Microsoft Encarta Reference Library DVD 2002

After a quick install, we were off and running. We were immediately impressed by how current the package is right out of the box. Because of the online connection, the package automatically updates itself (as they say in the packaging, "History didn't stop when this disc was made"). While we were researching Tampa, Florida, for instance, we were not only able to check out detailed maps from the interactive world atlas and general points of interest, but we also noted the local temperature and current headlines, courtesy of MSNBC.com.

The packaging presents the software as if it were seven unique tools, but the truth is these tools are interwoven and enmeshed in such a way that it doesn't even feel like there's a border between one and the next. For example, reading an article gave us not only the meaty content with links to other articles, but also a multimedia gallery, related articles, and editor's picks for related Web sites. We also found a number of really cool games, timelines, and 3-D virtual walk-throughs of historic sites, as well as headlines from the Encarta Today feature that held our interest.

You might think that with all of this information within easy reach it would be easy to get lost jumping from topic to topic. It seems that the Encarta developers had this in mind and structured the navigation to mirror your favorite Web browser: simply navigate back, forward, or home to get your bearings. You can also jump to the pop-up dictionary, thesaurus, or world atlas with just a click of your mouse.

Two handy features are the researcher function and the FactFinder. The researcher allows you to create a project, for which you can collect related articles, definitions, illustrations, and multimedia features in one place. You can then opt to easily print out your research (the output is a complete, easy- to-read document with reference citations), or you can produce a more customized document with notes on your findings and adjustments to the layout. The default format for the report is an HTML file, a convenient feature that allows for maximum multimedia interactivity within the document.

The FactFinder is a tool that acts independent of Encarta. Simply hover over any word on your screen--whether in a document, on the Web, or otherwise--and the FactFinder will define it and provide links to other available information. --Emilie Herbst

Amazon.com Product Description
Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002 is a comprehensive research and reference source. Encarta engages learners with more up-to-date information and multimedia than ever before. A comprehensive encyclopedia, one of the most detailed interactive atlases available, 3-D virtual tours, live media, Microsoft Fact Finder, Research Organizer, and more make Encarta an ideal reference tool. And the DVD format means no tedious disc swapping.

From a single search, Encarta gives you access to a world of information. It brings relevant articles, rich multimedia, and Web links together in one place so you can get your work done faster. Thousands of Encarta experts deliver a wealth of current, reliable facts and analysis, so you get the most from your research time. Encarta combines authoritative articles with engaging multimedia, additional primary sources, global statistics, and the best of the Internet for a rich learning experience. Spin the Encarta World Atlas globe, and then zoom in for more detail. Explore distant places and cultures, or immerse yourself in a 3-D virtual tour.

This is the third year that they've had it available on DVD and it's definitely the way to go! No swapping disks! And for the first time, they have an option to copy the whole thing your hard drive, so you can run it without the DVD in the drive (you can listen to a music CD while looking things up, for example). Today's new computers have HUGE hard drives, so take advantage of this feature if you can!

Every year, Encarta seems to get better. One of the improvements this year is that the updates you download from the internet are available more often than once a month. Previously, you had to wait til the 10th of the month to download the previous month's update. Now there are many updates available each month - at least every week there is something new you can download!

The way that Encarta accesses the web is seamless. You hardly know where Encarta ends and the internet begins. The "web center" is a browser and the Encarta folks frequently update the llinks so your research on a certain subject is supplemented by great internet content.

For the past couple of years, Encarta has included the Encarta Afrikana, which has also won awards! This encyclopedia which focuses on African-American culture, including the rich heritage of music.

The multimedia features are growing by leaps and bounds too. In addition to the sound clips and video clips there are many "interactivities" that tend to cause you to spend more time at the computer than you'd planned - but hey, it's educational!

I really enjoy the Dynamic Timelines. You can really see how all of history fits together. You can browse the timeline, then click on something that interests you, and more info pops up.

And of course Encarta has World Maps section - you can "grab" and spin the globe and zoom out and zoom in on your favorite location. The maps feature alone is worth the cost of the program. It's truly interactive.
For teachers, and students writing papers, Encarta will make your job easier. There are curriculum guides, report organizers, research helpers and much more.

It truly is a program for the whole family. You can literally sit down with your computer and Encarta and 3 hours later, you're still clicking and learning!

Oh, and Encarta has a subscription fee...to get the new Encarta as soon as it's released to the public. It's worth it to me!

My only complaint about Encarta 2002 is that the Dictionary part doesn't seem as good as in years past. In last year's Encarta, you could click on the word and it would pronounce it for you. This year, you just get a pronunciation guide - hardly the same!.. Also, I miss the "Bookshelf" features they used to have - the extensive quotes dictionary. I haven't been able to find that on Encarta 2002. But the dictionary is my ONLY complaint about this wonderful program!

Buy this software for your family today - you'll all enjoy learning...

Definitely the best reference software   December 15, 2001
Gadgester (New York)
13 out of 20 found this review helpful

It's nice that Encarta is now on DVD-ROM. The rich multimedia features, the rich set of reference tools, and a clean user interface make this by far the best reference software on the market. Plus the new version has improved the Internet features.

At its heart is the encyclopedia, which has always been a joy to use. While not as "scholarly" (read, pretentious) as some other encyclopedias, Encarta is rich with sights and sounds and makes a great educational tool for adults and children alike. With over 67000 articles in the package that are updated, it also makes a terrific value.

If there's one electronic reference you'd like to own, this is it.


Not for adults; wonderful for kids, homework and browsers   October 18, 2001
153 out of 162 found this review helpful

I purchased Encarta Reference DVD 2002 with high hopes. Despite several industry awards (e.g. "Computing's finest encyclopedia"), the encyclopedia lacks the sophisticated content and scholarly treatment appropriate for college-level users. Finding Encarta's encyclopedia only suitable for browsing, I was very disappointed, and immediately compared my purchase to Britannica Online.

Encarta is slick software, with lots of colorful pictures, hyperlinks, and multimedia, but the text seems really targeted at the parents of school-going children (grades 6 to 10) with short attention spans. The expository style is far more USA Today, rather than New York Times, Scientific American or the Economist. Even the quantity of text is lacking: Encarta Deluxe has 26 million words as against Britannica's 50+ million. What Encarta is missing most of all is the scholarly introductory treatment of the academic (as opposed to high-school level) subject, something 15 or 20 pages long.

For instance, the Encarta article on algebra would be useless for any college-level user - it primarily covers elementary (10th grade) algebra, like quadratic and simultaneous equations - but omits all but a passing mention of abstract algebra, like group theory, or even for that matter linear algebra. Groups and rings aren't defined properly, and the article wrongly suggests that only numbers can comprise groups. No mention at all of fundamental theorem of algebra. What it does have are worked solutions for quadratic and simultaneous equations, just the thing so dad can help Junior with his 7th-grade homework. In contract, Britannica article is a longer, but comprehensive treatise on algebra, including a good definition of groups and rings, and how they're used. Britannica's article might be boring unless you're already interested (it's not MTV; it has no pictures at all), takes some effort to understand, and would probably be way over the heads of most middle-schoolers.

Another useful illustrative comparison is Encarta's facts, figures, pictures and sound-bites coverage of Shakespeare, which has many extracts from his plays. But Encarta doesn't say why Shakespeare is so special, how his education might have influenced his plays, who else could have authored plays attributed to him and so on. In contrast, the Britannica article available free online is far more interesting, opinionated, and through.

There also many topics of current interest that Encarta only covers cursorily or not at all: the Human Genome Project, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Signal Transduction, Cyclins, Computational Biology. The Encarta entry on anthrax fails to distinguish the different prognoses for the inhaled, ingested and cutaneous manifestations, incorrectly lumping them together under a 20% fatality rate. Britannica has none of these shortcomings.

I very much like Encarta's automated maps and atlases, which I found immensely fun to browse. I also like the digitized walk-through tours of a few significant places, such as the Coliseum. Both these features justify the purchase price, but of course are no substitute for the poor encyclopedia.

I urge anyone considering buying to first try out the free online trials for both Encarta and Britannica. You can see which is best. I think Encarta is really for children, but I imagine many adults will appreciate it for its color, easy browsability, and simplicity. Microsoft probably intentionally dumbed down Encarta in order to capture fully the `kids and homework' market, fully aware the demand for scholarly, intelligent encyclopedias (as with the demand for The Economist or Foreign Affairs) is far more limited. My vote, however, is clearly for Britannica's quality scholarship.

- aas76, San Francisco


great software   October 12, 2001
the encarta reference library is good,...you can update it... also, the copy to hard drive feature is great if you have 2.4 GB to spare because it loads about 3 times as faster and you never have to remember to put in a disc. there are so many features to use, it makes it easy to do a research report.