Grammer occasionally comes up in the useful phrases section but isn't explained at all making it impossible to use outside of the given context. Questions are given but not the possible answers to them which defeats the object of knoing how to ask!
The scripts which are vital for understanding the language are used in example but not even explained let alone taught.

The one advantage this cd rom has over some of the great language books out there is the spoken examples. If you are serious about learning the language I would recommend starting with learning the hiragana and katakana and leaving this cd rom out altogether.


Great way to learn names of objects and numbers   March 23, 2004
 26 out of 26 found this review helpful

My first impression was how primitive this package seemed, but within half an hour I thought it was actually a very good learning program, dispite its simplicity. Silly in looks but very, very effective for learning basic words. It concentrates on spoken Japanese, but there is written japanese in the vocabulary lists.

Within a couple of days I knew how to count in japanese, the names of various foods, clothing, objects etc. It is a fun and fast way to learn if you look on it with a sense of humour.

I would recommend this to anyone of any age at all if you want to learn the names of objects or start looking at Japanese words. When you want to learn sentances you are going to need to graduate to another package very soon. Its a great starting point though and well worth the money. Very confidence building. It makes language fun instead of dull or intimidating.

I have just bought intermediate level 'World Talk Japanese' - the 'intermediate' stage from this company - but don't feel able to review it yet.


Talk Now! Japanese   January 7, 2002
 13 out of 16 found this review helpful

This program was great. I have formally studied Japanese for 10 years and mainly bought this game for my sister and her studies. The minute I bought this game she was hooked and I couldn't get heer off of it! ...All in all, this program is excellent and I would recommend it to anyone.


A Good Place to Start   September 3, 2001
 21 out of 21 found this review helpful

EuroTalk's neatly packaged Japanese outing offers a 'skim-the-surface' view of the language, covering enough in a number of diverse areas to be both useful and entertaining. Topics include first words, numeracy, time, countries, shopping, human body, colour, and simple phrases. Each such area contains four parts: word practice, speaking practice, simple quiz, and hard quiz.

Words are introduced by means of pictures, accompanied by both male and female speakers, with captions in both Japanese and Roman script. A fifth option in each area allows these pictures and captions to be printed out for study when a computer isn't to hand. Speaking practice allows you to record your speech with a microphone and compare it with the native speakers recorded on the CD.

From the topic-selection screen, it's possible to select a quiz mode, wherein a card game (easy or hard) can be selected from a menu--another means to test your memory.

I can't offer any real criticism of the product. The interface is pretty bland looking, but simple, intuitive and functional. A few words and phrases are all that's to be learned; there's nothing on sentence structure or guidance on how to put the words you've learned into your own sentences, but that's apparently what the intermediate level CD's for...