3 stars (Not a replacement for a chinese teacher ... but can help you to improve your chinese skills) - I bougth this Set after 2 months of intensive chinese mandarin lessons, and it was hard for me to understand the method used by this software to teach mandarin. First, the method starts inmediatly with chinese caligraphy and not with pinyin. Second, some of the test that supose to help you to remember the vocabulary are really bad, for example the software dictates: "Ni hao" (hello/how are you) and if you write "ni hao" instead "Ni Hao!" you have a wrong answer, and you will spend your time until you understand that this software recognize capital letters and exclamation symbols in a dictation. Also one of the test ask for the opposite of the word ... and i don't have a clue where is the meaning of the word (in english), how could i know the opposite of that word in a chinese caracther Third, 3 Cds are just audio CDs with no more information than the others cds with the sofware. Fourth, one cd it's a game! Five the others Cd could be in just one! A+++: However, this pack have good graphics, a good software for voice recognition and a good chinese--->english dictionary. But doesnt replace a good chinese teacher. Lack: It doesnt have an english --->chinese dictionary (very important), just have like four lessons (common expressions, clothes, animals, etc). Doesnt have a tool to help you with your chinese caligraphy (i have another software that includes one, and it's really useful) Starts toooo fast with chinese caracthers. It's a funny software.. can help you... but it's not for beginners and not for advanced students PD: Sorry... for my english ... my first language it's spanish, From the south of the world Carolina from Chile 1 stars (Where to start?) - Wow, I wish I had read these other reviews before buying Instant Immersion Mandarin Chinese Deluxe . I'm a beginner trying to learn the language because my girlfriend is Chinese. But when I put the CD i... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: Asian :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion Mandarin Chinese Deluxe
1 stars (Rand McNally should have stood in bed. . .) - I don't think a thorough review of this is in order, because YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BUY IT. While it has some cute features, the main problem is that it DOESN'T KNOW ANY ADDRESSES of anyone I've tried to find. My own house has been here 50 years and the address is not in the program. '1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC' is not there (though 'White House' is). None of my friends' addresses are there. It seldom can even find an intersection ('no match found'). On the other hand, Microsoft Streets & Trips has 90% of the addresses I've asked it to find. Too bad, because the GPS interface on R-M is good and it's exceedingly primitive on Streets & Trips. 4 stars (What program are these people using?) - I am surprised to see the many negative comments on this product. The only issue I have had with it is that my GPS initially did not work properly. This was due to Windows XP recognizing it as a serial pointing device and had nothing to do with the software. I had the same issue with streets and trips. Once I got that ironed out, it has worked perfectly for me. I used it recently to plan a cross country trip and it worked fine. I was able to get back on track a couple of times when I took a wrong turn simply by using the GPS for reference. I see that some complained that you have to be online to use the program but this is not true. You DO need to be online to get current updates on road construction, but this should be done before leaving home where you have internet access anyway, not on the road. I think that perhaps people are expecting a lot from a program that costs less than 50 bucks. Take the tutorials included with the program, plan your trip at home or in the hotel, not on the road and use a little common sense and it will work fine for you. My only complaint would be that there is no option to update the street-level city maps via the internet. 1 stars (Dont Even waste your time with this Software) - Wh... Topics Entertainment :: Hobby Hobbies :: Map Info (Mapinfo) :: Route :: Travel Planners (Planning) :: Maps (Mapping) :: Dictionary (Dictionaries) :: Encyclopedia (Encyclopedias) :: Referen :: Rand McNally StreetFinder and TripMaker Deluxe
5 stars (Awesome....learning fast!!!) - My husband and I bought this item in hopes of being able to understand some of the locals in Mexico (we go there quite often). So far, we absolutely love this program! We've both learned more in one weekend of using the program than in the months we spent trying another program. I am currently on the second disc (out of 5) and he is nearing the end of disc one. We've also looked at disc 4 (the picture dictionary...a great disc!). We also downloaded the Spanish-English Dictionary bonus disc. I would buy this item again in a heartbeat! 1 stars (Beware, only Castillian spoken here) - This set is fine if you only want to learn Spanish in the Castillian accent. Castillian is a rare accent that you will encounter in certain areas of Spain. No Latin American countries use Castillian! You'd be better off with a different set of software if you truly want to learn the Spanish that most native speakers use. 5 stars (Very Helpful for Beginners) - Excellent in presentation, the only disappointment is that it is teaching the "th" sound that you find in Spain, not in Mexico, but all in all an excellent product. ... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: Portuguese :: Spanish Espanol :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion Spanish (5 CD-ROM Set)
1 stars (Not what I expected at all) - I was initially excited to obtain this collection of Math cd's after reading the positive reviews. Intended to brush up on my math aptitude and be used by a younger home school family member. I started with the Algebra I CD and to my dissatisfaction, the complete format of the program, designed to teach/explain the problems, confused me and I am a college graduate. The audio voice that would go through the problems would talk to fast and no pause button is available to stop at certain points of the speedy and quick lecture. (Not a big deal, but it bugged me) This was not at all what I expected and desired. I was hoping for a study guide that would go step by step and explain WHY and WHAT was being done. I actually have an OLD Algebra I CD from about 10 years ago that is much better than this 2005 edition. My advice to anyone considering buying this item as a study guide would be to look elsewhere and quite possibly stick with books. Sure this CD set provides math problems and solutions, but the explanation and understanding is totally inadequate. 3 stars (Good and Bad) - The good - so far I have been using this software a short time and I really like the practice section. The bad: Hey, I have a high powered PC - what is the deal with the choppy voice audio? And where were the QA testers? The little certificate after the subtraction practice has subtraction spelled wrong... subtarction. It prints it wrong on the screen and the printed output. Come on guys that is an easy one. :) Makes me wonder what else I will run in to that was missed. 5 stars (Math Success 2005) - This product has truly helped my son increase his scores on his school test and Pre-SAT scores. This product is absolutly a great. I am very pleased with what it can do to help my son in his grade. ... Topics Entertainment :: Secondary Education (High School) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Math Success 2005 (Large Box)
1 stars (Instant Aversion) - Bought version 2.0 of this at a local bricks & mortar retailer. I couldn't get the software on disc 1 to work. Exchanged the disc - tried it on a few different computers but no luck, so I'm shopping for something else now. 2 stars (Not practical for actually speaking Italian) - I received this item as a gift to prepare for my vacation in Italy. This CD is good for a young child who just wants to learn very, very basic words and phrases. You learn a handful of phrases you might need but that is about it. And the other customer was correct, the 2nd CD in Talk Now is completely italian and contains words and complete sentences that were never even introduced in the first CD. If you want to have your 7 yr old child impress his/her grandparents by knowing how to count in Italian or know how to say colors in Italian, this is great. However if you want to learn to actually somewhat converse in Italian, skip this CD. 3 stars (Hard to actually learn the language) - The first CD teaches vocabulary. After having fun with this, I popped in the second CD. I found that the second CD is all in Italian and that the vocabulary words I learned from the first CD were not nearly enough for me to understand the full Italian sentences spoken on the second CD. There is nothing here -- on any of the CDs -- to really teach Italian sentences. It's a struggle to learn anything but vocabulary from this. Caveat emptor. ... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: Italian :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion Italian (5 CD-ROM Set)
3 stars (Not for beginners) - I don't know any German and I am really struggling with these CD's. They don't give you any instructions on which CD's to use first. I installed the beginner software and tried that first - I couldn't understand most of what they presented. Then I listened to the audio CD's (there are three, each with different content,) and that helped a little. The audio CD's are more helpful and I think you're actually supposed to listen to those first before trying the software. I hope to use this software when I become a little bit more familiar with German. 3 stars (Not beginner software) - I received a B.A. in German in 1998 and spent a year in Kassel on a university exchange in 1996-1997. Since I haven't used my language skills in several years, I wanted to get something to help me get my skills back. I seriously doubt a beginner will enjoy this software. The beginner disks don't have any introductory phrases, doesn't discuss the alphabet, or numbers until you have already been forced to learn that hundreds of people get off the train everyday, creating a large crowd. How about teaching, "Guten Morgen," "Guten Tag," and "Guten Abend," or "Mein Name ist..." before learning "Erscheinung des Totes" is a "Gespenst"? As for the person who said "...the software recognizes your voice and can correct your pronunciation mistakes." Not true. I can say "Morgen" with a thick Southern accent and poor inflection and still receive 7/7 bars! If you want the ROMs for your computer, save yourself some money and buy the 5 disc set for $20. If you are a true beginner, listen to the additional 3 audio CDs in the set to get some basic "listening/speaking" skills, before using the ROMs. As for someone who already has a background in German and needs to brush up, this software will do. 5 stars (Self Paced Instruction) - This is really a great tool that fits a variety of needs. First of all, it helps someone like myself continue my study of the language that... Topics Entertainment :: German :: Learn learning :: French :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion German Deluxe
3 stars (Good Product.) - World Book 2005 is a good software product. The content is not as good as Encarta 2005 in my experience. It is just not as complete or encompassing. Of course, no comparison to EB 2005 textual content need be made as EB is obviously much more academic. That being said EB 2005 is horrible software and ruins the experience. WB 2005 is fast and well organized. Good for casual browsing as it has a random browsing feature which Encarta 2005 does not really have. Encarta 2005 has a Visual Browser but you have to already have an idea of a topic your interested in. I am glad I purchased this product. If I want further info on a topic, I can search it on Encarta as well. I really would not purchasee Encyclopedia Brittanica 2005 software. It is just way to slow. See my review of the Deluxe cd version of that product. I gave it a one star. ... Topics Entertainment :: Secondary Education (High School) :: Education (Educational) :: Dictionary (Dictionaries) :: Encyclopedia (Encyclopedias) :: Reference :: Kids (Children) :: Compu :: WorldBook Encyclopedia 2005 (2 CD Set)
3 stars (Great Learning Aid/But Slow) - I really enjoy this software. The illustrations are live and that is so much better than the illustrations in the books I have. But the only problem is for example: when you are using the two dictionary disc, after you request a few signs the program starts to get reallllllllll slow. You request a sign for a word and it takes forever to process and load. I bought a laptop specifically for this software so I could travel with it. I thought something was wrong with the laptop so I returned it. I have since loaded this software at work and at home and the same thing happens. You have to shut the program down and start it up again to gain the initial speed. And of course there are eight disc. You can't load but one disc at a time. If they could just fix these two things, this learning tool would be prefect. 4 stars (good sign language aide) - This is a good sign language aide. The software come with eight disks. The first disk is the downloading disk that also contains a n overview as well as the history of sign language. Disk 2 and 3 contains a dictionary of words that are used in sign language. The list is not exhuastive but it is extensive. The words that are in bold are on that disk. The normal font words are on the other disk. Each word comes with a visual representation of the sign. Each word comes with a written description of the sign that explains what the sign is trying to illustrate. Each word comes with a list of alternate and simular words. This is usefull in determining which definition of a word is being used. such as Ball-dance party, or Ball-play object. Unfortunutaley there is no written definiton of the word. The words are listed alphabetically and by catagory. They also have section for games and quizes where you can test your knowledge. Disk 4 contains finger splelling for all of the words in the alphabet. It also contains a discription ofthe grammar and syntax of sign language. Disk 5-8 conntains various f... Topics Entertainment :: instant :: immersion :: american :: sign :: language :: deluxe :: topics :: entertainment :: home :: education :: teaching :: tools :: instantimmersionamericansignlanguagedeluxe 30 septe :: Instant Immersion American Sign Language Deluxe
5 stars (Great for what it is) - Each language software package can only handle a few angles on language. Talk Now! offers inspired games and oral repetitions for learning vocabulary, telling time and more. The bad reviews must be generated by users who expect everything from one cd. Not me. I love Talk Now! for what it is and hope they expand their scope with all languages as they have with Cantonese. If you want to become fluent, buy several software packages and visit the country for more than a year. If you want an almost effortless and fun introduction this is it. It's one of a kind. 2 stars (Not the best product I've tried) - If you just want to learn a few words in Cantonese and learn well by plain rote, this is probably a fair course. However, if you're serious about learning Cantonese, skip this one and try something else. This course just throws out random words with no context of how they'll be used. Grammer and enunciation are given very little attention here. If you've studied Cantonese at all, you'll understand the importance of both. The audio is not terrible clear and the pronounciation doesn't seem to jive with what I'm learning from my wife and other courses. This course is okay for the price (I got it on sale bundled with the Mandarin course for $10), but if you plan on ever having a conversation in Cantonese someday, I'd recommend the excellent Pimsleur course. Basic Cantonese by Virginia Yip is quite good as well. Even Teach Yourself Cantonese by Hugo Baker is pretty good once you get used to the format. 3 stars (Great methods, mediocre content) - The good part about this software is that it provides a fun and engaging way to learn some basic Cantonese vocabulary. The words and phrases are spoken twice, in a male and female voice with accompanying pictures. The games and self tests are fun to work through. It also provides a way to record your voice and compare it to the speakers' pronunciation. The bad part is that it does not go ver... Euro Talk :: Southeast Asian :: Foreign Language - Dictionaries & Phrase Books :: Topics Entertainment :: :: Talk Now- Cantonese
4 stars (A fun way to immerse in English) - This CD set is quiet user friendly for foreigners who already know some English, but need to hear the native accent more and to get some interactive simulation. I bought this for a friend in China who worked for a American firm, and she love it. 2 stars (Disappointing) - After reading the other review, I can say I was pretty shocked when I got the product and reviewed it. The program is definitely not for people who are trying to learn English. Perhaps it is better suited for people who are trying to improve pronunication or learn appropriate phrases. Example: There is a module where the user is to identify parts of the car. The English voice-over says: "These are made of rubber and are filled with air". The user is to select the blue dot pointing to a tire. My cousin sat there not knowing what "rubber" or "air" meant, let alone know to select the picture of the tire. Another "real life" example has the user observe a conversation in a restaurant. The conversation goes back and forth without any visuals other than the static picture of the waiter and customer. They go back and forth with, "Hello, how are you?" "I am fine." "What can I get for you?" "I would like a glass of water with ice, please." Again, my cousin sat there looking at the screen, impressed with the voice-over but not learning anything about speaking English. Very disappointing. The graphics are quite [disappointing], too. 5 stars (ESL Instant Immersion English) - I am a college student who came from a different country to study english here in US. This program has been very helpfull to me, specially with my pronunciation and vocabulary. It is a fun way to learn. I hope that others who have simular problems like myself, with the English language, discover this program. I told many of my friends and family about it, and everyone who try love it. Thank you. ... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: ESL :: English Second Language :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: Mac Maci :: ESL Instant Immersion English 2 CD-ROM Set (Jewel Case)
