This book is a useful introduction into the language. It is well structured and covers many aspects of the language. The areas covered are particularly suitable for travellers and business contacts. There are, however, a number of shortcomings. Although there is an introduction to the Korean alphabet (Hangeul), the course itself is throughout romanized. This may look less daunting to the learner, but the Korean script is essential to know if you want to travel the country. Korean people will fail to understand the romanized versions of their own language and often you cannot find the signs in English (although, since the World cup this improved significantly). The romanization used is outdated and in some places not consistent. It nevertheless helps you learn the language and pronounce the words correctly. The register used is far too formal for most cases (travel and business alike). This is not a problem, because your attempts to speak the language are appreciated anyway. It does make you sound a bit more foreign, though. The book is heavy on the grammar side and some areas are not explained properly. Overall, however, the grammar bits are explained in an accessible manner. The book will introduce you to the language, and after you finish the course, you should be able to have simple conversations in Korean. There is an audiocassette with the dialogues (recommended).