Everyday French

There's no doubt that travelling can be a lot of fun, but you'll get much more out of visiting another country if you can read and speak at least some of the local lingo.

From ordering a meal in a restaurant to chatting to the locals, it always helps to have a basic grasp of a foreign tongue. GSP's Everyday series aims to provide a low-cost and interactive way of learning a different language. We decided to look at Everyday French but German and Spanish versions are also available.

Rather than concentrating on the real basics, the package works by teaching you the phrases you'll require in common situations. These are sub-divided into nine topics, from getting around and eating out, to exploring the airport and travelling by train. Clicking on a topic icon on the main screen takes you to a video story revolving around that particular situation.

Each section offers further teaching through the Activity Bank. Here you can learn useful words by matching pictures with both text and audio prompts, opt for a spot of role-playing by taking the place of one of the characters in the video, and record and play back your own voice to hear how you sound when speaking French.

In fact, this latest version includes a voice-recognition package that lets you compare your accent and pronunciation with a native speaker. Other useful features include a dictionary and grammar tutor to help translate sentences and get your tongue around those tricky French phrases.

Everyday French isn't difficult to work with but it's not suitable for someone who has absolutely no knowledge of the language. With no section dedicated to explaining the idea of masculine and feminine nouns, numbers, colours or other basics, the title is much better suited to those who already understand certain concepts and words, and want to gain the confidence to use them abroad. Those with no experience of French will be better off with a more complete basic package.

Having said all this, if you're planning a holiday or even a day trip to France, Everyday French could definitely help you make the most of it. At £10, it's good value.

Contact: GSP 01480 497050
www.gsp.cc