I first posted a critique of LSLC, particularly their tactic of posting fake reviews at mine and many other sites on Amazon.com , which damned the program ostensibly being reviewed by faint praise, and then went on to praise LSLC to the skies. I received a letter from a law firm in New York (where else) threatening a lawsuit. Since I can barely afford to eat and pay the rent, I backed off. I now say in the words of a famous British General (or Admiral) "sue and be damned". I can't remember who said it, and can't find it on Google, so maybe I've got it all screwed up. If anyone who reads this can enlighten me, I'll be grateful. Anyway, it's the sentiment that counts.

By the way, Patrick Jackson, the founder and part owner (and non-Spanish speaker) of LSLC) was a bankruptcy attorney. Could the new bankruptcy laws have played a part in his switching careers.

The folks at HTLA came to the rescue, God bless 'em, with the result that dozens of these reviews were removed from Amazon.com.

Now for a comparison:

Promises:
    The most respected Spanish course in the world, the Foreign Institute' Basic Program) is what I
    based was designed to take students to a high level of proficiency. For a definition of proficiency, go
    here .

    LSLC doesn´t make any specific promises, just that it will teach you "real" Latin American Spanish.
    I'm not sure what is meant by that--that's what Platiquemos teaches, except we leave our slang and
    colloquialisms--and for good reason. Slang differs greatly from country to country, and using slang
    with less than a full command of the Spanish spoken where you are (and it ain't that easy, folks)
    can be not only embarrassing but even dangerous.

Method:
    I have seen more than once, LSLC described as Pimsleur on steroids. Since I don't think
    much of Pimsleur, there's nothing much else to say.

    People have different learning styles, and Platiquemos uses an eclectic approach (audio-lingual
   (Pimsleur), grammar-translation, and intensive use of the language.

Portability:
    One of the things people praise about  LSLC is that it's portable (i.e. useable without the book).

    I've worked hard to make Platiquemos portable too, adding English prompts where appropriate, etc.
    Some learners are visually oriented, though, and that's where the book comes in. You can read
    everything in the unit you're on, and then practice anywhere with a walkman, ipod, etc.

Culture
    The historical/political culture of Latin America is important to know something of. I've included
    illustrations with cultural information throughout the program. I see nothing like that in LSLC.

Results
    LSLC can't talk about results in any objective manner, simply because a person liked the program,
    it doesn't mean it made her/him proficient.

    The only way to verify proficiency is by being tested by a reputable testing organization. The FSI
    test is, unfortunately only available to government employees. While I can't cite exact numbers, I
    know from experience that the vast majority of those who complete the FSI program come out with
    a 2 plus or 3. However, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages does offer a
    test, based on the FSI test.which is available to everybody is here.

Funny Mistakes. While I make plenty of mistakes in Spanish, few are as amusing as this one from
    one of "Crazy" Patrick's newsletter, to which I subscribed under somewhat false pretenses. He had
    apparently visited Colombia (Cali, I think) and was excited that he'd had a drink of "aguadiente".
    Aguadiente translates as "toothwater". What he meant, of course is "aguardiente" literally
   "firewater".

Finally:  The above represents only my opinion. Before "Crazy Patrick" and his lawyer buddies
    threaten another suit, I'd recommend they read the First Amendment to the U:S. Constitution.

Over 300 million people speak Spanish as a first language, and 90% of them are in the Western Hemisphere.

Spanish is one of the "easiest" languages for an English speaker to learn.

Lawrence Eagleburger was the U.S. Secretary of State during the first Gulf War.  Read what he has to say about the program here.