Review of "Rocket Chinese", by Lin Ping

Struggling to master Chinese?  Native speaker Lin Ping says she can help you learn Chinese as fast as possible with Rocket Chinese--an entirely self-taught teaching software program.  To begin learning, you'll sit in the comfort of your own home, reviewing the lessons and playing interactive games to grow your knowledge of the Chinese language.

From meeting new people to getting around the city, Rocket Chinese helps you learn how to speak during any situation--and can help you master the vocabulary to become a fluent speaker.

As an added bonus, you can choose to purchase the 20-CD set for on-the-go learning or download it instantly online, where you can access it anytime on your computer.  

This review will look at the following:

• What to expect when using Rocket Chinese
• Why you may (or may not) like about this program
• What the customers have to say about Rocket Chinese

First, let's look at what you should expect once you use this program.

What to Expect

Rocket Chinese, like Rocket German, is a self-guided teaching software program that helps people learn Chinese through multiple methods that engage the brain.  Together, these methods of engagement are called "interactive learning," which anecdotal evidence suggests helps people learn languages faster.

Rocket Chinese uses three main methods: audio tapes, vocabulary software games, and a special recording pronunciation helper.  The first, the audio tapes, were originally discussed in the Rocket German review, and are nearly identical in this software program.  You can expect to receive over 30 audio tapes equaling 15 hours in length, which explain the basics of learning Chinese, how to speak correctly, and how to use the right pronunciation.

You'll also recognize another similar feature in Rocket Chinese--their vocabulary software games, including MegaVocab and MegaAudio.  These games teach you how to quickly recognize new vocabulary words in its written and spoken forms, enabling you to learn the language faster.

Where it differs from Rocket German is the inclusion of its special recording pronunciation helper, called Rocket Record.  With this program, you perfect your pronunciation by repeating the same phrase repeated by the program, and then continue to pronounce it until the voice map matches that of the program.

You'll receive all of this in the Rocket Chinese program package, which also includes free access to a Chinese language learning forum and a 60-day money back guarantee.

Issues with Rocket Chinese

As a self-teaching language program, Rocket Chinese is often lauded by critics and customers alike.  Many of them say it is thorough, comprehensive, and easy to follow, allowing even complete Chinese novices to learn the language quickly.

However, unlike Rocket German, Rocket Chinese is missing one key feature--instant access to a language tutor.  You don't have a tutor to email or call here; instead, you'll have to get help from their exclusive forum, which, unfortunately, is filled with beginners and Chinese-speaking novices.  Not exactly a helpful mix, per se.

There have also been complaints that the audio portion of the program is too long and boring, with no rooms for breaks.  Instead, what it resembles is a school lecture, so you constantly need to pay attention to learn.  This can be difficult for some people.

What the Customers are Saying

As a language program, Rocket Chinese has no shortage of compliments from its fellow customers.  Here's what some of them had to say:

"Learning a language is a bit of a struggle at first, but Rocket Chinese has a lot of variety and lessons to make that first leap easier and continue on to a higher level.  I would recommend this to anyone, and I'm already saving up for the premium 2 for when I've mastered this one completely."

"If you want to learn this difficult language, Rocket Chinese is my recommendation.  It doesn't cost you an arm and a leg and you will be speaking basic Chinese almost immediately."

"This product is a good learning guide for anyone who want [sic] to improve or practise their chinese.  It would be quite tough for you to study in your own way because there are a lot of similar sounds for different words."

Conclusion

So--should you try Rocket Chinese?  If you're just beginning to learn Chinese and need a good "foundation" to learn the basics of Chinese, then yes, this product can really work for you.  It doesn't contain all the same features as the other Rocket Language programs, however, so you want to keep that in mind.