Instant Immersion Language Starter For Kids (4 CD-ROM)

by TOPICS Entertainment

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005LPYV
• Item model number: cs-077
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 5, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,512 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Instant Immersion Language Starter for Kids is a nice idea for parents who want to expose their children to foreign languages at a young age. With this program, you can offer your child a glimpse of Spanish, French, Italian, and German for a very low cost.

Instant Immersion requires no installation at all. The program runs straight from the CD-ROM and doesn't take up any space on your hard drive. We had some problems with the execution, however--the close functions are disabled when running the program, meaning there's no apparent way to shut it down when you're finished. Additionally, we could not discern an easy way to switch from one language to another, as replacing the CD in the drive causes an error to occur.

Instant Immersion combines visual and audio effects to assist children in associating pictures with foreign words and sounds. The program contains recordings of each work by both male and female native speakers, thus exposing the students to an even wider range of experiences. Instant Immersion also has games for the child to play. These games are appropriately simple and should be right on target for the intended audience.

Overall, Instant Immersion is an interesting idea. Children learn languages more readily than adults, and a program such as Instant Immersion could truly tap that potential. However, even though Instant Immersion suggests some interesting ideas on teaching a child to learn a language through a computer, its design and lack of sophistication limit its actual capabilities. --Kendra Hayden

Amazon.com Product Description

Instant Immersion Language Starter for Kids contains four language programs designed to give kids a head start in Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Each title has nine fun and educational games that feature easy installation, great graphics, and fun lessons for both teaching and entertaining. The vocabulary builders in each language are designed to effectively teach a foreign language to children and adults who have no prior knowledge of the target language. A recording section on each of the four CD-ROMs lets kids practice saying the words to hear how they match up with native speakers. Kids can record the narration for cartoons and play them back in their personal movies. An award system encourages continued learning.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instant Immersian Starter, September 7, 2001

By 

"karabos" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instant Immersion Language Starter For Kids (4 CD-ROM) (CD-ROM)

This has been an excellent vocabulary support for my daughter who has entered a German Immersion Program as well as for my nephew who needs additional help in his Spanish class. The program uses flash cards with colorful pictures to teach vocabulary. Talking animated characters assist the child through their learning experience. To reinforce the vocabulary, there are interactive games which are colorful and interesting. I especially like that there is no limit to the number of times the child can have words or phrases repeated so it assists in pronounciation of more difficult words and phrases.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars once over very lightly, October 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Instant Immersion Language Starter For Kids (4 CD-ROM) (CD-ROM)

I had high hopes for this software, but I found the games to be less than fun. All in all I would not buy this software had I seen it first. However there is vocabulary and possibly for an older child it would be helpful. I doubt my first grader will "play" with it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly good but doesn't record, March 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Instant Immersion Language Starter For Kids (4 CD-ROM) (CD-ROM)

My kids and I have learned a lot from this software. It's fun, so it keeps them involved, and I've even found that as an adult I can enjoy it and learn from it. However, I have not been able to make the recording function work, so we don't get that chance to compare our own pronunciation to a native speaker's. I know the trouble is not in my computer. I don't know if it's in my recording set-up or in the software.