Each lesson begins with an outline of the language to be covered, followed by practice sentences to introduce new grammar and vocabulary. Once happy that you can understand and use the structures, you move on to see how the new language items are used in wider contexts in dialogues and reading texts. Contexts and topics are wide-ranging, including Travel, Buying and Ordering Food and Business. Although it is hard to imagine teenagers finding the contexts very motivating, both tourist and business traveller alike will appreciate the range of authentic and useful language for everyday situations presented by native speakers of German.

The user has access at each stage of the lesson to some impressive cross-referencing features. Meaning, translation and pronunciation of a new word or phrase are immediately to hand. Games, personal pronunciation analysis and vocabulary flashcards add variety to the lessons and there is also the option of testing your progress online. However, the user needs some grounding in the basics of grammar and connected terminology in order to find their way around the material at first, although a word tools feature is useful in explaining away some of the terms. German A+ packs a lot of material into 15 lessons and should prove an excellent resource to anyone in need of confidence in speaking and understanding German in business or travel situations. --Jo Pearson