In this paper, the effectiveness of a "CyberBuch," a multimedia program for reading authentic German texts, is assessed in three areas. First, based on user evaluation of the visual interface design, the usability of the program is assessed with particular regard to user reaction to the multimedia components of the program. Second, learner behavior while using the program is tracked, and the types of multimedia links chosen are tracked. Third, the effectiveness of the program for two levels of language learning is assessed: short-term recall of vocabulary items and overall reading comprehension. Based on answers to questionnaires, users felt overwhelmingly that seeing a photograph or movie helped reinforce learning, but that the text and audio links were not as helpful. The user logs indicated that a greater proportion of picture and movie links were chosen than text links. The vocabulary tests show that vocabulary words were learned and recalled better when "defined" with picture or movie links than when only textual definitions were available. Eight figures and one table illustrate data. (Author/MAS)