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If you're really serious about learning French at home, you'll probably end up looking into the more comprehensive course at some stage. And you're going to see a lot of people singing the praises of Rocket French, by Rocket Languages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though it's been around for a few years now, it's still a relative baby compared with the likes of Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur's French products.

 

This "baby" is giving the big kids a run for their money. PC Mag recently named Rocket French "Editor's Choice", beating Rosetta Stone to the top spot. But will it realistically teach you French?
 

Well, let's take a look...

 

Interactive audio course:

 

Generally when I hear "interactive audio course" I think "Great. They're going to teach me how to book another hotel room..." and I promptly fall asleep.

 

Most courses just teach you useless conversations that you have no hope of applying in regular life. I also think it's a cheap way of avoiding doing any grammar. I hate learning grammar, but I know that it's necessary if I want to master French.

 

But I've changed my tune a little with Rocket French's interactive audio course. I've been learning much more useful things... like how to flirt! Who doesn't want to be able to flirt in French?

 

Rocket French Premium contains over 60 interactive audio lessons that you can download to your portable listening device, burn to CD, or play right there on your computer.

 

What surprises me most is how much I'm learning and remembering from these lessons. The lessons are not just dull repetition, and it doesn't progress so fast that you forget it all in an instant, or so slowly that you're driven mad. Each lesson takes around 20 minutes, which is the perfect length for me to learn a little French on my walk to work.

 

I've been very impressed at how much I have learned through this audio course, without ever needing to crack open a text book. I can now listen to some of my favorite French music and — for the first time — understand the words!

 

The Language & Culture course

 

You could learn an awful lot of French just using the Interactive Audio Course, but if you really want to take things to the next level there's a really good grammar and vocabulary course that accompanies the interactive audio course. (They call it "Language and Culture", but it's really grammar and vocabulary — the meat and potatoes of any language course.)

 

This part is more like an actual "classroom" French course. What I like is that the grammar isn't drilled into you in brain-numbing fashion, but comes about gradually (like with the audio course) and is mixed in with a lot of conversation practice, vocabulary, puzzles and cultural topics to keep things interesting.

 

You work through this part of the course online at your own speed, but you can also print off the notes if you want to step away from the computer. This section of the course comes with a lot of that beautiful, slow, clear audio as well.

 

Games!

 

One of the best things with Rocket French is that they include games to test yourself. A lot of other publishers would probably try to sell these separately, but they come free when you buy Rocket French.

 

• Word-Master helps you improve your listening comprehension and spelling. You have to help a spaceman get back to his ship by spelling the words correctly before time runs out. It's silly... but it works.

• Phrase Master teaches you to understand spoken phrases (even when they're spoken quite quickly).

• Mega Cards tests your knowledge of words and phrases in a flash-card style game.

 

They're all a great way to reinforce things you're learning in the course, and they'd be good for older kids too.

 

Voice comparison

 

Tell the truth. Do you ever speak your French out loud? Are you afraid that when you actually have to speak... nobody will understand you?

 

Put those fears aside, and put on your nerd glasses, chum, because you're about to start talking to your computer. The voice comparison tool lets you record your voice and compare your pronunciation to the tutor's. It's a little creepy at first, but really effective — especially if you're learning French without a friend to practice with.

 

There's a little example for you to play with over on the Rocket French website, if you're curious. (About half way down the page.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracking your progress

 

One of the things often missing from home-study programs is feedback, reporting, and that feeling that you're actually getting somewhere. If the nerd in you is itching to be top of the class, Rocket French has a variety of assessments built in to chart your progress.

 

• Quizzes at the end of each lesson to check whether you've grasped it all.

• A self-rating system where you can note how well you've mastered each phrase in a lesson. This is great for noting lessons that you could improve on, so you can come back to them later.

 

Who is it suitable for?

 

I would say that Rocket French is suitable for absolute beginners through to reasonably advanced students of French. There's enough material here to keep you going for a long time. The course is also interesting enough to be suitable for older children... particularly the games.

 

The things I really like are...

 

• It quickly gets you understanding and speaking real, usable French. If you're traveling to French-speaking destinations and all you managed to get through was the interactive audio course before you left, I think you'd be pretty well prepared compared to the average phrasebook-toting tourist.

• It appeals to all learning styles. Regardless of whether you're a visual learner, or someone who learns better by listening, by immersion, or by playing games ... they've got all bases covered.

• Entertaining real life situations. I've found myself laughing out loud a number of times while listening to the interactive audio course ... "Be careful not to confuse "boisson" (drink) with "poisson" (fish)... " etc.

• Play lessons on your mp3 player, or burn them to CD to play in your car. The lessons are around 20 minutes long, which is long enough to get into it, not so long that it fries your brain.

• Friendly and engaging — even when you're knees deep in conjugations. Nothing about Rocket French is dull. The ridiculous cartoons are good for a chuckle.

• Listening comprehension and speaking practice — covered! These are usually a weakness of home-study courses, but the games and voice comparison feature in Rocket French tackle these areas pretty well.

• Available online, so it works on both PC and Mac, and is tablet-friendly.

• Extremely reasonably priced. At the time of writing this, Rocket French Premium was clocking in at under a hundred bucks — and that's for what I consider to be a beginners and intermediate course rolled into one. With the other "big name" products you wouldn't even pick up a "level 1 French" product for this price, and certainly not anything with as many features as Rocket French.

• 60 day money-back guarantee: If you don't think it suits you or your learning style, you can just ask for a refund. There's no risk of being stuck with a dud here.

 

Any bad points?

 

It's not available in shops yet — Only online through the Rocket Languages website. You can get a 20-disc physical copy of the entire course, but it's considerably more expensive than the online version. (They do offer free shipping anywhere in the world though, which is a nice touch.)

 

Conclusion:

 

In my opinion, Rocket French is by far the most comprehensive, well thought out learn French product on the market. It caters for all learning styles and will take you from beginner to reasonably advanced without having to purchase additional products.

 

With a strong focus on grammar, real-world conversations and listening comprehension, you'll develop written and spoken fluency at the same time.

 

In my books, this program would still be the best on the market at three times the price they're asking. Gold star for you, Rocket French!