Instant Immersion Japanese Deluxe Description:

Instant Immersion Japanese Deluxe review:
1 stars (One of the worst ever) - I have tried many different language programs and this is by far the worst. I couldn't even figure out how to use the thing. I really that learning a new language isn't easy, but this is by no means the proper way to go about it. The software is confusing, there is no reference book, and it is definately not for beginners. Stay away from this program.
3 stars (Lots of information, little direction.) - It's as clear as the title. When I got this I had no idea what to do and was confused about whether or not I bought a bad product. Once you give it some time though, you realize there is a lot to it (not the language, of course there's a lot to that, but the software). It's lacking direction almost entirely though, so that means you'll need to put in a good amount of effort. Doesn't that make sense though? You couldn't seriously think you could learn a language with a new set of characters without putting in effort did you? It just takes some figuring out. It's good to start off with the blackbelt disc and learn the kanji and then after you've spent some time on that try the other set of discs. Switching back and forth seems the best way to do it. Since you don't have a tutor (but you can get a 2 week online tutor for free) it might be good to make up your own excercises or something. I just used a method from learning spanish. Write the word in english, then write the kanji version of it twice, then write the romanji form of it so that you know how to pronounce it. Writing and studying will help you learn. I'm unsure exactly about whether or not I'm writing correctly. I haven't gotten that far in the program yet though.
3 stars (Difficult, but effective with help) - After owning this program for two days, I can confidently tell any prospective buyer that this is a SUPPLEMENT program. As mentioned before, it has no clear beginning or process to it. You are brought to a menu with links to such things as "Dialogue" "Exercises" "Pronounciation"...and no guide on where to start, how it works, etc. It took me ten minutes of playing with it to realize that I should probably use the Blackbelt disc first...it is the only place that you will find the alphabet and basic grammar. Even then, it is shown in one way and one way only, and it gets repetitive.



As for being "out of order" like a previous comment mentioned, of course it is! You think you can learn something effectively when it is sequential? By putting Wednesday after Friday and Sunday before Thursday you actually are forced to LEARN the word and how to recognize it, instead of knowing that kayoobi follows getsuyoobi which follows nichiyoobi, etc etc. That way when someone says "Hey how do you say 'Thursday'", you don't have to start at Sunday and go through the days in your head.



Back to my main point though: supplement. My boyfriend is half Japanese and finally sat down with me to guide me along. It was a great help. Together, we're working through it and even he is learning things he didn't know.



I would say to get this if, and only if, you are either taking a class and want extra practice, or have a friend who speaks and is willing to sit down with you as a tutor. The main bulk of the lessons require a grasp of the language that the CD does not directly give you. As a first experience with Japanese, it is quite overwhelming. As an aid in addition to a formal class, it is quite helpful.