Rating: 
Summary: Je adore Rosetta Stone
Review: I am learning French at home and am having great fun using this software. The photo's are very clear, surprisingly clear in fact. Who knew that seeing a photo of a boy in, on and under an airplane would help me learn the difference between dans, sur and son so quickly? Or that seeing photos will allow me to 'imprint and recall' the difference between fille and femme or garcon and homme? It all feels very natural to me as I progress through the lessons. I am learning French in the same way I learned my first language (English) by seeing and then associating sounds with what I see. The very best thing about this product (other than the smashing speed with which I'm learning French) is the fact that this 'explorer' version of their product lets me run the first few lessons in something like 20 (?) other languages! I've discovered that I really enjoy Italian, too, and it's fun to do the lessons in Japanese or Arabic and see what those languages are like. I have highly recommended this software to two families I know who are home schooling their children. The explorer will allow them to decide on a language that their child will truly enjoy before making a larger investment. Where else are we allowed (for such a small investment in money and effort) to 'try out' so many different languages? I intend to invest in their more complete programs when I've exhausted the explorer. But what a lovely way to be introduced to the first 800 or so words of French. One note: I am a very, very 'visual' person. For example, I rely heavily on the white board in my office when expressing ideas to the members of my software team. I have been told that I have a 'photographic' memory. Perhaps. What I am finding is that when I try to learn French merely by audio tape or audio CD, my memory fails. I cannot recall from one day to the next what I merely hear. But with the Rosetta Stone Explorer, I am SEEING and HEARING at the same time (photo of action, French speaker saying something about the action, French words superimposed over action photo). This is working for me 1000 times better than merely hearing a French phrase parroted on a tape. I need multiple avenues of 'input' in order to retain and recall the new language. I know that there are millions of other people who have brains 'wired' the same way as mine. Many learning theory and research studies have been published on this subject; while some can learn solely through aural input and repetition, a large percentage of students need combined aural/visual input (or aural/visual/tactile). I'm sure that extensive research and theory is behind the design of the Rosetta Stone products. In my case, their approach works like a charm! I couldn't be more pleased with their product design. My only concern is that using the product requires that the CD be inserted into a CD drive at all times while using the product. I would prefer to 'run' it off of my hard drive and find the screen changes unnecessarily slow due to this design decision. The speed with which a computer 'reads' from the hard drive is MUCH faster than reading from a CD drive. I suspect that this design decision was driven by a desire to 'secure' the product license (forcing you to have the CD physically present and preventing illegal 'sharing' of the product). It feels punitive and not terribly respectful to those of us that actually shelled out the money to buy the product. I've given them only 4 stars (instead of 5) because of this 'security' decision, which I hope they will abandon in the future. It's a very 'old school' method of license protection that other, much larger and more successful software companies abandoned years ago just for the reasons I've mentioned: It's punitive to 'good' customers and damages product performance. If I'm wrong about the reason for this design, and instead they are concerned about not copying 'too much' data to the customer's hard drive, then I'd leave this decision to the customer. I have more than enough room on my hard drive to copy the entire product over, and would much prefer to run it this way.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't teach sentence structure or grammar
Review: I found this product does teach you basic words and thoughts better than other CD's I've tried for language learning. However, the flaw is that the CD must be loaded, and the further you get into the lessons, the slower it gets. Further, when you go back and forth between the lessons, it doesn't cache anything, so it's like accessing it for the first time. (i.e. slow as molasses)
Consider this product as an introductory product, because it doesn't teach you sentence structure, only random events that could occur in your life. But, those events do surface clearly when that occurs. That is, it seems a lot easier to remember because of the combination of phrases attached to pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Good product, but has a severe flaw
Review: I found this product does teach you basic words and thoughts better than other CD's I've tried for language learning. However, the flaw is that the CD must be loaded, and the further you get into the lessons, the slower it gets. Further, when you go back and forth between the lessons, it doesn't cache anything, so it's like accessing it for the first time. (i.e. slow as molasses)
Consider this product as an introductory product, because it doesn't teach you sentence structure, only random events that could occur in your life. But, those events do surface clearly when that occurs. That is, it seems a lot easier to remember because of the combination of phrases attached to pictures.
Rating: 
Summary: A Most Excellent Introduction to French
Review: I purchased this product one year ago and it revolutionized my learning of French, and all languages! It quickly leads you into the basics of the language using the type of concepts you would naturally first encounter such as man, woman, dog and cat instead of a grammer oriented approach (I am, your are, etc.) or a conversational approach. I bought it in Dec 2000 and after using it for a week signed up for the online course they offer for a very reasonable price. I studied with that for six months, spending about twenty to thirty minutes a day with it, and then went to France. If I had known just how effective this method was being I would have spent an hour a day and tried harder. I was amazed that I could comprehend a sufficient amount of French to get by and also to spontaneously speak. I have since purchased the entire set and the beginning Spanish also. Brillant approach to use of modern language learning techniques combined with multimedia technology.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad at all
Review: I travel to Europe often but have never been to France so I am using this software in hopes that I will learn enough French to at least carry on a conversation. I borrowed both the Spansih and French versions of this software from a neighbor and I am really enjoying this software. The method is so different from what I am used to and it has broken the monotony. I have learnt several phrases already. But I am getting a feeling that something is missing. I don't feel that I am learning any grammar with this course. My Spanish isn't bad so that has helped since I am already somehwat familiar with the grammar of romance languages. But if I didn't know any romance language grammar at all I think the lack of grammar in this course would have been an insurmountable learning obstacle.
Rating: 
Summary: Limited Application.
Review: The learner is under the complete control of the learning method. There is no easy way to learn what YOU want to learn. After umpteen lessons, I found that I still did not know how to say, "How are you?" or "I am fine, thank you." In fact the pronoun 'I' is never taught at all. However, if you want to learn to say, "The children are dancing in the street" or "He is jumping into the pool", and many other useless phrases, this is the program for you.
Rating:
Summary: Limited Application.
Review: The learner is under the complete control of the learning method. There is no easy way to learn what YOU want to learn. After umpteen lessons, I found that I still did not know how to say, "How are you?" or "I am fine, thank you." In fact the pronoun 'I' is never taught at all. However, if you want to learn to say, "The children are dancing in the street" or "He is jumping into the pool", and many other useless phrases, this is the program for you.
Rating:
Summary: dpf
Review: This is sensational! I got one for myself and now I am ordering a copy for my 7 year old granddaughter. I'm taking her to Paris next year and want her to have a smattering of French. I have bought other books, etc. for her but this should really do the trick. The fact that it is only the first few lessons is fine for her. If she learns just this much I will be happy. I appreciate the fact that we could experience a bit of the program without spending the full amount of money. I am brushing up on my French which I last studied 50 years ago in High School. This will help me a great deal. I shall decide whether or not to buy the full program when I finish this CD.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific French Software for you
Review: This is the most fun and engaging product I ever have. It hasinspired me to enroll in a local French class. You practice allskills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and this program makes it feel like a game. Studying became so much fun. Especially, it has 12 different run modes allow me to choose my own learning style. The vivid pictures that correspond to the words and phrases that are being taught. I love the voice-record function, and I think this is ingenious because it allows me to develop the correct accent, and the native speakers pronounce everything very clearly. One criticism: I would like to see some grammar explanations as part of this program. Otherwise, this really is the best product by far. You won't regret to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: BE AWARE !
Review: This material you receive when you order this course is not the one that is advertised. You only receive an introductionary package, and instead of 8,000 real-life color pictures, as advertised here, you only receive lessons covering 900 real-life color pictures. You're basically only getting 1/10 of what you think you will get ! The complete course however is a great tool to work with - and together with this introductions from Amazon - I received a special offer giving me a 50 % discount if I ordered the complete set (8,000 real-life color pictures)from Rosetta Stone. This course however prised at $ 195.00 each (2 parts) Be aware !
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