Encyclopedia Britannica 2003 Ultimate Reference Suite

Encyclopedia Britannica 2003 Ultimate Reference Suite
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This set has full encyclopedia and child versions (and runs on both Mac and Windows) but searching and navigation could be better designed. Details are as follows: Search Features— Searching is available for each variation of Britannica; encyclopedia, student library, and elementary library. Search results for the student library are relevant, but actual articles do not appear with the search. Kids must select from the listed topics. Search results for the elementary library are not necessarily relevant. For example, a search for abyssal plain (studied typically in 5th grade) pulled up 247 articles about unrelated topics like the plains of the moon, and the plain tail of a whippoorwill. When you place the cursor gently over the list options, however, a first paragraph sample is handily provided. Search terms are not highlighted or underlined in text, making it tough for kids to zero-in on their topics. Navigation— The encyclopedia has regular, student and elementary options accessible from the top tool bar. Each info window piles on top of the other as it is used. A back button is sorely missed as it would make navigation easier and less confusing. Scrolling through the article becomes impossible when the content pages stack up too much. The windows seem to move to the right, eventually making it difficult to see and control the text. A full installation option is available for this four-CD set, but we were only able to do a partial install on Windows XP. Content— The presentation and information generally appear objective and unbiased, but we found quite a few typos in the text. Reading Level— Reading level in the student and elementary editions is nicely geared toward elementary and middle school students. The complete encyclopedia version is best for older teens and adults. Reading Samples— Abyssal Plain- In the student edition, it was tough to find a simple definition of an abyssal plain, but it was easy to find in the full encyclopedia. "…flat seafloor area at an abyssal depth (3,000 to 6,000 m [10,000 to 20,000 feet]), generally adjacent to a continent." Oceanographer- "Physical oceanographers describe the physical state of the sea, particularly the distribution of water masses, the conditions that form them, and the great currents that disperse and mix them. Chemical oceanographers study the chemical constituents of seawater ..."

Product ID: 503332 UPC: 645606299306 ISBN-10: 0852299303

Categories: Classroom/Schools, Encyclopedia, Learn, Maps, Reference

Supporting language: English

Platforms/media types: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 98, Mac OS X