I've been using this dictionary frequently since arriving in Spain just over a year ago, with varying success. According to the front cover though, it's one of the Open University's set books, if that does anything for you.

For its size, it is a very useful dictionary, and it may be particularly good for a teenager doing their GCSE in Spanish, for example. There are several reasons for this- firstly, there's a section at the front written in both languages, which trains you in dictionary use e.g. don't just accept the first word given as a translation; read through until you find the one applicable to the context you want to use it in. This section seems very accessible- it's written in easily understandable language, there are pictures and there's a practical quiz requiring you to look the answers up- the answers are provided later though, which may be a negative point for anyone with a teenager who likes to cut corners, as most seem to!

Secondly, it seems to contain just the right amount of vocabulary for studying at that level (for anyone familiar with the Common European Framework of languages, it seems to go up to about level B1). However, for anyone wanting to study the language in more depth e.g. at A-level, this dictionary is probably a bit lacking. I've tried looking up a word several times recently and found that they were not there, frustratingly. Still, it's much better than a simple pocket dictionary if you want to use it for more than just a short holiday in Spain.

The first half of the dictionary is Spanish - English, and the second half is the reverse. For each word you look up, it will tell you whether it's a noun / verb / adjective etc, and will usually give you a sentence where the word is used in context, with a translation directly afterwards.

Visually it's very well laid-out, since the words you look up are in blue, with the form of the word in a different font and the translation in black and underlined. This makes it very clear and easy to find what you're looking for.

What isn't so good is that, unlike in some dictionaries, it doesn't tell you where the word stress is by underlining it. Also, in the Spanish - English section there's no phonemic script telling you how to pronounce the words, though there is in the English - Spanish section. Perhaps this would be too much information to include for the level the dictionary's aimed at though.

In the centre, between the English and Spanish sections, are some fun word games, some useful information such as how to count to a thousand in both languages or structure a letter in both Spanish and English, and some useful phrases for common situations like answering a telephone in a foreign language. Also provided in the centre are the conjugations of irregular verbs- pages which are well-thumbed in my copy.

Overall, this is a great dictionary if you're studying for a GCSE or want to start living in a Spanish-speaking country. However, it's not ideal if you're travelling, as it's fairly big and weighty, or if you're studying at a higher level, in which case you'd need a bigger one. Mind you, if you don't want to fork out on a full size one, you can always do what I've been doing, which is to use this dictionary but supplement with an online one. This works well for me, and with this one costing only £7.99, it's certainly not going to break the bank.