Cheap Complete Spanish Learning Suite (Software) (Windows XP) Price

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Customer Reviews of Complete Spanish Learning Suite

Good Value, So-So Products
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>I bought this software package to supplement my course materials for a Spanish class and because I wanted to go beyond class material and hopefully really learn Spanish. This package looked like the best deal and seemed to offer a lot for your money (and all the other comprehensive programs were much more expensive). <
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>What you get with this program suite is not a single solution to learning Spanish as a second language. Rather, it's an ad hoc bundle of programs from the same company. They are not really integrated in any sort of meaningful way. You'll have to follow a plan to use each program for its purpose. It comes with quite a lot for your money though, including a complete set of audio CDs that comes with a follow-along work book. I count about 5 programs in all, and the audio CD set. There's really lots of stuff here for the price, but what you'll find is that while some of these programs are pretty cool, others leave much to be desired. The programs are: <
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>* Before You Know It: Spanish (Flash Card Program, for memorizing vocabulary and testing yourself) <
>* Spanish Now! (Interactive immersion program with video and audio to teach you spanish Grammar, Pronunciation, and vocabulary through conversational and listening/reading comprehension in the context of various story-line scenarios). <
>* Lingua Match 3 "Talking Phrase Book and Tutor" (Interactive visual learning tool, you click on things in the CGI environment and it says them in Spanish and it has games and a translator/lexicon) <
>* Lingua Match Lexicon (really just a lexicon for the above program) <
>* Grammar Pro (Really just a bunch of text files in a help file that serves as a reference for grammar and basic concepts in a number of languages... it's useful, but nothing you couldn't find online for free). <
>* Unitype Global Writer (an international word processor designed to handle many different languages) <
>* PDQ Audio CD Set and Accompanying Course Book <
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>Of these there are 3 main programs: Spanish Now!, BYKI, and Lingua Match. The rest is really just filler, and/or side programs that are somewhat helpful and useful. <
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>Before You Know It: Spanish, is a "flash card" program that basically takes away the need to create sets of flash cards (a common tactic in learning languages). It comes with various "sets" of cards and has various activities to go through them. It has audio, so it actually speaks the word to you, which is pretty cool and vital to memory and to pronunciation. This is much better than using homemade flash cards and saves you time. You can also create your OWN sets of flash cards (for ANYTHING) which is really cool. You can even add pictures and sound to them if you like. That's nice. Unfortunately the visual element isn't really used for any of the built in lists other than colors, which is a shame. It helps memory to involve more senses, so to show a picture of a car every time you read and hear the word "coche" is beneficial... but it doesn't do that. Of course you could go through and add pictures, but it's a bit tedious. The major flaw with this program is that while it's very useful and quite practical, it doesn't feel any bit at all refined. Plus it seems to show the same freaking words OVER AND OVER. So it will show some words to you 3 times in a row, and others will barely come up (this seems arbitrary and there are no settings for frequency of certain words, so it likely is a problem with the random number routine they used to built the programs random draw... this is a big draw back... I'd rather go through the cards in order than have it be random and get the same words 6 times in a row, repetition is good, but only when it is deliberate and towards a planned goal!!). <
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>Learn Spanish Now is a good program with a lot of video and such. It's useful and helps, but I haven't used it enough to really talk much about it. I get the sense that it's not very refined either and has a good mix of "wow that's cool" features and "wtf? this is pointless/doesn't work right" features. It's not a bad program, but I question if there aren't better offerings out there. <
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>Lingua Match 3 is one of those "oh, COOL!" programs. Forget the lexicon, that's not so much a separate program as it is an add on that translates and acts as a dictionary (which you can find all you need online for free). But the program enters you into various environments and scenarios and lets you interactively and visually learn. You click on objects and you hear and see the spanish name for it. So you might see a city and you can move about and click on the train and "el tren (train)" will appear on the screen as a spanish voice says the spanish word. This is great for memory and exposure and helps the learner to learn the way a child learns their native tongue: by pointing to things and being given the word for them, and then by parents pointing to objects to see if they know what it is or saying "point to the ____" and having the child learn this way. There are many such built in games and tools included as well as some conversational components. It's not flawless, but it's a pretty nifty learning TOOL. <
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>That pretty much sums up this whole suit: lots of TOOLS, some of which are cheapish but serve a purpose, others of which are just ok, and others of which are pretty neat and handy, but none of which is integrated or comprehensive. It's up to you to use them all and learn. The audio CDs and the book are a great addition, and lend value to the set. But it appears to be a British made set. The English speaker is Anglo and has a British accent, this through me off, and the really cheesy music and feel to these made it hard to take seriously and keep interested. But still, it's value and it does serve its purpose and the book is a nice addition to help you learn. I still far preferred the Pimsleur Quick and Simple Spanish cds or the "Learn In Your Car" set to these ones, but hey. <
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>Bottom line: You get a lot for your money and there's more good than bad. If this was any more expensive I would have had more to complain about and the whole set would feel like a cheap rip off. But for the money, it's hard to go wrong. You get a lot of different tools. None of them is comprehensive and NONE feels very polished, but if you want to learn Spanish and just delve in and get a lot for your money and have the self-driven ingenuity to use all these to get the most out of them without expecting exceptional quality, you'll be happy. On the other hand, if you really want something comprehensive and well made you may want to check out some of the more expensive software and audio options (I'd still like to try Rosetta Stone). <
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>All in all, none of these deserves more than 3 or 4 stars on its own, but all together for a cheap price you can't give it less than 3 stars, and for me I'll give it 4 stars because I've found enough to like here to outweigh the lackluster feel to most of the programs and the glitches and oversights made. <
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Effective Spanish Starter
The CD is very useful for learning some of the languages basics. However, it teaches European Spanish and not Mexican Spanish. What almost sounds like a lisp in European Spanish is not present in Mexican Spanish. In addition, the differences in the pronunciation of V.