My new ninety-second acid test for language books is if you can find in ninety seconds the thing you would need to know how to say if you could only say one thing in a language, namely, "Do you speak English?" (or your language of choice?). This book failed the test, but it seemed all right for learning for someone for more time--thematically organized, increasing in difficulty--and I thought the formality of the dialogues was cute: instead of Jack and Suzy or Jon-san and Mearii-san you have "Jan Visser" and "Piet van Dijk." It is to har. ( )