[jasonbvr]

Rosetta Stone's language software is great in the absence of classroom instruction. They use native speakers, and with the Japanese version you can select to see the text in romaji, hiragana or kanji. They do lack in the grammar aspects, but it is a great way to build up your basic vocabulary. The only real beef I have with them is the price tag. Those things are worth 50 at the most, but that is why torrents were invented.