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| Rosetta Stone Version 3: Italian Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion | 
 enlarge | From: Rosetta Stone
Category: Software
List Price: $549.00
Buy New: $494.10
You Save: $54.90 (10%)
New (1) Used (1) from $399.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 101
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Xp, Mac Os X, Windows 2000, Windows Vista
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Level 1, 2 & 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 6.5 x 2.9
Model: 21685
UPC: 794678216855
EAN: 0794678216855
ASIN: B001AFD8XK
Release Date: June 16, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 41 | | ... 9 NEXT » |
 amazing language software January 6, 2009
I am an American native speaker, was a Spanish major in college, lived in Madrid for about a year and a half and am (well, WAS) fluent in Spanish. I love Italy and have faked my way through Italian trips with my Spanish for years. And then my husband ordered Rosetta Stone. It's wonderful! I'd heard about it for years, but had no idea that this system was so intuitively exciting. It's more fun than playing Freecell, or other addictive games on the computer!
The system (an immersion approach, with picture recognition and hearing native speakers) is so natural, I couldn't believe it. I've done about half the first level and I find myself out on a walk and making up fun-sounding little italian phrases and sentences in my head. The teaching system is logical, gradual, progressive, challenging, exciting, quickly paced, never boring, and plain fun. I love the tapes for the car. My husband and I are both using it and we both love it.
There are several negative reviews for the Rosetta Stone software (here and on the level 1&2 software), none of which I find substantial. The first here complains, in essence, that you can't steal the software and give it away to your friends! That's fine with me. It's licensed for one computer, but you can have lots of users using that one machine. If you're honest and respect intellectual property rights, that won't be an issue for you.
A second negative review (for the version where you just buy the first level, not this one with all 3 levels), asserts that there isn't much material for the price and that the reveiwer zoomed through all of level 1 in a week. First, if you want to buy more levels at the same time, you can buy the software with only one level, or with Levels 1 & 2, or this version, with the levels 1, 2 & 3 for a reduced price. If you're pretty clear that you want to learn Italian, you might want to start with at least 2 levels. (Amazon offers all three packaging options, too.) Second, I suppose you could zoom through all the lessons in level 1 in a couple of weeks, but it's possible that the person who went through the lessons very quickly is skimming over all sorts of built in layers. The software adjusts for increased subtlety in pronunciation & layered appropriation of grammatical structure. Review is critical to the learning process - learning language is like learning to play an instrument. The practice layers available on the software are impressive. This software is constructed as if it were written by Bach! There's a LOT here, even if you just buy the first level and not one of the packaged versions.
The final critique is that the set-up is difficult for MAC users. I have a two iMACS (and am a 25 year PC user who just switched, so I'm completely PC oriented) and have just installed it on one of my machines. The installation was easy, flawless and the software works beautifully. The person who complained had a very sophisticated system and had trouble with some of his intricate settings. I am an Apple neophyte and trust me, for those of us with plug-and-play systems, this is a plug-and-play program. MAC users - don't worry!
 Popular with the international business community for a reason December 23, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Rosetta Stone's method is based on a technique called "Dynamic Immersion." You're immediately thrown into the language you want to learn -- there's no English allowed. This sounds daunting, but the software starts you off at such a rudimentary level it isn't intimidating.
I really like how the program keeps track of what areas I'm botching and pulls me back into those areas for more work. I also like the pronunciation practice via the included headset, although I can't verify it's always catching me when I'm mispronouncing things. To my ear I'm doing OK, but my ear isn't the best, hence my use of this program. If I'm pronouncing things badly and the program isn't always catching my errors, I'm not sure how I'd know, if you see what I mean. My hope is that I can nail the rudiments of Italian and get a good grip on simple conversations using Rosetta Stone before trying to find people to practice with/on, thus keeping my embarrassment factor low.
Thankfully, the app employs a good variety of interactive methods (matching pictures to sentences, writing caption for photos, hearing words and phrases pronounced correctly by native speakers, etc.) so the "by rote" factor stays low. Rosetta Stone says its techniques are modeled on how native speakers actually learn their own languages, usually while still kids, and I think that's a good description for what the software delivers. You start with words and then move on to phrases, and then with level two you get to conversations. Level three kicks the conversational up a couple of notches. It's a natural progression.
I think there are people who prefer a more standard "grammar-first" approach because they've found in the past that this is what works for them. I imagine there are also people who don't like looking at computer screens for lengthy periods. These are valid concerns. There are different pedagogical approaches for a reason -- not everyone learns in the same way. My guess is that Rosetta Stone would serve the majority of people very well, especially students who are comfortable with computer-based learning. Ideally, I think this program will work best for people who are studying a language using many "inputs" (text books, audio programs, computer apps, foreign-language media, foreign flicks, native speakers, etc.) All of these things will ultimately reinforce one another. The more immersion, the better.
Overall, I am very pleased with this product. The program's interface is well-designed, I've experienced no bugs or glitches, and I am making progress faster than I thought I would (or at least I think I am). I'd give the app five stars but I cringe just a little bit at the price. I don't think it is overpriced for what you get, mind you, but the cost -- well, it is what it is. There is a demo on the Rosetta Stone Web site that I encourage you to try before buying. It'll give you a good idea how well this program will work for you. If you like the approach, the price for all three levels is well worth it.
Keep in mind that learning any foreign tongue will realistically take a while. Rosetta Stone shortens the learning period a good deal and makes sticking with the program easier, but it's only a foundation. Still, it's a pretty darn good one, and I can see why it's so popular with the international business community.
Computer Instruction That Works December 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Let's face it: a lot of computer-assisted instruction is just plain lame or worse.
They can suffer from either being rote memorization schemes or over-glorified games or simply textbooks in electronic form.
Rare is a system that truly utilizes what computers can do best to solidly teach concepts.
Rosetta Stone delivers.
It teaches language using multiple sensory inputs (picture & voice) and multiple feedback mechanisms (your voice and hand-eye choices). It is able to adjust and compensate for your learning speed and strengths on the fly. It is engaging without being just a game. And it is able to effectively teach without English--- which is the closest you can get to a dedicated immersion course.
I had previously installed and used the Spanish Rosetta Stone, and found that it was easy to install the Italian Rosetta Stone as a 2nd language onto my base installation on my computer. My ten year old now is going around saying Italian phrases and saying, "I can speak Italian!"
Bottom line: I am very impressed. My ten year old loves it, actually WANTS to do the lessons. I'm having fun with it too, even though languages are definitely not my strong suit. If you want to learn a language on your own, this is the best way I know to do it.
 Mac PowerBook G4? December 12, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Thanks for all the informative reviews, everyone. This sounds like a great program and I'd love to try it, but I'm worried that if I buy this software, it may not work on my computer. Does anyone know if this language program works for sure on a Mac Powerbook G4?
Easy, Effective, Fun November 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have used other Rosetta Stone programs and really like the teaching method they use. Each lesson introduces new words and phrases, which are repeated in different ways. The repetition makes it easy to retain the language lessons. The lessons progress in a logical way, so each builds on what has come before.
There were no technical problems for me in installing this program on my laptop running Windows XP. Installation takes a long time (it's a big program), but it worked perfectly. The headset is somewhat flimsy, but it works. Do turn the volume down VERY low before you start the program, or the sound will blast you out of your chair.
Rosetta Stone allows a lot of customization. For example, you can choose to learn reading and writing, speaking and listening, or reading, writing, speaking and listening. You can also choose how precise you want the voice recognition to be, so you can make it easier or more difficult.
The Audio Companion CDs do not seem very useful to me. They do not contain English translations, so their only purpose would be to listen to the pronunciation as a review.
The Rosetta Stone program is one of the best ways I have found to learn a new language. I had considered the intensive language program offered by a local college, but spending an entire week in a classroom would be hard to work in to my schedule. The Rosetta Stone lessons can be done on my schedule, at my convenience. Of course, you do need to work the lessons regularly so that you retain what you learned in the previous lessons and just because of the volume of information presented.
If you have tried other language programs without success, Rosetta Stone could work for you. Although the course includes listening and repeating, it is more interactive and interesting that those old language courses on cassettes or vinyl albums.
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