... knowing who to ask. And who should come to the rescue, but Kate from Kenkyuukai.

Here's what she has to say:-

"I think it sounds great! If it's got the dictionaries and sound files, what more could you ask for? I'd say that nothing is out of your league as such - I started reading japanese fiction (no notes to help, the real thing!) in my first year of studying. And it was horrible. I had to look up every third word, and even then I wasn't sure if they were right in the context. BUUUUUT, now, in my second year of studying I can read only checking my dictionary a couple of times a page, and its seems to have helped my spoken fluency as well - it seems to reinforce things I've heard but wasn't sure about reading. So yes! Definitely go for it!"

That's all the encouragement I need!