Others say...

"Mac User Follow-up"
I hesitated on purchasing this program based on the review by the Mac user. I have a MacBook Pro and it didn't sound like it was worth all the trouble. Luckily I purchased it in spite of that review and had absolutely no problems with installation. I double-clicked on the software application and the install went exactly as the instructions described. I can't give a thorough review on the benefits of the product yet because I've only had it a week, but I like the format and ease of use.

"Excellent Learning Experience"
A little about me - I studied Spanish in college and was a 4.0 student who was selected for a foreign exchange program in Uruguay because of my academic performance, so I think I know a liitle about learning a foreign language. Many of the reviews I have seen of Rosetta Stone deal with it's difficulty of installation on a Mac or other technical issues. I think this kind of criticism, while perhaps valid, is not the most pertinent information a potential language student needs. Rosetta Stone V3 Level 1 French has been an excellent tool for my son and me to learn basic French, and though we installed our copy on a PC (not a Mac), we have had no technical issues; it could not have been simpler to install. I learned Spanish 30 years ago, before there were computer applications to assist with learning a language, but I am very impressed with the method Rosetta Stone uses, and it is quite similar to the total immersion method by which I learned Spanish all those years ago, albeit with a live instructor and by listening to tapes of native speakers. If you just stay with the program, things that you don't necessarily understand at first become clear as you move through the exercises. I will say that at some point you will want to acquire a French verb conjugation book like 501 French Verbs or equivalent, and probably a used French college textbook, but I estimate that 95% of what is presented can be learned by simply doing the exercises Rosetta Stone presents. One of the best things about the program is the immediate feedback it gives you on both pronunciation and correctness of sentences, and another excellent feature is the "native speaker speech comparison" (that's probably not what RosettaStone calls it); in this feature you can play a native speaker's rendition of a certain French phrase, and then you repeat the phrase and Rosetta Stone evaluates your pronunciation graphically.

Anyway, although I was initially dismayed by the cost of the program, I now feel it was worth every cent.

"a software note"
This product is sold as licensed software. Users will NOT be able to load it onto more than one computer. This aspect of the product is not clear from the blurbing on the Rosetta Stone website. It is a "single-user" product.
Don't think that you can share this with friends, or that it is appropriate for a lending collection.


"Rosetta Stone French Level 1"
Love it! It's comprehensive, self-paced and challenging, but it makes perfect sense and I think it's the best way to learn a new language.

"REVIEW FOR ALL MAC OWNERS"
BACKGROUND
Using Rosetta Stone French (v.3) on a Mac iBook G4 (10.3.9). Using home school addition. Have used it for last 6 weeks.

SUMMARY
In spite of the cost, the awkward port from Windows and difficult network set up, it's still best of class for learning a foreign language.

REVIEW
Powerful, detailed and complicated: those are the adjectives I would use to describe this program. If you want to learn the language, then this program systemically teaches it to you. It keeps record of your progress, gives tests and records your grades. It treats you as if you are a student in a classroom. Additional workbook, study guide and included microphone headset supplement the visual and audio CD disk. But having said all this, there are some things I wish as a Mac user that I would have known.

The set-up of the program is SO non-intuitive and non-mac like. This includes installation of the application and its MANY helper files needed to run in the background with the main program disk. In my former life, I was an Apple System engineer, so I am no stranger to the Mac and networks setups. But even this installation caused me to eventually have to call Rosetta's technical support for instruction. This is partially due to my complicated home network set up (I've got multiple Macs with multiple (non-Mac) Routers that work as Access Points and bridges), and partially because of the complexity of installation of the program itself. This is definitely NOT a "drag-and-drop", or "double click to un- compress" or even "double click and follow the step by step instruction" type of experience. It is "multi-step, enter by hand, enter in data and information" type of installation process.

That is what is most disappointing to me. This is a BAD PORT of a PC program. They did nothing to make the program conform to Apple program standards. This means there are many helper files (20 something??!!!) in various folders. There is a network component that HAS TO run in the background for the main language program to run. This means you have to always first launch this secondary program (or leaving it running all the time). If you run on a network (like I do), you have to assign the computer's IP address that the program is running on (can't use the default, non-network IP given by the setup program). If your computer ever is assigned a different IP address locally by your router (power goes out, etc), then you will have to make some changes or this network helper file will not launch, and therefore, the language program will not either.

Getting to the place to even begin to first use the program is a tedious and complicated process. Another helper program that keeps track of the students progress must also first be set up. The "teacher's" name, access settings, the "student's" name(s) and their access privileges must first be established. ALL THIS IS DONE AWKWARDLY AND IN AN IBM 90'S INTERFACE. Constant referring to the user guide is necessary. There is no way some one could figure out what to do by only looking at the screens.

And this is the main criticism of the program, this clunky interface, non-intuitive layout of material is the same throughout the entire presentation of the language program. The program's strengh--the detailed comprehensive, multi-media presentation of material--is also it's greatest weakness. It's hard to follow where you are, where to go, what stage you are in, how much further you have to go on any given unit, lesson or session. The implementation of more than one user account and switching between the two is counter intuitive as well.

My 16 year old daughter, is now working her way through the program and has used it enough now to understand how to advance though it. But it was a slow start. She is enjoying the program and is learning the language of her love, and I have no doubt this program is a great help, I just wish more effort and forethought was given to making it more elegant in its presentation. Basically this looks to me like a 90's program in desperate need of a face lift. While calling the toll-free tech support and talking with a couple of different individuals, you quickly come to understand these people don't fully understand the Mac. The first individual had to pass me on once he discovered my Mac issues. The second was very polite and patient and we finally got my set up to work. But it wasn't easy for them since I was on a Mac. And I bet if you call you will get the same two people, They are, after all, not a help desk, but a language learning software company.

CONCLUSION
OK, so that's it. I hope this review was helpful. I've tried to share my experience for other Mac users so they know more of what to expect before they buy the program. A program that has (from my research) no other comparison as far as best in class for learning a foreign language, but a program that--in it's implementation and presentation as far as on Macintosh computers is concerned--leaves a lot to me desired.

Tom