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Before I start my review I want to give you a little background. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of Washington. I've taught English to Japanese students in Japan from grade 6 through 12, then college age students from Nagasaki University. I've also taught American English speakers Beginning Japanese classes at the local community college for two semesters, with students ranging in age from about 18 to age 60. I'm reviewing Rosetta Stone Japanese based on my experience as a Japanese language learner, a Japanese language teacher and an English language teacher for Japanese people. There are three parts to learning with Rosetta Stone included with the cost of this set: Rosetta Course - Select images and text on the screen by speaking, clicking or typing the answer. Rosetta Studio (online for 9 months) - Converse and interact online with a native Japanese speaker using the same vocabulary and lessons in Rosetta Stone. Rosetta World (online for 9 months) - Interact with other Japanese language learners through conversation and games, or do the language games and activities alone. To me, the greatest aspect to Rosetta Stone is that you get a well-rounded experience of listening, speaking, interacting with other students, plus interaction with a native speaker -- as opposed to some language courses where you only listen to an audio and try to repeat what's said, like with Pimsleur. The screens of vocabulary and dialogue do seem like flash cards, but it's more complex than just flash cards. HEARING is so important to establish new pathways in your brain for a totally different language like Japanese. Flash Cards are writing based -- not the same. ** I think it's important to note that Japanese is a not like learning a European language (I've also studied Portuguese and Spanish) where you can have a basic grasp or understanding of sentence structure and the grammar, then by just exchanging vocabulary words you can still get the gist of what's being said. Listening to conversation and learning *patterns* for speaking, pronunciation and intonation is very important to communicate in Japanese.** For those of you who feel learning the Japanese writing system is very important, IMO it's helpful to a point. However, when it comes to communicating with native speakers, learning thousands of characters does not help unless your goal is to be a translator -- the only time I used those hundreds of hours of study and memorization (I will say learning hiragana and katakana is a help). In fact, when I went to Japan I had three years of Japanese language learning -- mostly grammar, memorizing characters and translating -- and it took me six months to get up to speed in order to hold a real conversation, say, in a teacher meeting, with my colleagues. I wish I had something like Rosetta Stone back then! That said, for those who want it, Rosetta Stone does have some writing lessons included. You can't write on the screen, so basically it's still a multiple choice setup. Rosetta Stone does give you the option to read along with the lessons and you can read using the alphabet, using what is called Hiragana. You may also use Kanji characters or you may use Kanji characters with some pronunciation help from what's called Furigana. Grammar-wise, there is no guide or explanation of even basic grammar. This program is designed to mimic learning a language much like a child does, by listening and learning patterns. There are lessons in RS that focus on what are called "particles" in Japanese grammar, such as wa, de and ni. If you are a true beginner in Japanese, a basic book on grammar may help you get a feel for it. Many Japanese learners highly recommend the free "Genki" lessons online. Finally, IMO, Rosetta Stone Japanese _is_ a good value. The hours of lessons (that you can repeat anytime), additional practice with other students, with the opportunity for live tutoring sessions is well worth the cost (this used to be over $1,200 through Rosetta Stone - it's less than half that now). Compare that to offline with a course at a local community college. For a 3-credit course per semester you're looking at about $200-$300 per course. You're probably going to spend about $500+ and learn basic grammar, rudimentary writing, and probably a small amount of speaking and hearing. From my experience, that's certainly not enough to communicate beyond introductions and a few helpful phrases, if you decide to go to Japan. Rosetta Stone seems ideal for a student who has some basic Japanese grammar (on your own is fine) and who is planning to go over to Japan, say, for work or to study as an exchange student. If my child were heading to Japan as an exchange student, I certainly would consider having them study the Rosetta Stone Japanese course prior to going to give them a basic feel for the language, proper pronunciation, listening practice and the chance to speak with a native speaker.