Rosetta Stone

[onekatietwo.livejournal.com]

Hi.

I've decided that it's (past) time for me to start learning a new language and i've decided on Russian. With any luck, i'll be able to take classes at school starting in the fall. Although i'm wondering if i should have taken on a language more similar to English (easier to learn), i'm also extremely excited by the idea of being able to understand and speak Russian.
Anyway, i decided to buy the Rosetta Stone software to supplement the classes and also to get a little head start before school begins in the fall. I haven't had it running for very long (it just barely works with Windows Vista) but from the few lessons i've done, it seems to be pretty effective for learning how to understand and read the Russian language.
Has anybody else used this software at all? Do you think it's at all beneficial or would i have better luck if i just stuck to the classes mostly?
I'm curious as to how effective it could possibly be once i get past the simple noun and verb lessons.

Also, the writing section of the software seems to be a joke. I think it could be effective for learning a language if i already knew the alphabet, but Russian is completely new to me. Should i abandon the writing section completely? Or at least until i can learn the alphabet through other sources? I'm also having difficulty with the speaking/speak recognition. But, i suppose that is to be expected.

Basically, i'm just wondering about this software and other people's experiences with it. Should i keep trying to use it every day? Will that help me speak the language more quickly? Will it help me with my class in the fall? Is it going to make me think i'm saying/hearing totally different things than i actually am?