QuickStudy
© 1999 The Learning Company
Planning a trip overseas? To learn a new language fast, older kids and adults can spend some time with these programs which are designed to "quickly" teach Spanish, French, German and Italian. Each offers onscreen tutoring, interactive conversations with characters, speech recognition, a talking dictionary and a grammar guidebook. Also featured are excellent games that reinforce lesson content. The CDs are not geared for children, but rather for adults who need to prepare for a trip or a move to a foreign country. We tried the Italian program and liked it. The voice recognition components are especially valuable. The computer asks you a question, you respond verbally, and the software either accepts or rejects your answer. It's a lot like having a real live tutor. Keep in mind that this is not as comprehensive a package as some of the competition. It focuses mostly upon speaking and understanding everyday survival language. Another caution— sometimes the program moves too quickly, and the narrator may tell you you're doing great when you're really not. Your best bet is to repeat the section if the pace is too fast.
$29.95, Win 95, Win 98 (CD-ROM)
Teaches: foreign language, Spanish, French, German, Italian