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| My Spanish Coach | 
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| From: UBI Soft
Category: Video Games
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $25.49
You Save: $4.50 (15%)
Buy New/Used from $25.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  (56 reviews)
Sales Rank: 303
Platform: Nintendo Ds
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0 x 0
MPN: 16391
Model: 16391
UPC: 008888163916
EAN: 0008888163916
ASIN: B000SQ5LOQ
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great for the first 50 lessons, then a disaster. September 23, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a native English speaker who learned French last year. THis got me very excited about languages, and I decided I really wanted to learn Spanish. I thought this Spanish coach would be a great place to start. And I have to say, for the first 50 lessons, it is a fun and effective way to get into the language. However, after the first 50 lessons (they take maybe 8 hours to complete and to really feel like you've learned everything in them), the game goes into what it calls the "Open Lessons"). This is how it works:
Starting with lesson 51, you get 10 words per lesson to "master." You get no phrases, no conjugations, NO GRAMMAR. The words are seemingly chosen at random, though they are set in the game in that order, so you can't change it. I went through about 15 of these "Open Lessons" (there are I think 1,000 in the end!), and found them to be utterly ridiculous. Instead of learning useful vocabulary like "bird," you learn the word for "ORIOLE." Instead of "to say," you learn "to utter." Things like that. Essentially, you learn words that are not used in every day language. I kept doing the next lesson, certain that things would level out, but each lesson I was presented with words that I can't even imagine using even in English. I've read similar reviews to mine, and they were right.
I rarely leave online reviews for products, but I felt that I needed to say something about this game. It really isn't worth the money in the end, and it is a shame because if they put more time into this game they could be much better. I think the whole series follows this same formula. They really need to rework these games and re-release them. I sincerely hope they do!
 Very good. September 10, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I think this title is very good, I definately increased my knowledge of Spanish. I completed 50 lessons. I am by no means 'fluent' because of this game, not even close, but definately learned a lot.
There are 8 different game types. Two of them, Flash Cards and Multiple Choice, are great for vocabulary. The 'Whack A mole' mini-game is modestly fun but once you know the word you're not really learning past that.
I think the best mini-game was one called 'Bridge Builder', where you actually make sentences. I really wish that aspect was emphasised more.
What makes this game great is the portability of the DS, plus the move-at-your-own-pace interaction.
Great for increasing your Spanish vocabulary! September 9, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I took some Spanish in middle school and high school, so I knew just a little bit when I got the game - I wasn't totally in the dark, but close. I think the minigames are great fun! I actually wish there were a few more of them, for variety. They don't seem to really hammer the words into you for very long before moving onto the next lesson, but I've found myself retaining more vocabulary than expected.
The only thing I wish it had is more information on how to conjugate verbs. There is one game that asks you to spell the correct conjugations, but they never tell you up front how to do it - they just let you get it wrong! It is possible to pick up some information by playing it over and over and paying attention when you get corrected, but I would have loved having Correct Verb Conjugations as part of the reference. That's the only reason I'd give it 4 stars rather than 5.
I've had the game since last Christmas and I still find myself going back to it for learning and for fun! It's a great little diversion, and I feel like I'm expanding my vocabulary just a bit each day. That's a lot of benefit for $[...], well worth it!
Good learning tool. September 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this product to get back into Spanish that I had learned in grade and high school. Its great for learning some quick vocabulary and useful verbs to help you get around and find what you need if you were suddenly thrown into a Spanish-speaking country. I also purchased French coach, and only wish Nintendo would make more games like this for other languages.
An interesting way to learn September 7, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I can absolutely see where many reviewers are coming from when they say this title is more entertainment for kids than a learning tool, but I would counter that the entertainment is where `My Spanish Coach' derives its learning. In university now, I took two years of Spanish during high school and (now at lesson #6) have learned more in the few hours playing this game than both previous years of formal education. As I see it, this is solely because the game shifts the learning atmosphere from just memorizing words to becoming familiar and coherent in the words purpose and meaning.
All-in-All, Absolutely worth a try, and well worth the $30 investment. I can't wait for the Chinese version... hoping for a Arabic.
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