The latest language learning companion teaches some great life skills through mini games and several modes that entertain at a decent level, but mainly inform and engage the mind. Mei Li, your life-like virtual Chinese teacher, guides you through the most widely used Chinese language, Mandarin (yes, more than one exist), not Cantonese (largely localized in Hong Kong).
Numerous game modes promote plenty of learning opportunities in some entertaining ways. Players can also check their status, replay lessons, reference a dictionary, check phrases and even sketch characters. Drawing characters, modeled in special presentations, teaches as well, but the main focus remains in the vocabulary and pronunciation then gradually builds to phrases and sentence structure.
After an initial assessment, players are placed among the 29 lessons. The game has minimum requirements for lesson advancement, which eventually build to a huge amount - approximately 1000 lessons, 10,000 words and 1500 phrases.
Asian languages can be challenging to learn. Game developers take efforts boosting the cultural elements since most people playing won’t be traveling to China and living within the culture, which puts all stateside Chinese language education on a level playing field. Players learn about Chinese culture, landmarks and other travel elements related to the existing learning elements. Developers of this $29.99 game wisely give players looking to avoid formal classes several options through the numerous game modes, which can be hard to navigate through at times (maybe a “base” bar that maps your status at the bottom of the screen would help).
Multiple choice and flash card modes provides standard learning while bridge builders advance players to sentence structure. Some modes have time limits while others incorporate sound into the mix. Two stand out modes called write cards and fading characters, have similar gameplay (start with fading first) where players learn to draw characters through repetition and example.
The audio elements are great. Players can record their voices and even compare them to a native speaker. Pitches and variations, shown as audio wave graphics, can best be heard when wearing earphones, so players optimize their learning and performance when trying out their newfound knowledge out in the field. The entertaining mini game modes include fill-in-the-blank, memory, hangman, word searches, kanji writing, and the carnival-like hit a word where you quickly hit the correct word – great for building vocabulary. This recommended game series already has French and Spanish predecessors, with My Japanese Coach coming out this October.
My Chinese Coach is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.
Article comments
1 - Dave
It is not "kanji writing", that is Japanese, you mean to say "hanji writing"
2 - TJ
Actually, for Chinese he ought to say "Hanzi" writing
3 - mandy
i have both the french and spanish and they are grate i plan on buying the chinese and there's another one coming later this year i was told i just wish the would make Russian ,aribic , hebrew,latin and Gaelic
4 - Katie
I saw my friend using the Spanish one, I was searching online for a Russian version... doesn't appear to be one. It would really help me with my class, so it's too bad.
5 - Courtney
I've been dying to learn to speak Russian. I've got the French and Japanese games (I suck at fFrench but i'm doing okay with Japanese) Whoever invented these games is a genius
6 - Nellielle
I do not have either Japanese or Chinese coach, but I would love to own My Japanese Coach. I have a friend in my Japanese class that uses it and it really helps her. She can even teach the class some words we haven't learned yet. So I would love to own the Japanese version, as she used to be at the bottom of the class.
7 - Tall Writer
Such a great game series. Use these and our cooking games A LOT, especially over the summer. Glad everyone is enjoying them.