The course's original 'communicative' approach - of learning by listening, speaking, reading and writing - remains unchanged.

The first three books examine the everyday lives of two families, one Caribbean and one Latin American, to provide a lively teaching framework of varied activities and situations. Twelve lessons, each on a particular theme, are divided into three sections containing approximately one week's work.

Features New to Viva! (Students' Book 1) include:

• NEW Added practice of Spanish in real-life 'situanciones'.
• NEW A troubleshooting Grammer Builder which gives students with difficulties added practice in essential grammar skills, or which serves as an extra revision section.
• NEW Guidance on pronunciation, together with extra vocabulary boxes, to aid students' word recall.
• NEW Three End-of-Term Tests in each book providing teachers with ready assessment material.
• NEW A clear contents overview showing the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation that is practised in each chapter.
• NEW Full-colour pages and up-to-date cultural references to stimulate student interest.

Other key compnents of the course are the Viva! Practice Books, now revised and extended, and Viva! Cassettes, which provide recordings of the dialogues, poems and songs in the Student's Book.

All four authors are experienced teachers of Spanish in various Caribbean countries.