RussianNow! Deluxe Reviewer's Comments

RussianNow! Deluxe by Transparent is our "TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award Winner." RussianNow! Deluxe is capable Russian language software that comes with great support, is easy to install and a nice set of features.

We found RussianNow! Deluxe was not intuitive for the Russian language beginner, but designed more for the advanced Russian student. This is the main reason RussianNow! Deluxe scored lower than both our #1 ranked and #2 ranked products.

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Ease of Use:  

Sections in RussianNow! Deluxe are divided by tabs and can be navigated easily-just choose the tab you want. But once you are in a new section, the controls are not as intuitive so the overall design may be confusing.

Feature Set:  

RussianNow! Deluxe offers several unique features, including the ability to slow the pronunciation of a Russian word, which we found valuable. If you're having trouble with particular words, the check-word feature allows you to select and focus on those words until you master them.

Another RussianNow! Deluxe feature we appreciated was the Big Video Screen, which lets you select an interesting article or story written in Russian so you can explore language through authentic media sources. This feature also allows you to view and listen to people interacting in Russian, bringing you a step closer to a realistic Russian language setting.

RussianNow! Deluxe could improve its voice recognition software; we felt it lacked accuracy because it offered weak criticism and false praise.

Ease of Installation:  

The installation of RussianNow! was simple. However, if you install the Global Writer program and you use Office 2000, you may experience problems with your computer's word processing program.

Help/Support:  

The help and documentation Transparent provides for RussianNow! Deluxe is excellent. They offer support by email (typical response time is two business days) and a toll-free technical support line. The Transparent's website offers a FAQs page, an online form for questions and occasional system updates.

Fundamentals:  

RussianNow! Deluxe's GrammarPro teaches you proper sentence construction as well as the fundamentals behind correct pronunciation. The Russian language program also provides you with grammar tutorials and quizzes to help refine your skills and increase your listening comprehension.

Effectiveness:  

RussianNow! Deluxe offers many diverse applications and teaching styles, allowing you to pick the ones that best fit your learning needs.

Summary:  

If you have some knowledge of the Russian language, then RussianNow! Deluxe is a good program that can take you far. But if you're a newcomer to Russian, we suggest the #1 ranked Rosetta Stone Russian.