Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but needs to be updated.
Review: After working hard to finish Pimsleur German I and II, I was looking forward to tackling the next big hurdle, Pimsleur German III. And while I did progress quickly, I found that all of the unique and interesting ways Pimsleur was getting me to learn in Pimsleur German II were not as prevalent in III.
After looking carefully at all of the packaging, I discovered that the recordings are most likely from 1994 (compared to I and II, which were last recorded in 2002), and it sounds like they had been transferred from tape to CD. Because of that, the sound quality, which makes a world of difference when you're trying to learn to pronounce things correctly, was only fair. Also, it seems as though Pimsleur German III follows a pattern closer than Pimsleur German II, so it was almost too easy to guess what was coming next.
Finally, because this is an older course, there are some words and phrases introduced as new in Pimsleur German III that were already covered in Pimsleur German II. Conversely, there are words in III that were not in II (but perhaps were in an older edition of II) that Pimsleur assumes you know. This isn't a big deal because it doesn't happen very often, but it is an annoyance.
To sum up, this course is very good, and you will find nothing else like it. However, once you're at this level, you may not need the "Pimsleur crutch" to learn. Try to find it used, if possible.
Rating: 
Summary: There's no beating the Pimsleur interactive approach.
Review: Before I embarked on the 3 Pimsleur German levels, I was rather concerned as to whether I was making a wise investment (over $700) for a bunch of tapes sans accompanying textbooks. However, I realized very shortly into Level I that the interactive approach, which is the hallmark of the Pimsleur pedagogy, was well worth every penny of my hard-earned money. This is because going through the three levels was akin to my hiring a private German tutor to first teach me some basic grammar, word order, and vocabulary, and then tirelessly and effectively drill me on the newly learned material as well as reinforce previously acquired knowledge. I felt progressively more dejected as I was nearing the completion of Level III as I realized there wasn't a Level IV that I could advance to. Completing all 3 levels gave me greater confidence and facility in my pronunciation, in addition to making it much easier for me to comprehend and retain German grammar and word order that I was studying on my own concurrent with the tapes. And, unlike quite a few other German audiotape programs I have purchased in the past, the Pimsleur tapes do not employ a Southern German accent with the tell-tale rolled "R" instead of the uvular "R." (Could you imagine spending so much money just to find out later that you speak fluent German but with a regional accent?) If anyone is ready to invest $700 or more in a self-study audiotape program, he or she should at least make sure that the program teaches a "proper" accent before making the investment, and the three levels of the Pimsleur program are definitely a wise investment. Viel Vergnuegen!
Rating: 
Summary: what a ripoff
Review: bought the german I tapes. I have some german couse experience about 30 yrs ago. I found the tapes extremely basic and the vocabulary rudimentary. I thought it was a waste of money to buy these expensive tapes for so little return. I have not listened to the german II tapes, but now I am not so sure that these would be any better. I have the Spanish tapes and they were just excellent so I am very surprised to see that the German tapes are such a ripoff!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for the next version
Review: Having listened to some of the German and Japanese tapes just recently, I have to say that the way vocabulary is built up in these tapes is wonderful. The repetition is exactly what is needed. The suggestion about pausing the tape to give yourself time to come up with answers is a very good one. I have to remember to thank my Japanese and German teachers, however! In listening to the tapes, I was amazed how much I had managed to recall from lessons of over 10 to 20 years ago. But I've only had one year of college German, and I found even with that I was at least at the intermediate level of the tapes. So what am I supposed to do after level 3? These tapes are rather expensive for that reason. But then again, a college course isn't cheap either. Perhaps the best way to use these tapes is to treat this like you're taking a college course, and use the tapes as conversation practice, but then also supplement them with some good grammar books and a dictionary. The speakers on the tapes are excellent. Very clear pronunciation. If only people normally talked that slowly and clearly! Just for kicks, I'm going to try the tapes in a language I don't already speak and see just how much I can pick up.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, but only gets so far..
Review: Having listened to some of the German and Japanese tapes just recently, I have to say that the way vocabulary is built up in these tapes is wonderful. The repetition is exactly what is needed. The suggestion about pausing the tape to give yourself time to come up with answers is a very good one. I have to remember to thank my Japanese and German teachers, however! In listening to the tapes, I was amazed how much I had managed to recall from lessons of over 10 to 20 years ago. But I've only had one year of college German, and I found even with that I was at least at the intermediate level of the tapes. So what am I supposed to do after level 3? These tapes are rather expensive for that reason. But then again, a college course isn't cheap either. Perhaps the best way to use these tapes is to treat this like you're taking a college course, and use the tapes as conversation practice, but then also supplement them with some good grammar books and a dictionary. The speakers on the tapes are excellent. Very clear pronunciation. If only people normally talked that slowly and clearly! Just for kicks, I'm going to try the tapes in a language I don't already speak and see just how much I can pick up.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for the next version
Review: I enjoyed German I & II, however I am having problems with German III. The flow is great between the previous CDs but the presentation leaves much to be desired. In German I & II the conversations were great with inflection in the speakers voices that could lead you to believe you were listening to a real conversation. In German III it is obvious the speakers are reading sentences on a page and have no idea how their sentences are to be put togather. The guy who says, "Sagen Sie" and "Fragen Sie" sounds like he is about to fall asleep. My CDs seem to have been made in 1998 by recording the cassettes from 1994 onto CDs. (You can hear the poor quality of tape compared to CDs.) I recommend waiting until 2004 when the new version is out for this product. German I & II have a copyright after 2000.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for the next version
Review: I enjoyed German I & II, however I am having problems with German III. The flow is great between the previous CDs but the presentation leaves much to be desired. In German I & II the conversations were great with inflection in the speakers voices that could lead you to believe you were listening to a real conversation. In German III it is obvious the speakers are reading sentences on a page and have no idea how their sentences are to be put togather. The guy who says, "Sagen Sie" and "Fragen Sie" sounds like he is about to fall asleep. My CDs seem to have been made in 1998 by recording the cassettes from 1994 onto CDs. (You can hear the poor quality of tape compared to CDs.) I recommend waiting until 2004 when the new version is out for this product. German I & II have a copyright after 2000.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Program
Review: I have now completed all 3 Levels of Pimsleur German, as well as their additional German Plus 10-lesson course. It's a total of 100 lessons, 50 hours and it's well worth the time. Taking you from the very basics, all the way through past, present and future tense, a large vocabulary and great listening and conversation skills. I wouldn't want to debate Helmut Kohl on the benefits of the EU, but if I were in Germany right now, I would have no problem with the basics of every day life. Bottom line, Pimsleur language programs are the best way to learn a language on your own.
Rating:
Summary: Great but no miracle
Review: I listened to all three Pimsleur programs prior to taking a trip to Germany. In general, I was very satisfied with the program. For the short investment in time I was able to have relatively meaningful conversations. This ability was especially important when my wife got sick and needed to be hospitalized (the doctors speak perfect English, but it was nice to be able to speak German with the staff.) The biggest problem was that while it was possible to communicate, I ended up butchering a lot of phrases not knowing when to use der, dem, den, etc. Nevertheless, I was very glad I used the program and intend to start the Spanish program next.
Rating:
Summary: Really very good, but....
Review: I used the complete Pimsleur course: I - III and German Plus. It gave me exactly what I needed--practice and confidence in conversation. It was all review for me, as I'd studied German before, a considerable amount of study on my own. I found that the cassettes were perfect for my long daily commute. I would listen to two lessons in the morning and listen to the same two in the evening. Although the course didn't really add a lot to my vocabulary and very little to my knowledge of grammar, the conversation practice was great. Especially for those like me, who have studied a lot on their own, conversation can be difficult. Practice is invaluable in breaking down what I call the brain-tongue barrier. (So many times listening to the tapes, I had the answer in my head but just couldn't get it out of my mouth in time!) Having said that, I would hate for this course to be my introduction to German. I would hate to do this course without knowing some grammar and the principles of German pronunciation. In addition, I find that the words and phrases chosen for special help with pronunciation were not consistent. In effect, some of the simpler words were emphasized like this, but more complex words like "Dolmetscher" were breezed over in the conversations. And some of the basics in vocabulary were not covered--for instance, I don't think the complete list of months was covered, and learning all seven days took quite a few lessons!
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