Rating: 
Summary: More a grammar textbook than a language learning course
Review: Good luck trying to use "Ultimate Russian" to learn Russian, unless you already have a good foundation in Russian from other materials or courses! Even then, you'll find that you have to use those other materials to PRACTICE USING your Russian, as this course provids very little of that. This "course" is primarily a grammar textbook with half-hearted attempts to show you how to actually use the language through dialogues at the beginning of each chapter that are so short and non-comprehesive as to be basically worthless.I bought this course 2 years ago just before I came to Russia from the US (I currently live in Russia). I spent 4 or so weeks trying to learn Russian from this book, but found it to be exceedingly difficult, and stopped using the book when I started taking private lessons. Now, after 2 years of private lessons and after having become reasonably competent in the language, I can see how pointless it was to try learning Russian through a "course" consisting primarily of grammar tables and explanations. After 4 weeks of diligent work with this book, it has basically sat on my shelf for 2 years. I haven't even used it much as a reference work, because there are so many better reference materials available. While the coverage of grammar is very comprehensive, there's no way you're going to learn how to read, write, speak, and understand the language without PRACTICE using the language, and that's what this course fails to provide. The dialogues at the beginning of each chapter are basically useless. Not only don't they contain many of the vocabulary words in that chapter's vocabulary list, they contain at most one instance of each verb in that chapter, conjugated in a single form. You might as well not include the dialogues at all, if you're not going to show the student all of the most common forms in which the student is likely to encounter the word. Being that the tapes are heavily based on the dialogues, they're not much help, either. You basically listen and repeat the dialogues, which, as I've said, aren't very comprehensive. I also don't like the organization of the book into themed chapters like a traveler's phrasebook. Being that this book is "2 years' worth of study," that means that there's a good deal of useful and necessary vocabulary and information that you won't get to until the end of your two years, assuming you go through the book chapter by chapter. As a "course" for actually learning and being able to USE Russian, it's basically useless. I didn't give this course the lowest possible rating because it does contain a very comprehensive review of Russian grammar. However, if you're just looking for grammar reference materials, there are much better organized and more understandable Russian grammar materials on the market (such as Modern Russian, An Advanced Grammar Course, by Derek Offord), and I would recommend buying those, instead.
Rating: 
Summary: living language russian - basic-intermediate
Review: Great detail, but lacks needed exercises (text) and repetition (cassettes). I am disappointed in that regard and have learned more Russian from smaller, pocket-sized texts from other authors. Also, not enough conversational Russian. Sorry, but repetition (i.e., practice) makes perfect.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Format for Serious Students, But Sloppy Editing
Review: I already have a relatively good command of written and conversational Russian, but chose to start with the Beginner-Intermediate course in order to solidify my grasp of the language's very difficult grammar and learn up-to-date idioms. This is definitely the best self-study course for those who are serious about wanting to achieve a high level of Russian ability. For once, the description on the package is not an exaggeration. The contents of the course really are "Equivalent to two full years of college-level study." That said, it would really behoove the authors and editors of this course to re-edit it with the proverbial fine-tooth comb, as there are many mistakes and omissions, especially in the keys to the exercises. Sometimes entire parts of exercises are missing in the keys. And sometimes the exercises ask the student to translate phrases that are not presented until the following lesson. Especially vexing is the fact that the all-important stress on the proper syllable is often misplaced. If these errors are corrected in future editions of the course, I would say that it would then fully deserve a "five-star" rating.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive
Review: I am studying Russian five days a week, six hours a day, from an almost complete beginner (I knew Cyrillic, basic pronounciation and about 50 words). I am moving to Moscow for a year and want to be able to speak the language before arrival.
However I am not new to Moscow having spent 6 months there last year (hence the basic knowledge).
I did have a look at the Linguaphone course, this is probably slightly more comprehensive (and a lot more expensive) and unlike other Linguaphone courses is not available on CD (but neither of course is the Ultimate Russian), nor has it been updated since 1970. I found when I opened the course manual and saw a line illustration of a 1960's propeller aircraft that maybe something more contemporary was in order. Hence the Ultimate Russian Course.
The Ultimate Course is excellent, with carefully structured and graded lessons. It is very strong in grammar (like the Linguaphone and most of the comprehensive courses) and the cassettes are clear although I agree with other reviewers, the speakers are much too fast and sometimes I have to rewind a number of times and even then I cannot "get" the word.
There are cultural sections, and when the author states that "sheremetyevo-2 is like many international airports" I had to laugh. If you have ever visited Moscow you will know nothing could be further from the truth. This surely must be Russian bias! I am reading the cultural sections now with an open mind!
Why 4 stars instead of 5? I have been studying this course now for four weeks on a daily basis. Sometimes vocabulary is introduced into examples with no pre discussion of its meaning. Also I feel slightly uneasy learning phrases parrot fashion without understanding the individual components and grammar. Some of the grammar explanations are also somewhat long-winded and/or could have better explanation.
An excellent companion to this book is "Teach yourself Beginners Russian Grammar". Coupled with a good Dictionary you'll have a complete language lab at your disposal.
Rating:
Summary: Good layout but too many mistakes
Review: I bought this as a review text since I've been away from Russian for several years and needed to improve my verbal fluency. While I like the layout of the lessons (dialog first, break down of dialog next and finally an examination of grammar point by point), I have been disappointed to find that in virtually every chapter there are mistakes, either spelling (nedlyu instead of nedel'yu-i.e. accusative singular of the word for week) or persistent errors such as ubirat' v komnati instead of ubirat' komnatu. (This mistake was made 4 times in one chapter). In some languages, spelling errors are not a big deal because the word doesn't change form depending on its usage (English is an example of that). In Russian with its 12 case endings and many words which significantly change form depending on case, spelling errors can be very misleading (and ultimately defeating) to the beginner. For my purposes, as a review text, this has been great. Hence, the 4 stars. But, I can't recommend it for someone taking his first steps into the mind-boggling complications of Russian.
Rating:
Summary: Good layout but too many mistakes
Review: I bought this as a review text since I've been away from Russian for several years and needed to improve my verbal fluency. While I like the layout of the lessons (dialog first, break down of dialog next and finally an examination of grammar point by point), I have been disappointed to find that in virtually every chapter there are mistakes, either spelling (nedlyu instead of nedel'yu-i.e. accusative singular of the word for week) or persistent errors such as ubirat' v komnati instead of ubirat' komnatu. (This mistake was made 4 times in one chapter). In some languages, spelling errors are not a big deal because the word doesn't change form depending on its usage (English is an example of that). In Russian with its 12 case endings and many words which significantly change form depending on case, spelling errors can be very misleading (and ultimately defeating) to the beginner. For my purposes, as a review text, this has been great. Hence, the 4 stars. But, I can't recommend it for someone taking his first steps into the mind-boggling complications of Russian.
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive self-directed course
Review: I'm only part of the way through it, but it appears to be a good investment for someone wishing to actually learn the language and the culture, not just parrot back some words and phrases. The tapes are clear and lively, with a mild sense of humor. One drawback is that you only have one chance to repeat the Russian word or phrase, and don't hear it again. But this allows for more material per tape. Half the tapes are Russian only, with all the language covered on the tapes in bold print in the book, making it easy to follow along with the book, or to check spellings later if you listen in the car. The four bilingual tapes contain grammatical information with the examples. The book contains some typographical errors in the cyrillic text, which are obvious even to a beginner like myself. Hopefully, these will be corrected in future editions. There is also a second level package. These will get you well beyond most of the other "travel talk" material available.
Rating:
Summary: Could be better (but could also be worse)
Review: I'm thoroughly impressed with this Russian course, as well as with all the other Living Language Ultimate courses. They're more modern, streamlined, and complete than any other commercially available self-study language courses on the market. So why did I give it only a four-star rating? Why not five? Because it's really nothing more than an extended version of Living Language's own Complete Russian Course. The Ultimate course follows along the same trite "listen and repeat" lines as the Complete course. The main differences are: The Ultimate course assumes the student has at least a basic grasp of the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, and how each letter is pronounced. As a result, whereas the Complete course begins with names and personal words to "baby-step" the student into how Russian sounds and works, the Ultimate course's lessons begin with a dialogue to get the feel of the language. I guess this is a theoretically better approach to language learning, but it will likely leave the student with no idea of how to pronounce the language lagging a bit behind at the start. When it comes time to repeat the words, there isn't much time to say it (you get what seems like just one second of silence to voice your response), especially on the cassettes designated for listening "On The Go." I'd advise the beginning student to make frequent use of his cassette player's pause button while enduring these exercises. When a reasonable proficiency is achieved, it might be worthwhile to simply let the cassette play and see if he can speak the correct response in that short silent interval. All things considered, it's still one heck of a way to learn Russian, or any of the other languages available in the Ultimate course series. Just keep an open mind and maintain your enthusiasm--and you'll succeed. FYI, as an alternative self-study course, I'd recommend "Just Listen n' Learn Russian," published by Passport Books (NTC Publishing Group).
Rating:
Summary: Could be better (but could also be worse)
Review: I'm thoroughly impressed with this Russian course, as well as with all the other Living Language Ultimate courses. They're more modern, streamlined, and complete than any other commercially available self-study language courses on the market. So why did I give it only a four-star rating? Why not five? Because it's really nothing more than an extended version of Living Language's own Complete Russian Course. The Ultimate course follows along the same trite "listen and repeat" lines as the Complete course. The main differences are: The Ultimate course assumes the student has at least a basic grasp of the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, and how each letter is pronounced. As a result, whereas the Complete course begins with names and personal words to "baby-step" the student into how Russian sounds and works, the Ultimate course's lessons begin with a dialogue to get the feel of the language. I guess this is a theoretically better approach to language learning, but it will likely leave the student with no idea of how to pronounce the language lagging a bit behind at the start. When it comes time to repeat the words, there isn't much time to say it (you get what seems like just one second of silence to voice your response), especially on the cassettes designated for listening "On The Go." I'd advise the beginning student to make frequent use of his cassette player's pause button while enduring these exercises. When a reasonable proficiency is achieved, it might be worthwhile to simply let the cassette play and see if he can speak the correct response in that short silent interval. All things considered, it's still one heck of a way to learn Russian, or any of the other languages available in the Ultimate course series. Just keep an open mind and maintain your enthusiasm--and you'll succeed. FYI, as an alternative self-study course, I'd recommend "Just Listen n' Learn Russian," published by Passport Books (NTC Publishing Group).
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Worthless
Review: Let's see . . . throw a few dozen random words at someone. Make sure those words have nothing to do with each other. Expect that person to memorize them all. Start putting those words into sentences (which you throw at them and expect them to repeat in a rapidfire method) and expect your poor unsuspecting victim to not give up and throw the book against the wall!!!!!! This is NOT the way to learn a language. This series offers nothing but frustration. GO ELSEWHERE!!!!!!!
| 
