Rating: 
Summary: Fast Paced
Review: I took a few years of spanish in high school and a year in college. The program is so fast paced that all I had learned was covered in the first ten lessons. It is a great program but well over bearing. Be prepared to spend A LOT of time with the book and CD's. You may need to make your own flash cards since none are provided. There are a lot of words (hence, a lot of flash cards needed). I would recommend this program to those that have had the language in the past. If this is your first time learning the language you can get lost quick. The method is very fast paced and intended to absorb you completely into the language.
Rating:
Summary: wait for next edition
Review: I used this self-study course for 4 hours per day for 3 months, in conjunction with VIS-Ed vocabulary cards. It prepared me well for a trip to South America. The course offers pronunciation for both Spain and Latin America. The cultural notes are basic and useful. The dialogs are mostly relevant for a traveler.The major drawback is the Learn-on-the-go CDs. There is no transcription provided; I was unable to follow these CDs. If there had been a transcription which I could have reviewed at home, the CDs would have been much more useful. Since this is the first edition, there are numerous typos and errors in the text, which could have been corrected with more careful proofreading. I would advise you to wait for the next edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Reccomended
Review: If grammer lessons and Vocabulary drills are your thing, then by all means, this set is for you. I for one can not retain information in this manner, I need to lean Spanish the same way I learned English, just by doing it. For me, I learned to speak the language first, then refined it with grammer. That is just me though.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much like College Spanish
Review: If grammer lessons and Vocabulary drills are your thing, then by all means, this set is for you. I for one can not retain information in this manner, I need to lean Spanish the same way I learned English, just by doing it. For me, I learned to speak the language first, then refined it with grammer. That is just me though.
Rating:
Summary: Tres Estrellas Mas o Menos
Review: My wife and I found Ultimate Spanish: Basic-Intermediate rather confusing. On several occasions the text did not match the audio. Initially, I thought that it was done in error but as I continued with the course it became apparent that this was the author's method of showing the learner that there is more than one way to say certain words and phrases. This would have been perfectly fine with me if only the author would have explained that there was some method to this madness. Without an explanation, my first impression was that I was miscomprehending what I was hearing.
Despite the numerous "typos", there is much to be learned from this course. It is truly a vocabulary builder. It can teach you vocabulary for virtually every scenario - from purchasing jewelry for your wife to fixing a flat tire. I also enjoyed the cultural notes. The worst part about this course is that it will not teach you how to speak Spanish. If you already know how to speak Spanish, and you are only looking to enhance your vocabulary, then you will find this course useful. On the other hand, if you don't already know how to speak Spanish and you are looking for an effective learning tool you may find yourself somewhat disappointed with this course.
For those looking to learn conversational Spanish, I wholeheartedly recommend Learning Spanish Like Crazy at www.LearningSpanishLikeCrazy.com. I collect learning Spanish courses and books as a hobby. From my experience, Learning Spanish Like Crazy is the most effective learning Spanish course at least in terms of conversational Spanish. If reading and writing Spanish is as important to you as speaking it, then you may prefer the FSI Programmatic Spanish course developed by the Department of State. Whether you decide on Learning Spanish Like Crazy or FSI Programmatic Spanish, this course, Ultimate Spanish: Basic-Intermediate, if used properly, can be an effective supplementary course to enhance vocabulary (despite the countless typos).
Rating:
Summary: Who was this written for?
Review: Overall, the word I'd use for this learning program is 'unfocused.' The author just kind of wings it with no particular student in mind-or perhaps he was trying to be all things to all people, I don't know. His goal seems to be to cover the vast majority of Spanish grammar in a 6 x 9, 400 page book, leaving explanations too thin for beginning students and not providing information that would be critical to someone looking for a review. These problems are compounded by strangely lazy writing. Vocabulary lists aren't alphabetized, generally don't include an article, and often don't allude to the fact that a given word has both a masculine and feminine form. The Learn on the Go CDs don't have a transcript. The occasional 'lecturas' don't have a full translation, instead providing a very incomplete list of vocabulary words that takes up more space than a translation would have. Perhaps worst of all, written exercises are nearly non-existent. I was already pretty well versed in Spanish vocabulary and grammar before I bought Ultimate Spanish and for my purposes (improving my listening comprehension) I guess it wasn't bad. Having said that, I don't know that I wouldn't have been better off just buying a Spanish novel and the corresponding audiobook, or perhaps spending $... renting a DVD that has a Spanish soundtrack and subtitles. The odd truth is that there isn't a lot of good Spanish learning material out there and this course just adds to the mountains of mediocre books, tapes, and software already in existence. If, however, you're bent on using this program to learn Spanish, do yourself a favor and buy Dorothy Devney's two excellent (and inexpensive) workbooks as a supplement. They cover most of the same territory, but with infinitely greater depth and clarity.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Good Book For Beginners
Review: Overall, the word I'd use for this learning program is `unfocused.' The author just kind of wings it with no particular student in mind-or perhaps he was trying to be all things to all people, I don't know. His goal seems to be to cover the vast majority of Spanish grammar in a 6 x 9, 400 page book, leaving explanations too thin for beginning students and not providing information that would be critical to someone looking for a review. These problems are compounded by strangely lazy writing. Vocabulary lists aren't alphabetized, generally don't include an article, and often don't allude to the fact that a given word has both a masculine and feminine form. The Learn on the Go CDs don't have a transcript. The occasional `lecturas' don't have a full translation, instead providing a very incomplete list of vocabulary words that takes up more space than a translation would have. Perhaps worst of all, written exercises are nearly non-existent. I was already pretty well versed in Spanish vocabulary and grammar before I bought Ultimate Spanish and for my purposes (improving my listening comprehension) I guess it wasn't bad. Having said that, I don't know that I wouldn't have been better off just buying a Spanish novel and the corresponding audiobook, or perhaps spending $... renting a DVD that has a Spanish soundtrack and subtitles. The odd truth is that there isn't a lot of good Spanish learning material out there and this course just adds to the mountains of mediocre books, tapes, and software already in existence. If, however, you're bent on using this program to learn Spanish, do yourself a favor and buy Dorothy Devney's two excellent (and inexpensive) workbooks as a supplement. They cover most of the same territory, but with infinitely greater depth and clarity.
Rating:
Summary: Good grammar textbook
Review: Since I have studied Spanish through much of my academic career, I have a pretty solid foundation. This book starts off a bit simplistic, but soon moves into more complex and more useful language skills. If you don't have any experience in Spanish, it might be a bit much to absorb at much, but for those with some working knowledge, this is a great reference book. The division into one set of cds for use with the book at home, and another set to use on the go is near perfect. It allows you to get more assistance from the text when you need it most: at the beginning. Later, when you are more familiar with the language, you can fine-tune your skills in the more immersive "On The Go" discs. The sound and recording quality is excellent. While you won't be fluent, you'll certainly be a competent Spanish speaker when you are through with this.
Rating: 
Summary: Good product
Review: Since I have studied Spanish through much of my academic career, I have a pretty solid foundation. This book starts off a bit simplistic, but soon moves into more complex and more useful language skills. If you don't have any experience in Spanish, it might be a bit much to absorb at much, but for those with some working knowledge, this is a great reference book. The division into one set of cds for use with the book at home, and another set to use on the go is near perfect. It allows you to get more assistance from the text when you need it most: at the beginning. Later, when you are more familiar with the language, you can fine-tune your skills in the more immersive "On The Go" discs. The sound and recording quality is excellent. While you won't be fluent, you'll certainly be a competent Spanish speaker when you are through with this.
Rating:
Summary: More information
Review: The last paragraph of my previous review was edited, making a couple comments unclear. I was making the point that a competitor to Living Language is marketing their own audio/book course by providing a free online tutorial. I haven't tried any of the written materials, but the material presented in the online tutorial is, in my opinion, outstanding. I thought the Living Language material was very good, but on several subjects, I found this competitor's comments on various gramatical rules to make the nuances of the language more comprehensible.
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