[OHayou]

Hi everyone,

I have Rosetta Stone - Japanese all 3 levels.
There are 3 levels with 4 units per level with a end lesson at each unit.

It is currently $379.00 for all 3 levels.

You have Romaji, Kanji, Furigana, and Kana options to display text.
You also have 4 speaking exercises per unit which relies entirely on speech (as opposed to typing or clicking the mouse on photos.)

There are also audio CDs for each unit that you can play in your car to reinforce the lessons.

Additionally, there is a new online world where you can play games (single or multiplayer) and schedule 1 hour sessions with native speakers (who you see and hear but they can only hear you) and other participants. You play games and communicate but they can speak only Japanese and encourage only Japanese. This is a monthly fee of $20 dollars or so. The price escapes me.

I have heard they added the online sessions because they found people "graduated" all 3 levels but still were unable to speak fluently. This is because regardless of how much you know on paper putting into actual use is a very different thing.

Is it worth it?

The first question is: Is $379.00 a lot of money? This is up to the individual.

The second question is: Will it work?

This is like saying "is a college degree good?" For some people it worked out well but other people spent a lot of money receiving a college degree and are unemployed or work at jobs which do not require college degrees.

There are a lot of resources out there and I think they all work if you are diligent and immerse yourself in the culture and language.