Review by A. H.

I received a review copy of this software. I was excited because my wife wanted to learn some Italian. Unfortunately, this product isn’t going to be the method that gets her there.

The software doesn’t install on the computer. With the cost of storage being so low these days, and with effective compression algorithims for audio (.mp3) and video (.mpg) that reduce file size, there’s no reason to create a software product that runs from optical disc alone. Even on a fast PC I built (AMD Phenom II 1100T 3.3 mhz hexacore processor with 8gb DDR3-1600 RAM, running Windows 7), the product takes a long time to switch between features, either because of the inherent slowness of optical disc access times or because you have to swap discs out to use different features. Once upon a time, that was par for the course. Now it’s simply frustrating.

As others have commented, the interface leaves a lot to be desired. These days it isn’t hard to come across people with talent for graphical and website design, and there are dedicated software tools that make the process simple. Unfortunately, none of those people or products appear to have been involved here.

This could be fun for younger users, but it doesn’t have much staying power for the rest of us. I haven’t used Rosetta Stone, but I have to imagine it puts this product to shame.

In some instances, you get what you pay for.