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 - Rosetta StoneAwesome product. It is complete immersion thus making the learning process fun and difficult at the same time. I have learned a significant amount of spanish already and I am only halfway done with the first cd. I would definitely recommend this product. Rating: - Easy to use and learnI am not a computer person, yet I was able to install this program and begin using it right away. I purchased it for my almost 8 year old to use. I did the first lesson myself so that I could explain it to my daughter. It was easy to do and just as easy to understand what to do. This program of learning spanish uses total submersion. There is NO ENGLISH at all in the parts that we have done so far, with the exception of chosing the level where you need to work and getting your grade about how you did. If my duaghter doesn't score high enough to show understanding, then I know it because of her score given at the end of each lesson. I can then have her repeat it until she understands. My seven year old daughter is able to do it and enjoys it. Rating:  - Do Not Buy This Software. Corporate Policy Unfair. I bought Rosetta Stone Japanese and Spanish (Latin America) in the last couple of years. I found them (particularly Japanese) a bit difficult. Last week in an airport, a Rosetta representative said I needed the new version - it is very much better. I called Rosetta Stone and they offered me a price of $399, $100 off of $499. This is a pretty harsh upgrade route and left me disappointed. I am not the US Government or an institution, just an individual trying to better myself and this is way too expensive. I can return original disks for the upgrade. They have not quite worn out. Perhaps an updgrade with a media fee of say $25 would be fair. Their policy is not a fair policy and I cannot recommend anyone do business with Rosetta Stone. Rating: - Awesome!So far I've only finished the first unit, but I'm really impressed. I took Spanish for 5 years in high school, was never very good at it, and never got to the point where I could "think" in the language--I always had to translate from English to Spanish to say/write anything. Needless to say I eventually forgot everything I learned in high school and recently decided to pick the language back up. In contrast to the way I learned the language in high school (which involved learning the English definitions of Spanish words, e.g. manzana=apple), Rosetta Stone shows the user pictures of objects/situations that convey the meaning of words/phrases. This is enormously helpful in getting used to thinking in the language, and while at this point I certainly couldn't carry on a conversation in Spanish (like I said, I only finished the first unit), I don't need to translate the words and phrases I can say from English to Spanish--which feels great! Rating: - Excellent!I'm mainly writing this to give an alternative to some of the other reviews I've read. First, I'm 60 years old, and using an Imac and a PowerBook g4. I had no trouble installing this on either machine. I have a simple set-up, just a home network, so maybe that's why, but it was no trouble. It is not a "mac-like" interface, but it's also no trouble to use. I understood it from the get-go. I want to emphasize that I installed--and use it--on both computers. The software itself is both fun to use, easy to "get" and in depth so far as the language is concerned. If you just do it in order, you'll end up being able to read, speak and write Spanish in a grammatically correct fashion. Even though I'm 60, I have zero trouble remembering and understanding things. Of course, I have it on two computers, so I do a lesson on my Imac at night before bed, then do the same lesson again the next day on my PowerBook. I also bought the audio disks. I put them on my Ipod and use them to review each lesson once during the day. I can do all this because each lesson only takes a few minutes. I plan to start reading one of the Spanish newspapers in our area, even if I don't get most of it. I try out my skills every time I go to a Mexican restaurant. They are very nice about helping me. This is excellent software. Don't let reviews scare you off. You'll learn from it, and you'll enjoy doing it.
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