I'm considering taking the plunge..
and buying Rosetta Stone. Anyone think I'm making the wrong choice?
13 Answers
I would recommend you do a 'search' on this site and read up on all the comments others have proffered on that very subject... I think you will find plenty or at least a good amount, that will show a negative consensus on that product.... I hope that helps some! 
Go to Google and type in "Free Spanish lessons." Most aren't too good, and some are fantastic (like this one). Because we all have different learning abilities and knowledge levels, there is no one website that is the best for everybody.
I used Rosetta Stone Level I for Latin. I found it hugely expensive and not nearly as good as this site is for Spanish. Between this site, Bueno Entonces and Conjugation Nation on my iPhone, all of which combined are cheaper than level I Rosetta Stone, I've got Spanish covered.
All right ,I did not really want to post regarding this. there are many treads on this already. I had a 'hot version" of rosetta stone in spanish, it does teach you many good basics no fault there at all, What it does not teach is is how to understand or respond to a question you might ask a spanish speaker.
For example ¿donde está el bano?
Está en al fin del pasillo en la derecha, pero está fuera de servicio en este momento.
Now what will you do?
I am amused by 'reviews' of Rosetta Stone from people who have pirated the software. For the person that was disappointed that RS didn't teach you how to greet people, start at level 1, unit 1. You will have said Hola, Cómo estás and Adiós so many times you will throw up. Paco, from Level 4, you will find the question ¿Dónde está el baño? and the answer is based on previously learned material, Sigue derecho....es la segunda puerta a la derecha. There is an entire unit devoted to giving and receiving directions in minute detail, covering some of the very points you deride. I've gone through the entire 5 levels of RS Latin American Spanish, and it worked for me. I also use other methods of learning. In less than 3 years I can converse in Spanish, and I owe most of my vocabulary and pronunciation skills to RS.
Here is what you need to keep in mind about Rosetta Stone, it teaches objects very well. For example, dog, cat, mouse, ball, etc. are easy to learn and remember. I have been using Rosetta Stone for two years and the hardest part is verbs and words like que and se whose meanings may not seem apparent at first.
It is recommended by the Customer Support at Rosetta Stone that you use the program with another curriculum. I had some issues with it last year, but now they are all resolved. I must say though, it takes a little bit of decoding to understand verbs and relationships between people and objects.
I really don't like to double post on a thread, but this has got me going.
Here, and only here,"hasta donde yo se" (as far as I know) can you post what may seem to be silly questions on points of language use, and get good solid usable answers, and links to answers. The lessons are good, the flashcards and reference materials as well. And we get to enjoy the forum. try it for a while, you may come to enjoy it as the rest of us do.
And its free.
I torrented it. It's not bad. I enjoy it, but I have also never taken a Spanish lesson before. Though, I would have liked it better if it had started out with Greetings and such..Seeing as I can talk all I want about how 'the boy and the man eat sandwiches' or how 'three women are wearing pants and one woman is wearing a skirt' but I can't answer what my name is.....oh my. I leave for Mexico in a month and I can't even tell them were I'm from or my name..That's my only downfall with it so far. But that's only the first lesson in level 1... if anything, I'd say torrent it. But if you look at a Spanish lesson in a University or College..it's approx $200 (same price as Rosette Stone) so, it's up to you. I hope that helped. Just ask if you have any further questions. 
-Nessa
I liked;
Take Off In Spanish
From Oxford University Press
It was a lot of fun.
-Scott
You could get the free demo disk. I got it and was not impressed with it at all but maybe you would like it.
I would also recommend reading the reviews on amazon.com. I read them a while back and the reviews were mixed. The general consensus seemed to be that you were paying a lot for marketing and advertising and much higher cost didn't necessarily mean the product was any better than others on the market.
Thanks Vince53. I'll do that.
what other choices are available?
