Whereas the auditory speech-comparison component is a truly useful feature, the visual representation or sound-wave graph is, at best, only mildly effective in revealing speech speed and stress; actual letter-sound quality gets lost to the speech waves' hypersensitivity to voice volume or proximity to the microphone.

Figure 3. The prerecorded native pronunciation of periódico (top graph) as compared to the non-native recording of metafórico (bottom graph).

Printing out files is another weak spot in this program because the procedure, although adequately explained, is rather complicated -- files must first be "exported" from the program (converted into a different kind of file) to be printed. Moreover, personal notes cannot be printed on the Macintosh (although it does print personal vocabulary lists and the original texts).

Regarding the three language games, one is a gap-filling exercise that draws directly from the readings. The player must answer correctly twenty times to win. A second game asks the player to unscramble phrases within a reading segment. Here, it is speed that counts. The third is another gap-filling game, but the player has to select words from a self-replenishing list, again taken from the texts. Reading comprehension speed is then scored.

The grammar program provides very general information about Spanish grammar, including a review of the alphabet and basic pronunciation rules. This program supplements the automatic grammar comments appearing on a word-by-word (or segment) basis.

Content Considerations

The three current reading selections -- new titles are to be periodically added -- vary in style and linguistic content, and they include a short story ("La sombra de un fotógrafo"), a dialogue piece ("Conversation Series: A Trip to Madrid"), and some investigative journalism ("En busca de una leyenda") -- 40 pages or 15,000 words of reading. Regarding cultural content and the dialect of Spanish used, Spain predominates, at least in print, while Latin America receives only geographical reference. Curiously, there is a mismatch between this cultural/linguistic emphasis in the written versions, and the emphasis among their auditory accompaniments -- all of which are characterized exclusively by Latin American pronunciation.

Considering each text individually provides further insights. "La sombra del fotógrafo", written by the apparently native author Rosana Acquaroni Muñoz (in Castilian Spanish), is an involving story, containing elements of mystery and fantasy -- the plot itself providing the motivation the reader needs to work through new language structures. But while the publishers suggest the story appropriate for beginners -- its vocabulary and verb forms naturally limited by story content and narrative style -- it seems more suitable for the low intermediate level.

Following this text in difficulty (although not formally leveled) would probably be "Conversation Series: A trip to Madrid", written and translated into Spanish by Tim Hildreth. It provides ample exposure to formal conversational conventions related to travel and socializing, again within the context of the Spanish culture and the Castilian. Contrary to the previous plot, this one merely serves as a medium for the continual display of conversational forms. It is rather long --around twenty pages; the dialogues are unrealistically formal given the context; and it contains several instances of interference from non-native structure and word choice (from English), including, for example, "estoy muy excitado" as opposed to estoy muy ilusionado (I'm very excited); or, when one character greets another over the phone, he says, "Jim, es Juan", instead of Jim, soy Juan. Nevertheless, a revised edition of this text would be useful to the degree that it provides much-needed exposure to practical conversational structures.

"En busca de una leyenda", by Anne Meadows "and Daniel" (sic), is taken from Américas Magazine, and represents the only selection written in a Latin American variety of Spanish (the regional origin of which is not specified). In terms of vocabulary, it represents the most advanced selection of the three readings. The cultural content centers on the escapades and subsequent speculations surrounding an infamous band of US outlaws operating in South America. It is a solid piece of journalism, of high interest especially to US readers.

Overall, Spanish Now! represents a practical, user-friendly program, successful at allowing the intermediate-level learner to customize some essential areas of his or her language acquisition. It is especially valuable to those interested in expanding their reading comprehension skills, vocabulary base, and auditory/oral skills. It would be helpful to advanced learners if future titles would come accompanied by definitions in Spanish as opposed to English translations only. Finally, this program's potential as a solid and comprehensive learning tool would further improve with more uniform attention to native Spanish, and with the inclusion of skills-development in the area of written expression.