Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003

To anyone who remembers the first CD-ROM encyclopedias loosed upon the computer-using public in the 1990s--with their tiny, clunky maps and mere handful of digital animations--the scope and capabilities of Encarta Reference Library 2003 will seem like sheer luxury. The mainstay of any encyclopedia is text, of course, and Encarta's articles are as informative, well indexed, and easy to search as ever. Better still, they are more integrated with high-resolution photographs, references to a world history timeline, and film and video clips that genuinely expand on each entry's content. The wealth of tools that accompanies this core of data includes everything from a virtual flyover of Earth's continents to a database of Internet links for further research.

Encarta Reference Library 2003 has features specifically geared to teachers and students, like literature guides that come complete with essay topic suggestions, chart making software, and educational games. The encyclopedia also contains all the information from Microsoft's award-winning Encarta Africana, making it an excellent resource on subjects like the U.S. civil rights struggle, black comedians, and African music.

This stellar treasury of information will be an asset to learners of all ages, something every member of a family can use and appreciate, whether for putting together a report, satisfying curiosity about a particular issue, or browsing for pleasure. --Alyx Dellamonica

Amazon.com Product Description
Microsoft's Encarta Reference Library 2003 delivers a comprehensive research and reference station to your desktop. Perfect for every member of the family, this premier reference on CD-ROM combines current and complete information with homework tools that let students spend less time searching and more time learning. Encarta also integrates thousands of Internet resources, so the learning extends beyond the Encarta library. And with its extensive multimedia resources, Encarta Reference Library 2003 provides a powerful tool for learning and exploration at home or school.

Nine great resources round out Encarta Reference Library 2003, including Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003; Encarta Interactive World Atlas; Encarta World English Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Book of Quotations; Encarta Africana, the authoritative source for black history and culture; Encarta Researcher; new learning tools, including Chart Maker, Literature Guides, and Homework Starters; and new translation dictionaries.

Easy to use, this reference library's encyclopedia is always up to date. The Update Encarta feature automatically keeps the content in Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003 current. Explore dynamic media presentations, including hundreds of engaging videos, animations, maps, and other tools. Learn about historical events using interactive timelines and live streaming media, including news from MSNBC. Plus, Encarta's Web Center offers editorially selected Web links and sidebars.

And with your purchase of Encarta Reference Library 2003, you can become a Club Encarta member. You'll receive free content updates until October 31, 2003, as well as a free newsletter--Club Encarta Connections--with members-only specials, tips on using Encarta, and more.

I love the program but I have to restart it every minute or so. Very annoying!

Other friends of mine complain about it being very slow on their system.

Maybe I have an isolated problem on my machine. I hve the latest software updates and a very new Sony laptop. I canit figure out what is wrong.

I say buy it and try it yourslef on your machine. If it locks up take it back and consider another company. Donit go through years of hoping Microsft will getting around to getting rid of the bugs in it.

Not the best encyclopedia available, but...   April 30, 2003
Fernando G. del C (Houston, TX United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

the World Atlas is magnificent!

You can spend countless hours browsing through the entire world and learning a lot about every place on earth.

The atlas database is impressive. It contains even minuscule towns all over the world. The statistical maps are also very informative and very interesting.


The best software you can buy for yourself and the family!   February 20, 2003
Abdullah Z Jefri (Saudi Arabia)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I've been a user of Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedias since 1997, and I think that the Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 DVD is a dream come true product! The 97 edition of Encarta was impressive however very limited by the small amount of storage space the regular CD provided. In their 2000 edition they committed the horrid mistake of expanding the encyclopedia into two CDs. Articles are stored on both CDs so you didn't have to switch them if you're just reading text, however if you wanted to open a multimedia attachment most probably you would've had to switch CDs. That was very frustrating and I hated the Encarta and stopped using it. The updates were a bit worthless as well because they weren't integrated into the encyclopedia's articles, but instead were provided as a separate section called updates! Very useless!

But in 2003, all those mistakes were overcome with intelligence and style! The DVD provides a vast amount of storage space that you rarely find an article of significant importance without a couple of multimedia attachments. Only now I realize how the need to switch CDs did impact the appeal of the previous encyclopedia, for now whenever I'm bored I just slip the DVD in and browse.

The updates are just wonderful! Almost every week you have about 500K of new updates available for download, and they integrate seamlessly with your existing articles. This is a REAL up-to-date encyclopedia. For example, only one week after the Columbia shuttle disaster, I opened the Space Shuttle article in my encyclopedia and found a whole section about the Columbia disaster and its possible effects on space exploration programs! That's what I call an updating encyclopedia! And for those interested to know what updates they have downloaded so far there is still that section where it will provide you links to updated and newly added articles.

I'm an average user who has an interest in almost every science on earth. I read a lot and I'm not usually satisfied with short essays or fragments of information. This encyclopedia provides me everything I'm looking for! The essays are comprehensive and the search tools are very efficient and helpful. However if you're a NASA scientist and is looking for an integrity assessment of the ecncylopedia's quantum physics articles then I can't really help you with that! You might want to read what your colleagues wrote about this product.

And if you're among those who claim that multimedia content is for children only then you probably haven't used this encyclopedia and you're still reading from your old fashion 200000000 pages dust-collecting books! You probably haven't used the 3-D virtual tour of Abu-Simbel shrine in Ancient Egypt where you can observe the scripts on every wall in complete detail. You probably haven't enjoyed the beauty of the 2-D pictures of Pompeii where you can even lie to your friends and tell them that you were actually there. I can also bet that you haven't tried the time-line feature which is nothing less than a spectacular tool for history buffs like me.

Another feature that I discovered recently is the World Atlas. In previous encyclopedias, this used to be a boring feature that merely provided limited geographical information. This however is a treasure of information! It will provide you visual maps or charts of all statistical studies and known facts you can dream of! Everything you wanted to know about global climate, population, economic, political, or religious data is available in detail and up to date!

In short, I received this DVD a month ago and until now I keep discovering new features that make me appreciate it even more and feel better and better about the money I spent on this invaluable software. I wholeheartedly recommend buying it! Enjoy!


Subject to Failure   January 13, 2003
11 out of 15 found this review helpful

When it worked, it was a very nice addition to my reference library. But after the relatively short warranty period expired, it began displaying blank pages instead of articles, or sometimes the error message "This page cannot be displayed." Maps continue to display correctly, but the "About Encarta... " command has the same problem, so that the product ID cannot be read. The Microsoft Knowledge Base had a number of suggestions, some of which were very time-consuming to follow up. Nothing worked.

So be aware that when you buy Encarta, you run the risk that it will become inoperative at some time in the future.