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| Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Latin America), Level 1 & 2 | 
 enlarge | From: Rosetta Stone
Category: Software
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 878
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows Xp, Mac Os X
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Level 1 & 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 8.2 x 2.4
UPC: 794678291661
EAN: 0794678291661
ASIN: B000TFHZDG
Release Date: August 28, 2007
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| Customer Reviews:
 rosetta stone spanish 1&2 January 13, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a very good product. It has helped my wife and as we try tolearn spanish.
 Too long to get to basic conversational level December 30, 2007
51 out of 55 found this review helpful
I really wanted to love this product. Perhaps at some point, one could get to a proficiency level. The great thing is that the software teaches you like one's parents would teach a child. The problem is that after 40 hours of instruction with Rosetta Stone, you have the language abilities of a three year old. I put a lot of time into the software (maybe 50 hours) and did not have the ability to speak even broken Spanish at a restaurant to order a meal. My friends wondered what the problem was given that whenever they called me, I was doing Rosetta Stone lessons. My friends who are fluent in Spanish, suggested that I take a conversational immersion class; I think that I'll take their advice.
 a software note December 27, 2007
16 out of 21 found this review helpful
This product is sold as licensed software. Users will NOT be able to load it onto more than one computer. This aspect of the product is not clear from the blurbing on the Rosetta Stone website. It is a "single-user" product.
Don't think that you can share this with friends, or that it is appropriate for a lending collection.
Works Fine With Windows Vista November 28, 2007
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
Some recent reviewers have claimed that Rosetta Stone software is NOT compatible with Vista.
It is true that you can't just put the CD in and install the software..
Here are the instructions for Installing Rosetta Stone on a Vista equipped PC...plainly posted on the Rosetta Stone Support Site..
1. Insert the Application CD
2. When the "Autoplay" window opens, close it by clicking the red "X" in the upper right corner
3. Click your Start Menu then click Computer
4. In the window that appears, right-click the CD-ROM drive labeled "RS_App"
5. In the menu that appears, click "Explore" to browse the contents of the Rosetta Stone Application CD
6. In the Explore window, right-click on "Setup" (or "Setup.exe")
7. In the menu that appears, click "Copy"
8. Go to your desktop and right-click on any empty place
9. In the menu that appears, click "Paste" to copy "Setup" from the Application CD to your desktop
10. After "Setup" is copied to the desktop, right-click on the icon for it
11. In the menu that appears, click "Properties"
12. In the Properties window, go to the Compatibility tab
Select the checkbox for "Run this program in compatibility mode for:"
13. In the drop-down box, choose "Windows XP Service Pack 2" (may already be showing)
14. Click "OK" to save the changes and close the Properties window
15. On your desktop, double-click "Setup" to start the installation process
16. Click "Allow" to continue the installation
17. On the screen where you see the words, "The fastest way to learn a language," Click "OK" to install with instructions in English
18. Follow the remaining prompts to complete the installation.
19. Once the installation is complete, insert the language disk and launch the program to begin your study.
20. If you are having trouble starting Rosetta Stone, you may also need to change the compatibility mode of the program to "Windows XP"
 REVIEW FOR ALL MAC OWNERS November 6, 2007
45 out of 55 found this review helpful
BACKGROUND
Using Rosetta Stone French (v.3) on a Mac iBook G4 (10.3.9). Using home school addition. Have used it for last 6 weeks.
SUMMARY
In spite of the cost, the awkward port from Windows and difficult network set up, it's still best of class for learning a foreign language.
REVIEW
Powerful, detailed and complicated: those are the adjectives I would use to describe this program. If you want to learn the language, then this program systemically teaches it to you. It keeps record of your progress, gives tests and records your grades. It treats you as if you are a student in a classroom. Additional workbook, study guide and included microphone headset supplement the visual and audio CD disk. But having said all this, there are some things I wish as a Mac user that I would have known.
The set-up of the program is SO non-intuitive and non-mac like. This includes installation of the application and its MANY helper files needed to run in the background with the main program disk. In my former life, I was an Apple System engineer, so I am no stranger to the Mac and networks setups. But even this installation caused me to eventually have to call Rosetta's technical support for instruction. This is partially due to my complicated home network set up (I've got multiple Macs with multiple (non-Mac) Routers that work as Access Points and bridges), and partially because of the complexity of installation of the program itself. This is definitely NOT a "drag-and-drop", or "double click to un- compress" or even "double click and follow the step by step instruction" type of experience. It is "multi-step, enter by hand, enter in data and information" type of installation process.
That is what is most disappointing to me. This is a BAD PORT of a PC program. They did nothing to make the program conform to Apple program standards. This means there are many helper files (20 something??!!!) in various folders. There is a network component that HAS TO run in the background for the main language program to run. This means you have to always first launch this secondary program (or leaving it running all the time). If you run on a network (like I do), you have to assign the computer's IP address that the program is running on (can't use the default, non-network IP given by the setup program). If your computer ever is assigned a different IP address locally by your router (power goes out, etc), then you will have to make some changes or this network helper file will not launch, and therefore, the language program will not either.
Getting to the place to even begin to first use the program is a tedious and complicated process. Another helper program that keeps track of the students progress must also first be set up. The "teacher's" name, access settings, the "student's" name(s) and their access privileges must first be established. ALL THIS IS DONE AWKWARDLY AND IN AN IBM 90'S INTERFACE. Constant referring to the user guide is necessary. There is no way some one could figure out what to do by only looking at the screens.
And this is the main criticism of the program, this clunky interface, non-intuitive layout of material is the same throughout the entire presentation of the language program. The program's strengh--the detailed comprehensive, multi-media presentation of material--is also it's greatest weakness. It's hard to follow where you are, where to go, what stage you are in, how much further you have to go on any given unit, lesson or session. The implementation of more than one user account and switching between the two is counter intuitive as well.
My 16 year old daughter, is now working her way through the program and has used it enough now to understand how to advance though it. But it was a slow start. She is enjoying the program and is learning the language of her love, and I have no doubt this program is a great help, I just wish more effort and forethought was given to making it more elegant in its presentation. Basically this looks to me like a 90's program in desperate need of a face lift. While calling the toll-free tech support and talking with a couple of different individuals, you quickly come to understand these people don't fully understand the Mac. The first individual had to pass me on once he discovered my Mac issues. The second was very polite and patient and we finally got my set up to work. But it wasn't easy for them since I was on a Mac. And I bet if you call you will get the same two people, They are, after all, not a help desk, but a language learning software company.
CONCLUSION
OK, so that's it. I hope this review was helpful. I've tried to share my experience for other Mac users so they know more of what to expect before they buy the program. A program that has (from my research) no other comparison as far as best in class for learning a foreign language, but a program that--in it's implementation and presentation as far as on Macintosh computers is concerned--leaves a lot to me desired.
Tom
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