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Rating: 
Summary: Crapanese
Review: I have a musical ear, and learn languages best through songs and poetry. I was a French language and literature major, and took beginning French and Italian in college, and gained proficiency through varied mediums. I am a beginner in Spanish, so I thought level three Rapanese would be a challenge. It is not. It is two poeple chit-chatting, half the time in English, half the time in Spanish (with an American accent), going over extremely basic words and grammar, such as the present tense of ser (to be). Occasionally, if you fast forward enough, you can find this same English/Spanish babble set to music. Very disappointing! Obviously, there are people who love this, but I say too much talk, too little music, too basic.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, Functional & User-Friendly
Review: This series of tapes rules! It easily out-teaches the 4 years of Spanish I had in high school(sorry Senora Ewart!).The presentation is very informal with Mike D'amours playing the role of part beginner/part teacher and part class clown. There is alot of of-the-cuff banter between D'amours and the 2 female speakers-some of which serves to clarify grammar points and some just to provide a bit of comedic relief. That being said, if you are looking for a straightforward, by-the-numbers tape, then this is not the series of tapes for you. But despite the informal approach, the content is first rate. I like the fact that the focus (at least on tapes 2&3) is geared more towards "American" Spanish as the female speaker is Mexican-American(she also has a gorgeous voice). This is much more practical than the "Spain" Spanish I learned in school(yes its the same language, but trust me-there's a difference). The basic format for all 3 tapes is this: first the words of each lesson are repeated in Spanish several times(usually by the fluent speaker and then D'amours) then by the English translation. That is followed by as song version of the lesson(the words sung or spoken to various contemporary music-from rock to ballads to disco). Its simple and effective. I enjoyed all 3 tapes. Tape 1 has a different speaker than than later 2. It is the most formal (and obviously the most basic) of the 3. It covers numbers, days of the week as well as basic phrases, grammar and (I think) some verbs. #2 is my favorite with the best balance of songs/jokes/content. The younger speaker takes a while to warm up to D'amours freestyling, but once she does, they really click (he even jokingly hits on her a few times).My fave song is also on here ("Hay Que Trabajar"-which deals with infinitives). Tape 3 gets alittle bit looser with probably the most asides. The content is not as focused as the first 2, but increases in complexity (one song even venturing into the poetic realm of Espanol). Overall, I highly recommend all 3 as the best I've ever listened to. I'd love to hear Series 4, 5 &6.
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