Se donner le mot is a multimedia set of interactive activities for intermediate or advanced level learners of French as a second or foreign language (or for first-language speakers). The materials consist of two DVDs, one containing 52 2-minute capsules, in which an actor and his theatre director act out a scene illustrating and explaining an everyday expression, such as accorder ses violons and avoir du pain sur la planche; the other DVD contains 52 ‘Entractes’, in which the linguist Jacques Laurin explains the meaning and origin of these and related expressions, 208 ‘Jeux interactifs’, and four Guides pédagogiques as PDF files totalling 578pp. There is also a student website, www.sedonnerlemot.tv, offering access in stages to a wide variety of related materials and activities. On the first DVD, the sketches are lively and varied; the two main actors are sometimes augmented or replaced by two or three others (only one of whom is female). The acting is lively and engaging, and although the need to include the featured expression and explain its meaning sometimes leads to awkward dialogue, effective use is made of verbal and visual associations, including plays on words (la Palice/la police) and physical gestures and props (playing Monopoly to illustrate pauvre comme Job and riche comme Crésus), to reinforce retention of the target phrase. Two of the three minor characters have a strong English accent, which would perhaps serve as a useful reference point to Anglophone learners showing where they are on their own learning curve. On the second DVD, the ‘208 jeux interactifs’ are lively and inventive, even addictive, benefitting from a particularly ingenious interactive on-screen presentation; the activities for each set of expressions come in a good variety of formats. On-screen help is available throughout: ‘Besoin d'aide’, ‘Antidote’, and also a ‘Carnet d'abonné’ where the learner can read and/or hear an explanation of each of the 40 featured expressions. The four ‘Guides pédagogiques’, by Linda de Serres, are based on the same principles as for those in Loft hanté (see above), and follow a similar format: the pedagogical raison d’être for each activity is set out clearly, ample photocopiable material is provided, and there are several pages of suggested teaching sequences for each expression. The first three Guides provide, respectively, ‘13 jeux pour s'amuser’, ‘20 jeux pour apprendre’ and ‘13 jeux pour exceller’; the fourth Guide offers ‘12 expressions idiomatiques’ and ‘72 jeux éducatifs reproductibles’, and includes full transcripts of 12 of the sketches from the first DVD. Overall, the wealth of varied and imaginative activities arising from a few dozen French expressions is impressive, though the materials would need to be used selectively, in order to avoid learner – and teacher – fatigue.