Learn to Speak series ($109,800-227-5609). The new 6.0 version of this solid study program, available for several languages, introduces speech recognition that actually grades your pronunciation. It’s great for perfecting diphthongs, but in quiz type activities it can be a hindrance: in a vocab drill it confused “Mund” (German for mouth) with “Munze” (coin) and scored the answer as correct. The program’s overall style is traditional lesson-based instruction.
Who Is Oscar Lake? ($79.99, 800-882-6700). Designed as a conversation builder, this adventure-game series puts the beginner in a murder Mystery where I you, a traveler in a foreign country, are the prime suspect.
French/Spanish ($125, 800-SYR-LANG). Flexible and conversation-based, this complete self-study course uses its speech recognition to give students a feel for communicating, not just talking, in a new language. The program keeps things fresh by teaching conversation through story lines, depicted in cartoon panels, that change dependINg on your response. An online companion course begins this fall.
