Rosseta Stone

[IFS]

I just got myself Rosseta Stone version 3 with the 3 different levels of the Japanese language it has to offer, so far its really fun to use and the picture cards really help me to understand with my intelectual level, would you say that this a good program to help me learn to speak read and write Japanese or should I rather choose another program to help me?

[Capitán]

I have an email to my Japanese instructor. I like to ask her questions if I get stuck on grammar, kanji, and stuff of the like. So you got yourself the 400+ dollars version eh? Its a bit pricey but its a good investment according to the reviews. Yep after I read this thread I went to the site. May I ask does it do any kind of grammar exercises AND sentence structuring? Personally Katakana, Kanji (with a whole lot of meanings in one), and making up a proper sentence is what I have the most trouble with. Katakana.... well I don't use it as much so I tend to forget some of the characters.
However, though there are powerful softwares out there that can help you self study, nothing beats a person fluent in a language (and knows enough kanji to read a newspaper in J-pan). Classes are good, but being tutored is better in my opinion. Though that might cost ya a pretty penny. I think the best way is just simple practice and review.

[IFS]

Well I just completed the first core lesson and its sub catagories, there are grammer lessons in there but its not to intense just yet, I would love to get a tutor in the language someone who can actually speak it fluentley but unfortunately there isn't someone like that in South-Africa. This program teaches you from the ground up, almost like your a kid who just entered hes/her first year of school in Japan. The first lessons are really easy but apperantly they become much more harder, and they say it should take you a year and a half for each language pack level, there is some sentence structuring from what I have seen.

[Capernicus]

With any language, you need to hit the 4 areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Somehow I can't really see the speaking part of this program being as strong as you really need. The others I'm sure it does great with though. Well, if you really have no other option I would say go for it, but I urge you to try to find alternative ways to get your speaking practice! Find a buddy or go into IRC and converse. Heck, maybe suzu or Datenshi would be willing to help if you asked real nice.

Good luck!

[IFS]

The speech reconitioning of the program is really incredeble and helps with pronouncing the words, but I guess its not the same as having someone who can speak the langauge fluently teach you, thanks for the advice Caps