Others say...

"Rosetta Stone Latin America 1-3"
It's a great product. Especially for someone like me who works long hours and no chance of getting to take a language class formally, this is the way to go! Thank you!

"Followup to my comment on Emma Grant's review"
I have used this software for about 4 weeks since posting my comment in reply to that review. Having now had a chance to use the software, I can only say that I am almost 100% satisfied with it. Some times, it's nice to have a spanish dictionary when after a few lessons, you still can't quite grasp the concept of the word you're being taught, but other than that...

Yes, it is repetitious. For those who want to learn another language, this is to be expected. No, it's not a magic pill.

However, in as little as three weeks I found myself largely able to understand what native speakers around me were talking about, even if my understanding of it was imperfect.

Repetition (as they say) is key, but even if it were not, dedication is absolutely required. You can only learn if you stick with the program, and even I have been rather lax about that much. Still, I am wholly satisfied with my purchase. It is clear to me that the program is only as good as its user though, and I really ought to be more dedicated to following it.

"One piece of the puzzle"
If you are serious about learning Spanish this software isn't enough. You will need to purchase a Spanish-English dictionary - I like Barron's Spanish Dictionary because it came with a free down loadable software version - and a Spanish audio series such as Pimsleur or Learning Spanish Like Crazy (LSLC). A verb conjugation book is a good idea too, I like The big Red Book of 555 Spanish Verbs. Finally, just like back in the day, you should either buy flashcards or create your own to build up your vocabulary when you can't stand to look at the computer monitor even one second longer.

Now here's the part of the puzzle that Rosetta Stone will help you with: it is very repetitive and requires interaction with picture/word association. I have found that this burns the words into my mind and that the photos help me to recall a word or phrase. Rosetta Stone will also help you with reading comprehension as well as spelling - as long as you use all the lesson plans and resist the temptation to just do the fun parts. But the speech recognition feature is not as good at teaching you to speak Spanish as a high quality audio series such as Pimsleur or LSLC.

The advantage of the speech recognition is that you can slow down the word or phrase being spoken. So if you want to slow down the word "mujer" you can hear how the native speaker uses the hard H sound on the J and a slight roll on the last R; it's great for pronunciation but not effective for learning how to handle yourself in a conversation.

In summary, Rosetta Stone is not a one stop shop. It isn't as mobile as an audio series on your iPod. And it isn't going to make learning Spanish a thoughtless and easy task. I recommend that you buy this software and use it but understand that you are paying $500 primarily for word/picture association and the ability to analyze your pronunciation of individual words and phrases. Also, keep your Spanish dictionary handy to alleviate any confusion. The whole childlike learning approach is good, but your adult skills will definitely help to speed up the process.

"So overpriced..."
I bought this software because I really wanted to learn Spanish and be fluent. The price and marketing of the company made me believe that this package was the most complete package on the market.
So I was very excited to receive it after spending $450 on a software. My excitement did not last long after that.
I was shocked to see how the software itself looked, I was expecting a top of the line interface for the price I paid but that software seemed years old.
But I still wanted to get my money worth so tried the first level for hours, even days, as I was convinced I could learn Spanish with it. I also tried the other 2 levels to make sure that my issue was not only with that first level.
I had looked at the demo and noticed that most of the content was based on that same acitivity with the 4 pictures. I was expecting different exercises for the full version...The software gets so repetitive, I was really disappointed, even more because of the outrageous price of that package.

"Almost perfect!"
I don't understand why testing for each language exercise is not the default selection instead of having to select it. It is frustrating to go through an entire exercise hoping to see how well you did....and realize that you forgot to select "test" at the beginning. Also, it seems that testing should be available for the 'guided exercise' also ...... not just the regular exercises. Other than these two things, the program is very good.