.
Indeed, I would have never though I will be able to learn Chinese as it seems complicated but this software had the answer for me.
First, you are able to hear the language, and then it is your turn to talk and improve your pronunciation. This immersion method was very helpful.
You could learn and pronounce hundreds of words, sentences.
Very interactive package that I will highly recommend. The activities proposed in the software are also very good with fill-in-the blanks, crossword puzzles,..., a good and fun way to learn a difficult language!

Japanese or Chinese?
The editorial review for this CHINESE software above states "Start your study by mastering Hiragana, Katakana, and basic Kanji..." Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji? Chinese does not use Hiragana or Katakana and the "Kanji" are known as "Hanzi", so goodness knows what you are getting with this software! Steer well clear!

Definitely not for beginners !!!!
Unfortunately this is not a good software.
1. There is no system in presenting information (lessons not really lessons)
2. They could combine all 5 interactive CDs into just one! Each of them has no more than 140MB and "Black Belt" CD has just 25MB! So, all that "8 CD set" is nothing but an advertising trick!
3. There is a Chinese(pinyin)-English dictionary but there is no English- Chinese one!
4. Could not find any info about how to write Chinese characters
Overall, may be good for those who already know at least 300 characters and currently studying Chinese (like in college or with a native) but for independent study - below average. ... 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

Features

• Features nearly 5 million towns, cities and streets throughout Europe - also covers nearly one million points of interest
• Built-in route calculator helps travelers calculate new routes to avoid roadblocks
• Huge overview map shows the total territory at your disposal
• Connect your GPS to your laptop or desktop serial port, for complete directional and locational guidance
• Multilingual interface for directions in several European languages

Reviews (1)

Utterly useless...
Honestly if I hadn't spent the better part of eighty bucks on this thing, I'd be laughing. The search couldn't find the town in Italy I'm visiting. So I thought I'd widen the parameter and just put Florence (which it is near.) No luck--that just brought up a bunch of streets in the UK. So I tried Rome. Nope, can't find that. How about the country? Italy? No, that just brings up some hotels, etc.

So I tried to zoom in on the area the town is in and did manage to find it, though I still can't find Florence (despite knowing exactly where it is geographically.)

I am not a computer map neophyte here. I've been using MS Autoroute for years, but it won't run on my PowerBook. I bought this thinking 'how bad can it be?' The answer: Worse than I could have ever imagined--and I'm a pretty cynical guy.

Buy a paper map or get Virtual PC and run the MS stuff. Honestly, this is bad enough that I feel ripped off. (...) ... Read more