Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: I thought that this software ASSISTED me in learning russian. It helped me learn basic words. For that price, it is very good!!!
Rating: 
Summary: OK for speaking practice but missing continuity between CDs
Review: I've been studying Russian independently for a while now, and I found the first CD in this set very helpful with pronunciation, though it does little for one's ability to recognize and read the Cyrillic letters (They are only shown in the practice section.) and even less for the ability to spell or to write. It is a good tool (and very inexpensive) to use for SPEAKING, if that is, indeed, your only intention or if you have an alternative method of learning to write and spell and read. The vocabulary is useful, though it does little to teach you to compose sentences on your own.
Now maybe I'm missing something, but I put the second CD in today, and I was VERY confused. There is no English translation that I can find, and there is a considerable amount of language used that is not covered in the first CD. I couldn't even find an Exit button to stop the program. On its own, I found this CD practically useless. Maybe there's something I didn't catch on to (and I tried using the Help button, but it was helpLESS.), and if anyone knows what it is, please post and let me know. I hope this helps! And if anyone can help me, I thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: Great intro to spoken Russian
Review: If you are comfortable using computers, and you want a fun way to learn very basic Russian words and phrases, this is an excellent program for the money. Areas covered include numbers, colors, food, countries, shopping, etc. Fun quizzes and matching games as well. I recommend any of the Instant Immersion language cd's.
Rating: 
Summary: Not great, but cheap
Review: If you want to learn to speak Russian, this CD will not help you very much. It does help you learn some random words and gives you a feel for Russian, but that is about it.HOWEVER, the CD's format does allow you to learn numbers, time and dates fairly well and then tests you on them in an effective manor. If you feel you are weak in numbers, time and dates, then it is worth the cost to learn them. I found that I'm very fast at numbers as a result of this course. By itself, the course doesn't do much, but for the specific area of numbers and time, I can't think of a better way to learn. It is also a nice way to expose childern to a new language. It is fairly easy to pick up the words in the games and childern seem to enjoy these types of games.
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating
Review: My biggest beef with this product is the speakers do not always enunciate, which made attempting to repeat what they said a struggle.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: my husband is fluent in russian and absolutely loves this CD, it is cheap and great quality. He teaches our son with this CD
Rating: 
Summary: bad buy
Review: This cd rom set is a joke if you really want to learn the russian language. The first cd just teaches you some random words. The second cd doesn't teach you anything. It's set up like a game show where they ask you questions that are entirely in russian then you have to guess the answer. This is not for beginners. If you want to learn russian I suggest getting books and tapes.
Rating:
Summary: For The Beginner
Review: This is a 2 CD set. The first CD deals with beginning words and phrases, by playing simple games, such as telling time, colors, articles of clothing and asking questions such as where is the bathroom, how much is this and where are my suitcases. It teaches you certain foods like eggs, fruits, fast foods and eating utensils (including chopsticks!). This first disc is easy going but a great companion to this program is the book "Beginners Russian Script" a Teach Yourself Product sold here at Amazon.com that helps you to define how the letters should sound. The first disc went much easier after I started reading this book. The second CD jumps right into it with game playing on a higher level. Which if you haven't mastered the simple basics, you'll be lost. Before I started this program I knew absolutely no Russian words and now I can speak the very basics. It's a great way to start learning Russian.
Rating:
Summary: Fun as a game.
Review: This is a fun bit of software, and is a nice way to augment your Russian studies in an entertaining way, but I don't see how anyone could learn Russian using this product alone. The first CD is akin to a memory game which teaches some random, thematically linked vocabulary. Just when you think you're becomming a master, you move on to CD 2. The second CD has an entirely different feel than the first, and this is where the "instant immersion" comes in. Suddenly, animated characters are speaking at you in speedy Russian sentences. Help in English disappears and, even though neither disc gives any instruction in the cyrillic alphabet, you are suddenly expected to be able to read. Was there a CD 1A that I missed? I plan to go back to CD 2 as I learn more Russian. I think its games will be a fun way to review-- once I learn from some other means...
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: This is a program that will help you learn Russian through games. It's purpose is to teach you mainly through listening. The purpose is not to teach you how to read or write or even put together full sentences. CD 2 is definitely great if you want to improve your listening but have nothing to listen to. The CD is all in Russian and teaches you to get used to it. The first Cd is fun because you can play their games or even make up your own using the games they give you. Before spending 100s of dollars on grammar books and such, pay ... for this program. If you cannot grasp this simple vocab - maybe Russian is not for you.
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