children's software review
encyclopedia britannica ultimate reference
suite cd-rom
Rating: 
Ages: 9-up Subject:
Reference Brand:
Britannica
Review Sections: Product Overview
Technically Speaking Dollar
Value
Tips & Notes
Product Overview
This latest 2003 edition of the well-respected Britannica Encyclopedia offers
some significant new features. New to this edition is the inclusion of three
reference libraries, each catering to a specific age group — Encyclopedia
Britannica (for high school, college, and beyond), Britannica Student Library
(fifth grade to highschool), and Elementary (second through sixth grades). Each
library features Merriam Webster's dictionary and thesaurus (the two children's
libraries include the Student Edition of this dictionary, and the Collegiate
version is featured in the highest level library). World Atlases and Interactive
Timelines are also leveled.
Upon entering the Reference suite, the first thing to do is select from the
three levels of libraries via clearly marked tabs. A general keyword search
pulls up results organized into categories based on type of content — encyclopedia,
dictionary, thesaurus, images, multimedia, or online content. Results of the
search appear in the form of a list on the left-hand side of the window. Previews
of the contents of each article in the list, featuring the first sentences of
the article in question, appear in a pop-up window. This is a handy feature
simply because there are often many search results to choose from.
The content in the Student and Elementary libraries is streamlined in an attempt
to meet the needs of students. The reading level, which has always been rather
sophisticated in Britannica, is slightly more suitable to younger children.
This encyclopedia is strong in the area of editor-selected web sites. Plenty
of links to relevant web sites are available for further research. Owners of
the encyclopedia are entitled to free quarterly updates to both content and
web links for one year.
The Research Organizer allows users to create projects and outlines. Notes
taken while browsing the encyclopedia can be dragged into projects. Users can
also add bookmarks to pages and capture images.
Browsing the reference suite is possible either by selecting any letter of
the alphabet or by using the interesting Knowledge Navigator tool. With this
latter option, a ring of general, top-level topics is pictured. When users select
a topic, it moves to the center of the workspace and a new set of topics, related
to the selected topic, appear in a cluster around the now centered top-level
topic. Knowledge Navigator is only available in the Britannica Library.
The Student version is also available as a standalone product. However, it
makes more sense to purchase this "ultimate" title simply because it supplies
more information. Our young testers often needed to refer to content in the
upper level library after they came up short in the student libraries.
The content of the reference suite can be copied to the hard drive, space
permitting. Otherwise, there is a lot of disk-swapping to do. A DVD-ROM edition
is also available.
To sum up, the content is very strong in this reference library, and usability
is satisfactory. The presentation, however, falls short in comparison to Encarta
and World Book. Both Encarta and World Book mix multimedia content creatively
and present inviting features that encourage children to explore above and beyond
their school needs. While our testers found Britannica an excellent source of
information for their project needs, they closed the program as soon as they
found the information they needed.
Technically Speaking
Minimum system requirements are Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/NT
with Service Pack 5 or higher, Pentium 266 MHz or faster (350 MHz recommended),
128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended), and a CD-ROM drive. Mac users require iMac
or G3 350 MHz or faster, System 10.1 or higher, 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended),
and a CD-ROM drive. The program requires 400 MB of hard drive space.
Dollar Value
This set carries a suggested retail price of approximately
$70 US.
Reliable, authoritative content and three different
levels that cater to different age groups are this reference library's main
strengths. The presentation, however, is not creative enough to capture children's
attention beyond their basic school needs.
Released: 2002
Reviewed: March 2003
Tips & Notes
To sample the Britannica Encyclopedia, parents might want to
check out britannica.com. The site features teasers, of sorts, of
the content. Subscribers get the full content. Having
trouble deciding on an encyclopedia? See
also our Microsoft Encarta
2005 review and World Book
Encyclopedia review, both of which are more kid-friendly.
World Book Encyclopedia software has always been especially
kid-friendly but not very comprehensive. With the 2005 edition of
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia software, the series has our
highest recommendation, as Encarta Kids has been added to the
feature list.
Current editions:
Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 CD Ultimate Reference Suite
Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 DVD Ultimate Reference Suite
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