Rosetta Stone: PowerPac

by Fairfield Language Technologies

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002S9FF
• Item model number: 40
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,444 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Now you can learn seven languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese) with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency. It's the natural way to learn.

The Rosetta Stone PowerPac contains 22 lessons with nearly 900 real-life images and phrases spoken by native speakers for each language. The program develops all key language skills--listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are previews, exercises, and tests for every lesson, with automated tutorials throughout the program. Graphical speech recognition displays your voiceprint and compares it with the native speaker to help improve your pronunciation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars nicely structured, very user friendly, March 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: PowerPac (CD-ROM)

My CD-Rom does include the japanese lessons. I find this product extremely accessible and very nicely structured. The lessons progress in easily understandable segments. For me, it is an ideal way to start learning a new language, as you always have a reference between pictures, the written, and the spoken words. My only criticism is that I would prefer some grammatical explanations, especially for chinese and japanese.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great way to try the best language learning software, March 15, 2004

By 

Bighairydoofus "-" (Brooklyn Park, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: PowerPac (CD-ROM)

This is by far the best language learning software out there for the DIY language learner. It uses total immersion without any English (this is a good thing). I own the full length courses for both Russian and German 1 and 2, and while it was no small investment, it was definitely worth it. The Rosetta Stone software is like the Pimsleur tapes in that it's the best of its kind and you get what you pay for. I bought this program to try it and passed it on to a friend when I bought my full courses.

The "powerpac" is a good investment if at least two of the languages out of the seven on the disc are ones you want to learn. If not, you're better off choosing the specific explorer program for your selected language as single language explorer programs are half the price.

Again, this is great software but you won't acheive any level of fluency with the abbreviated programs. But since the larger programs are extremely expensive, it's a good way to see if you like the system before you take the big plunge and spend the bucks on the full courses.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Value - Easy Language Learning, June 9, 2001

By 

R. M. Perkowitz ""Perks"" (Washington, DC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: PowerPac (CD-ROM)

The Rosetta Stone, with Spanish, French, German, English, Dutch, Russian and Chinese basic language instruction, all on one CD, is a lot of learning in one small package. Putting all the languages together inspires a very intuitive interface. Learning, grouped by categories such as food, numbers, actions, etc., is at your own pace. You can practice to your heart's content. Besides a stand alone tool, it's a great supplement for regular language instruction. As you can tell, I find it quite helpful. But make sure you have your own dictionary for reference when using the program.