This is a worthy product, especially for those just starting to learn Mandarin. It is very interactive and can help build your vocabulary and speaking/listening skills. It is especially good for visual learners. However, if you are looking to learn characters, this program focuses on Pinyin, which actually works well for English speakers. However, Fluenz could improve this product by including characters. Maybe they'll do it in a future version. For now, I suggest Tuttle's Learning Chinese Characters for characters. I'm using Fluenz in conjunction with the Pimsleur series (which is great for speaking/listening)- and I think they compliment each other. Though it's not cheap, I think it's worth the money.