Mais oui! can be installed on both the PC and Mac. Minimum system requirements for Windows are: 486 033DX computer, Microsoft Windows 3.1, 8 MB RAM, 5 MB free memory, 256‐color display adapter, double speed CD‐ROM drive, Windows‐compatible sound card, speaker or headphone and microphone, MPC level 2 computer recommended. Macintosh installation requires Macintosh LC III series, system 7.0.1, 8 MB RAM, 5 MB free memory, 13 inch, 256‐color monitor, double‐speed CD‐ROM drive and microphone. The installation procedure is easy and straightforward requiring no particular skills.
Mais oui! is a program written for beginning French learners. It is presented in a very simple and interesting manner, revealing cultural aspects of France throughout its flow. The mechanism of discovery is centered upon interviews with native speakers in the streets of France, the main source of information being video clips. The program is designed in such a way that it provides all materials and instructions in a comprehensive and convenient way so as to make the learning process more easy and efficient.
The program has thirteen chapters each containing two sections. Each section deals with an interesting topic likely to be encountered in daily life situations. The user may study key words of the current chapter separately and view the text while the movie displays. Activities presented by “Mais oui!” are unique in many ways. The user hears a short sentence and is asked to find its matching situation among given pictures by moving the picture across the screen. True and false question are asked in reference to the material studied in the passage of the current chapter. In the conversation exercise, questions are asked and the learner is expected to answer and record a response. Answers can be saved and compared to the answers given by a native speaker.
The writing exercise requires the learner to write a passage on a given topic, usually one similar to the topic in the current chapter. Hints on how to attempt it appear along with a list of words that are likely to be used in the exercise. Each section of the chapter introduces a popular historical landmark or some interesting cultural aspects of France. The learner explores interesting cultural aspects of the country by sensorial experience.
Mais oui! is specifically designed to complement the Mais oui! student text book. An interesting feature of this program is that all its conversations (text) are based on authentic interviews of common people throughout France, giving the learner a broad view of the attitudes and daily lives of French people from every spectrum of society. The text is accompanied by a photo and a brief passage about a well known cultural monument or scene of the place where the interview took place.
The program is very attractive both in visual and textual content. Frequent use of motion picture and cultural information on the country and interviews with common French people present a vivid picture of French society. The program is very well organized. A guide is provided at every step; and the help section is comprehensive. The student can choose to view interview video clips in any order and enjoy a flexible interactive experience. The recording system is efficient and easy to use.
Mais oui! is an outstanding CD‐ROM for beginning French language learners. I would suggest introducing a French‐English and English‐French dictionary in the program. On‐line technical help, internet URL, toll free telephone service, and e‐mail contact are available and well maintained.
This program has no search engine; but it is networkable. It runs across platforms and does not require installation. It can run from any storage device large enough to hold it and it can be cached easily and run from a hard drive which provides much better performance than a CD‐ROM drive. It can be used in institutions and language libraries or for independent study beyond the class material. This program achieves a superior level as compared to other programs of similar type and is highly recommended.
