Rosetta Stone

Wow, seriously? I get to be first to write a Unilocal review for Rosetta Stone? Cool!
Okay, so even though it’s hideously expensive for most budgets (unless you can catch it during one of their really good sales, in which case: don’t hesitate! Buy it!) it really, really works and it’s SO easy and fun to use! Even though you’re supposed to limit your time each day, I’d find myself easily spending two or more hours, and it felt like 20 minutes. It’s ageless, engaging, and appropriate for all: anyone who can point and click, from toddler to great-​grandma, can use it with equal ease.
The Rosetta Stone ads say that you’ll learn your new language the same way you learned your first language, and it’s true and very cleverly done with clear, bright, attractive pictures, while you read the word, hear it spoken by a native speaker, then repeat it until your pronunciation matches the level you’ve chosen in the software, and then the program moves ahead. (The verbal response portion is optional, but SO helpful!) For example, let’s say that you first see the pictures and learn the words for red apple and green apple, then they might move on to a red bicycle, tell you the word for «bicycle» and ask you to supply the word for «red». Even people who feel that they have little gift for languages would have a hard time NOT learning.
When I bought the complete set (at the time) there were only three levels, and now there are five levels plus online, interactive access to live people to chat with in your new language, all for a little less than what I paid for my set.
The dynamic of my life changed about halfway through level 2, so I rarely had time alone (the only drawback to Rosetta Stone, back then, was that I was tied to my computer while doing the lessons, so there was no learning on the run, but after browsing their website, it looks as though they’ve addressed that, with the options of CDs, a download, or apps for iPad or Android. A BIG plus now is that for the same price, you get unlimited access. When I bought my set, it came with three «seats» (installations) and if you stopped using it on one PC, you had to uninstall it to open up that «seat», again. If your computer crashed, you had to call them, explain yourself, and ask for your «seat» back, which was the one thing that really irked me about the company. I’ll find out if that’s changed; if so, I’ll come back and note it here.
Rosetta Stone would still always be my first choice for learning a new language. As far as I’m concerned, they make it as fun, interesting, and easy as anyone could hope for! It’s the Rolls-​Royce of language learning software.