The eight hours of recordings are separated into two sets. The first four (Learn at Home) are in the target language only and are meant to be used with the manual. The second set (Learn on the Go) -- perfect for use in the ear, at the gym, or anywhere -- contains both English and the target language, so no book is needed to follow along. This two-tiered approach has been hailed as "ingenious" by Professor Kuhn-Osius of the City University of New York.

A step-by-step guide to the basics of conversation and grammar, the revised and updated course uses a highly effective speed-learning method developed by U.S. government experts during World War II and adapted for home study in 1946.

The 40 lessons on two 90-minute cassettes (or three 60-minute compact discs) start with words, then progress to phrases and full dialogues. This building-block approach makes it easy to learn. Only the new language is heard on the recordings, with translations and explanations provided in the accompanying manual. In addition, the manual includes a brief but comprehensive grammar summary, verb charts, and a section on business and personal letter-writing.

The package includes not only the recordings and the manual, but also a separate 15,000-20,000-word pocket dictionary. This unusual book highlights 1,000 essential words for quickreference and illustrates many of the entries with sentences and idiomatic expressions to show how the words are used.

The bright new packaging, in addition to the Living Language Complete Courses' reputation for quality and value, will increase the popularity of this extraordinary program.

"A really great package for those who do not have the time to sit in a classroom, or the money to spend on two years in a foreign country". -- Juergen Kempff, Ph.D., Curriculum Director, UC Irvine

"Authentic . . . enlightening and useful . . . I like the fact that the business section was closely related to the dialogue . . . makes the learning process more fun and realistic". -- Marisa Castro Cid, World Trade Institute Language Center