Ideally, it will be used along with the book from Waseda University called “Wordscape,” one of the vocabulary-building books used in the School of Political Science and Economics. Of course, it can also be used just by itself as a stand-alone app for TOEIC- and TOEFL-range vocabulary.

Select a unit from chapters 1 through 14 in the menu view and select “Reading and Listening: Story Teller.” There you can read the main text of the unit and also listen to it (tap on the “Play/Stop” button on the reading screen). The target vocabulary for the unit is in bold text.

To become familiar with the vocabulary: from the unit menu select “Study Unit Vocabulary.” There you have the Japanese equivalent meaning, the English description, and the pronunciation, which can be heard by tapping on the list. After studying this “super flash card” for a while, try out your new knowledge in one of the quizzes.

The “E/J” quiz will test your recognition of the Japanese equivalent for the English target word.

There's no time limit in the quiz, so don't hurry! As you work through the quiz, your accuracy rating will show up on the meter. On reaching the last word in the quiz, you'll get an “award” for the result with a “certificate” you can send by e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

The “Word Descriptions” quiz might be a little more difficult, as you'll be working solely in English, matching an English dictionary description with the target word.

In the “Sound-Icon” quiz, you'll have to use your visual and audio memory to match the icon with the target sound of the spoken word. Wordscape builds memory retention by using audio memory, visual memory, and written language to make the new vocabulary stick.

In the game section at the bottom of the screen, there are time-limited game versions of the quiz. The fuse to the bomb is lit as you start the game. You must get as many correct answers as you can before the bomb explodes! When you get a correct answer a little fairy will pop in and “wish” you more time, extending the amount of time you have. WIth an incorrect answer, though, a little dragon pops in from the left and burns up more fuse…shortening your time! It is possible to answer all the questions in a game without the bomb exploding, but be warned—this is pretty hard work! (However, there is a special reward: a unique certificate is awarded to those who succeed!)