Instant Immersion German (4 CD-ROM)

The software package includes two other skill-level-dependent CD-ROMs. For absolute beginners, you'll start with the "Talk Now!" CD-ROM and learn basic words acontextually for colors, food, numbers, and basic phrases. You hear the German pronounced while an image of the concept is shown. Most teachers actually prefer this, so that students associate the German sounds and words directly with a concept rather than the English translation. Intermediate students will start with the "Word Talk German" CD-ROM, which has a variety of games to practice vocabulary and a few more dialogues; you can also take dictation exercises or use your computer's microphone to repeat after the audio and compare your pronunciation to the recording. (It's painful, we know, but it helps.) The fourth CD-ROM is "Webster's New World Five Language Talking Dictionary"--a nice perk for pronunciation practice but not a real replacement for your handy Collins Gem.

Caveats: First, the various CD-ROMs are not truly sequential, so do not necessarily expect to graduate from the beginning and intermediate CD-ROMs to the Oscar Lake game. Second, the software is no ersatz for a competent German teacher and loads of homework, so do not expect similar results. The pedagogical approach here does not emphasize student production of German, either in speech or writing, so you will learn more to recognize spoken and written words and phrases than to speak or write them yourself. Overall, however, Instant Immersion German is a strong and, above all, affordable vocabulary-building resource--and it will take the doldrums out of memorizing new words. --Erik Macki

Amazon.com Product Description
In Europe, it's no secret that the vast majority of people are either bilingual or trilingual. The Euro Method is the easy and simple way so many Europeans learn to speak a second language. Based on the same tried-and-proven techniques that allow a four-year-old to learn to speak a language long before that same child can read or write, the Instant Immersion German package is guaranteed to be the best method for learning to speak German quickly. For years, linguists have known that an immersion environment is the absolute, fastest way to learn a second language--the concept is based on being surrounded by native speakers and new culture. Unfortunately, most of us cannot afford to spend six months in Munich, so the Instant Immersion method is the next best thing.

In this easy-to-follow boxed set, you get four CD-ROMs, with each one complementing the others. The first two CDs are from EuroTalk, the leading publisher of language-learning software in Europe. The other two, Talk Now and World Talk, will take you from beginner to an intermediate speaker faster than any other language-learning software on the market, and all the while, they are fun and easy to follow. The Webster's Five-Language Talking Dictionary is a real-time, pop-up dictionary that allows translation from English to French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Dutch. Finally, to round out the immersion experience, Who is Oscar Lake? is a fun and challenging interactive language-learning mystery game.

Product Description
A quick way to learn German - the concept is based on being surrounded by native speakers and their culture. Includes: TalkNow! German, Webster's New World 5 Language Talking Dictionary, and Who Is Oscar Lake.

The Instant Immersion series has to be one of the most unreal values a language learning student can get a hold of; I've since purchased Japanese as well, after buying German, and I'm just as impressed. Don't sweat the reviewer nitpicking, and keep in mind how incredibly inexpensive these sets are selling for, and you'll realize you just can't go wrong with these products. No, you shouldn't count on them alone in learning a new language, but honestly, the same logically holds true with any book or software. Topics has more than earned one vocal fan here.


There better be something better than this!   January 28, 2002
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

The other reviews seem right on in that they note a big jump between the super-basic nature of the first CD, and the complex sentences thrown at you in the second. What stood out to me is the total lack of grammer and structure. A basic concept in German is that nouns are: a) capitolized and b) always male, female, or neutral in gender. Neither is touched on. This software will not help you put a sentence together at all! It's good for helping you pronounce simple nouns, but that is all.

Also, the "speaking dictionary" only speaks in English, and so is no help in pronouncing words in German.