My Japanese Coach (Nintendo DS)
This was a game I had my eye on for about 2 months before actually finding it for the right price. You can order it off the internet for like 40 bucks or you can wait and get it used at GameStop for somewhere around 22-24 bucks. Much better price for anyone.
Anyways, lets get to the review...
I was a bit skeptical about it however very open-minded. Going from Rosetta Stone to MJC (My Japanese Coach) was a BIG change in direction. MJC is very English-i-fied while Rosetta Stone focuses on full immersion with no help from mommy. This turns out to be a good thing with MJC because Rosetta Stone can be very vague and sometimes confusing with what something means while MJC points it out right beside the word.
They both use voice comparison however MJC lets you compare it yourself instead of having a computer (Sometimes VERY inaccurately) do it like on Rosetta Stone. MJC has a feature to hear it said by a "native" speaker (I put that in quotes because Khatz over at AJATT pointed out how well that term is flawed) and then you can record your own voice and play back either your voice, their voice, or both at the same time (One in each speaker)
You really need headphones to hear everything crisply unless you are in a fairly quiet area. But that isn't bad because you can get a cheap pair of headphones for either next to nothing or free (They are everywhere!)
The bad thing about MJC is that I don't feel like it is as in-depth or reinforcing as Rosetta Stone. I am told the words maybe like 3 times then they are used in a sentence once IF lucky and that's it... I've "Mastered" the word... Well, I've mastered it after a whack-a-mole game and a Word Search game... It moves a little too fast for me to really grasp the words and their definitions to have a solid link between the two in a way that I can use them.
One of the BEST parts is that it is portable! You can take it anywhere, bed, bathroom, bus, restaurants, hospitals, Church (I don't recommend getting smote for not paying attention in Church though), etc.
That and it is touch screen so you can get some good practice writing your Kana (Hiragana mainly with a hint of Kanji).
Another good feature is the dictionary and phrase book. Every word in the game plus a great many phrases are there for you to hear, compare, write, and learn at any time! Oh and you can favorite any phrase to use later.
Pros
Portable
Voice features
Writing
Engaging
Cons
Not as in depth as other mediums
So in conclusion, it is definitely worth the 25 ish dollars to have a portable interactive dictionary that teaches on the side.
