There are several courses which can help you to reach level 3 in Chinese language (i.e., you will be able to carry out simple everyday talks).
You may start with EuroTalk, using either EuroTalk's shell or you can create playlists for Winamp and listen English (or Russian) words with Chinese translation. It contains about 300 words.
Next step you must take is to master Pinyin. There is an excellent program called PinYing Master. Use it to study Chinese tones and to build your startup vocabulary.
Final steps are Rossetta stone Chinese and Pimsleur Mandarin Chinese. What a wonderful possibility - to be able to comprehend Chinese prattle!