The first thing that I really liked about this language software was that it not only offered the interactive computer software that other programs have (like Rosetta Stone), but it also had 4 Audio CD's that you could listen to in your car, on a CD player, or even on your ipod. While the interactive software is great, it was nice to be able to pop the CD's in while I was driving to work and use the commute to learn Spanish. The audio CD's vary in difficulty level. The first CD starts off with greetings and numbers up to 30 so if you have any basic Spanish skills, you will probably want to skip that one and go straight to disc two which jumps into conversational phrases.
I was surprised that the phrases seemed very formal. The expressions they use for "What is your name?" are not the ones you'd use with friends but with strangers. So if you truly want conversational Spanish, you may have to supplement a bit to find out what people who speak Spanish really say. (Or likely you may find more detailed responses on the interactive software.)
I had taken several years of Spanish in high school and one in college and I was hoping to use this software to brush up on my conversational skills after years of no practice. Jumping to audio disc 2 worked well for me since it was a good review, but I was surprised at how complicated it was for a beginner. If you had never learned Spanish before, the Audio CD's may be a bit much right off the bat. You may want to use the computer software first before jumping beyond Audio disc one. Discs 3 and 4 are very complicated conversations and it seems like it's teaching you to memorize phrases without understanding exactly what you're saying. If you do not understand the basics of Spanish grammar and syntax, I would start with the interactive CD. Otherwise, you will just memorize phrases such as "Do you have the shirt in blue?," without understanding why it's la camisa verus el camisa (female versus male articles).
One really great feature of the learning system software is the Guided Tour. When you first log in, you can click on "View Guided Tour" and it will give you a fantastic summary of how the whole program works. It shows you all the different learning methods and the two books, Reading Lessons versus Conversation Lessons. There is a great Pronunciation exercise where you can record your voice and look at a sound graph to see how close you are. This really helps since we hear ourselves differently than how others hear us. However, some of the speakers on the CD's have a Spanish accent from Spain versus Latin America so you have to be cognizant that the dialect you are learning may not be the same Spanish your Spanish-speaking friends speak (an example of this is the guy on Audio Disc one that says he is from "Valenthia" and he pronounces a "th" sound for his "s" sound).
The learning software gives you TONS of options as to how to learn and what to learn based on your goals. So if you want to learn Spanish for a vacation in Mexico, it will suggest different learning methods than if you want to be able to read a book in Spanish. The downside of this is that you may only be memorizing Spanish versus actually learning the language. But it really depends on what your goals are.
The program emphasizes learning using lots of different methods, even if you learn better from just one (such as seeing things rather than hearing them). The plus side to this is that it provides numerous, creative ways for you to learn. The down side is that it's a little overwhelming in terms of where to begin and how best to use your time. You can easily feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole and not knowing which activity to do when because there are so many options. But if you watch the Guided Tour and follow their advice on how to proceed through the lessons and use the flash cards, you'll have a better idea of what path to follow.
There is a LOT of information on this CD and it seems like there are countless lessons and flashcards. But as you progress, there are meters that show what percentage of flash cards you are learning and how many lessons you've completed and the progress trackers make it seem much more manageable. Aside from sitting in a classroom for several years, this is the best and most exciting way to learn Spanish, hands down.
*This review was posted by a member of the Nova Development User Community (NDUC). NDUC members are real people who use Nova Development products and share relevant feedback about the products they use in order to help other users. More information about NDUC, its programs and members is available on the Nova Development website.
Divine Play
Larry S