Learning French

Depends what you want to get out of it-- a few tourists' phrases for an upcoming trip, or more serious long-term study? For just a simple crash course before going on vacation, I like the "Fast and Easy" series. To really learn a language, forget instruction programs and just pick up real books and start reading, beginning with the simplest children's books-- you'd be suprised how little time it takes to progress from pre-school to Proust once you really decide to do it.

I learned English as a second language in another country, at the time when there were no comuputers or any gimmicky programms, it was just you, a teacher, and a book. I learned very well, but it took me a long time and a BA in English to get good at it. While majoring in English, I had German as a second language, but for a long time after graduation did not have a chance to use it save a word here and a phrase there. I have now started taking private German lessons, partly to prepare for my trip to Switzerland, partly to prepare to maybe move to Switzerland permanently one day ( I am a Swiss citizen by marriage). I use a serious college textbook with my teacher. In the car I use Pimsleur CDs; they are a gimmick, but don't listen to their promises, just listen to the right way to pronounce. It does help, with time and practice. I now have decided to find me a French teacher and get on with it before I go to Paris.
I think the best approach is traditional, slow and painful::))

I went through alot of different programs trying to find one that worked for me. Because it really depends on you and how you learn. For me I do better with repetition. I liked the Pimsleur programs, though I did not like the prices. But I checked my local library and they had some of the courses (there are 3 courses all with a part A & B), and the others I found on e-audiobooks through the library which can be downloaded to your computer. Pimsleur also has a French short course where you learn just the basics. The only bad part about the CDS is that you don't know the spelling of the words. So a good workbook or some dual language books would be helpful, and they are usually only $5-$15. Good luck!

If youre in a hurry - Pimsleur is pretty good. Im taking a french class and the CDs seem to move faster. They dont teach you Grammar per-se - but quick phrases you need on the street etc. And their system is rather repetitive so after a few 1/2 CDs you get a good feel for some key phrases. They stree the proper pronunciation which is probably more important than proper grammer for beginners. Nothing beats immersion of the culture - but this helps (with a phrase book handy for vocab). If you have time - take a community college course that stresses conversation.

I bought my Pimsleur on eBay, brand-new and sealed very reasonably priced.

If you're looking to become fluent in the language, I would highly recommend Rosetta Stone software. They are expensive, but I have successfully learned French, Spanish and German through their program. I also have several friends in the US Foreign Service that learn languages using this same software.
Try e-bay to see if anyone is selling old software, that is how I bought one of mine.
Good luck!