When I bought this course (bk & cassettes) I was expecting something user friendly, with a few good pictures or fotos here and there and for the author to guide you through the material. Unfortunately I found a boring, unimaginative text which was difficult to use. Although the book does cover most of the important points of grammar and vocabulary, it is dry and boring to read. The book reads a lot like an instruction manual for a piece of home hardware, which bored me in minutes. Finally, the tapes, the voices on the tapes speak too slowly, getting used to hearing conversation at normal speed after hearing the dialogues on the cassettes would be really difficult. My advice, save your money and look elsewhere or wait for a better course to come on the market.