Video Tutor Program: Spanish

The most comprehensive Spanish speaking tutorial we've seen to date, this multimedia package consists of 15 individual units covering basic sentences, pronunciation, grammar, modern idioms, culture and etiquette, and songs. Relying heavily on repetition and exercise, the videos offer sequences presented in Spanish, translated and untranslated, at slow and conversational speeds. These lessons are buttressed by exercises included on the audiotapes corresponding to each unit and the relevant workbook sections. By including cultural information, modern slang, and even some popular songs, Video Tutor Program: Spanish goes above and beyond most language learning courses. Yet, while the video and audio qualities are excellent, as are the content, comprehensiveness, and general approach to teaching Spanish, there are a few things libraries need to consider. The first, obviously, is the price, which is substantial. The second is the workbooks which have fill-in-the-blank sections (but users are encouraged to cover the right-hand side of the page and give verbal rather than written answers). Finally, there's the amount of time a user has to invest in the program (the producers estimate 105-150 hours)--even with the low estimate, if a patron spent 3 hours a day working on the program, it would take 35 days to complete. These concerns aside, the library looking for a real full-scale Spanish language learning program will find it here. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)