Like Gair Wrth Air, the Dysgiadur Brawddegu is text-based, so it takes up very little space and runs quickly on a PC. The navigation through the software is easy and self-explanatory, using a small menu of keystrokes. Again, there is no accompanying sound to help directly with pronunciation. Hence, using it concurrently with an in-person language class, a CD-ROM course, or book/CD combination would make it most helpful for those who need pronunciation assistance or review. However, as a study aid or revision guide, this straightforward program should be fairly useful.
The program's interface is simple: For individual word lookup, you enter a word or part of a word in English or Welsh; or you can choose to take a revision quiz. As stated on the QaQ website, the Dysgiadur Brawddegu will find exact and near matches, taking mutations into account, and also shows the words in the context of a phrase or sentence. Synonyms are also shown for many words. For example, I entered the word mynegi and not only got a straight definition ("to declare, to relate, to tell") but also the sentence Dw i eisiau mynegi barn--"I want to express an opinion"-along with the additional synonyms datgan, cyhoeddi.
I thought it was quite useful to have examples of phrases and expressions that use a given word, and it was also nice that the software would return examples of the word in different parts of speech-e.g., mynegiant - "expression" and mynegiad cyfrif cyllid - "a budget account statement." It's an excellent mnemonic device to introduce related words at the same time, at least it is for me, and it's a nice way to learn several words or expressions (or mynegiant) at once. Another great thing about this program is that once you have purchased it, you can go to the QaQ website for free downloads of updated and expanded vocabulary.
At the same time, it would have been helpful if the software included multiple examples of the word used in context, as an additional aid to memory. Another thing to keep in mind is that this program is not a complete grammar reference, just a tool for review. So if you're looking for explicit information on parts of speech, masculine or feminine nouns, or verb conjugations beyond that provided in the context of the examples, then you'll need a separate grammar text or Welsh course to get that information. This software is meant to be a supplement for learners, though, and as such it does a nice job.
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