Once the program is configured, on screen you see a control room interface with a colorful array of buttons, switches, panels, and screens. This is not a program whose modus operandi is obvious from the start. Once I had downloaded the user's manual from the Language Adventure Web site and printed it out, I felt much more comfortable. It is also a flexible program, capable of being customized in a variety of ways. A fourth option allows custom settings.
Different users can each set their own individual preferences.
But one of the program's strengths is its interactive format and the ability to record your own pronunciation and compare it with the native speakers as you proceed through a lesson. The German spoken in the program is clear and accurate, and the recording function works well. A suitably Einsteinian professor also pops up on occasion. The Web site offers downloadable extras such as Pico's Coloring Book and Pico's Comic Book. The program can also generate and print reports on each learner's progress.