And honestly, if someone is determined and committed, everything needed to learn Spanish is available for free on the internet.

But that being said, a good course can save a lot of time and effort just by consolidating the best information in one place.

I have seen many many programs and I have to say Rocket has put this together with considerably more thought and experience than most programs out there. It utilizes several different teaching methods, as we all respond better to different techniques. Audio content (with written transcripts), numerous written lessons, games, and lots of exercises to help work on weak areas.

Rocket Spanish

It has been around for awhile and has earned a bit of a following, so as a result there is a members forum which can be a valuable resource if one chooses to use it.

In addition, email support is quite good as well.

All in all I would have to rate Rocket Spanish as the best value for money that I have seen so far. There are some courses that offer  more information and some have considerably higher production values, ie presented in high quality video format and higher quality graphics. But the costs are also triple and sometimes much much more – and the extra costs just are not justified. All the information you need to learn Spanish is here, presented in a logical sequence and at a very good price.

The rest is up to the student.

good quality -good value for money.

If you comute a lot and/or are used to learning via audio tapes, podcasts, cds etc etc, this may be your ticket. I find it difficult to really focus and learn while I am driving but I have several friends who have darn near earned college degrees by this method.

Learn Spanish Like Crazy

There is a lot of information packed into each lesson. So much so that it is not realistic for someone to learn it all by listening to it once. More than one, or even several reviews of each lesson is probably necessary. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing. But some people can become over-whelmed or discouraged by this fact, prefering individual lessons containing less  information so they are able to take in and process it in one sitting and then moving on to the next.

I am going to generalize and say that for the very beginner this may not be the best course, only because I think some written materials are necessary at that level to get the basics. Basic verb conjugation can be made much easier to learn initially with at least a some visual aids.

But for the intermediate learner with some basic verb and vocabulary knowledge, I think this is an excellent course. It is very cost effective compared to some of the better known courses (pimsleur for example), but is as effective or better at advancing the student who has at least a little knowledge.

It does also carry a money back guarantee.