I took six units of German back in college and Guten morgen/nacht/tag, Ja, and Ich bin schön are all the German I can speak. (If you happen to understand the last phrase and you're wondering why I have it memorized, I admit...I'm vain. ^^) If only I knew Max back then, I could be more fluent in German now - and four other languages such as French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese.

Max is the host of the PSP's multilingual interactive phrasebook and language tutor TalkMan. Now if you're confident of taking instructions from a talking blue bird, then you can pick up this PSP title and start perfecting your foreign languages. TalkMan comes with a special microphone, and the actual gameplay is seemingly simple. Follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Select where you are
This game comes with more than 3000 crucial phrases and 28 scenarios (like hotel foyer, restaurant, night club, ski slope, etc.) to choose from. Choose your language and the scenario that best fits you.

Step 2: Decide what you want to say
TalkMan has a voice recognition technology. Just by talking into the microphone. Or select a stock phrase from a drop-down list.

Step 3: Get ready to speak in foreign tongues
Max will translate the phrase into the language of your choice and will even include different emotion levels for comic effect.

Step 4: Interact!
Let your new-found friend hear what Max has to say. If you're feeling brave, listen to Max carefully and repeat the phrase yourself.

Step 5: Let the audience respond...
Questions have possible answers pre-selected, but your audience can also initiate conversation of their own. With the ability to reverse languages instantly, it couldn't be simpler.

Now TalkMan also comes with two game modes that lets you perfect your accent and improve your understanding while having fun. Max dons his mortar board to challenge you to imitate the pronunciation of essential phrases in the Pronunciation Game. In the Listening Game, he lets you listen to a few phrases and asks you to identify the right translation.

If you're also having a hard time waking up in the morning and the conventional alarm tone just doesn't do it for you, TalkMan may also help you there. The Alarm Mode wakes you with a phrase in a language of your choice. Now to make sure you're really awake, the alarm can't be stopped until you recognize the correct translation. Talk about brain activity to keep you awake!

Already popular in Japan and Korea, TalkMan enters the West this June.

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