Encarta Turns Five Years Old
Encarta Encyclopedia 98
Grades: All
Platform: Windows 95/NT, Macintosh
Encarta Turns Five Years Old
Since the launch of Microsoft's Encarta Encyclopedia in 1993, the reference software category has jumped a phenomenal 739% in unit figures, according to PC Data. While reference software titles now number in the thousands, Encarta's success surely paved the way for many titles.
Now, to celebrate its fifth year in publication, Encarta has once again undergone extensive revision and updating. Encarta Encyclopedia 98 is now available in regular and Deluxe versions, with the Deluxe version highlighting some useful new features sure to be a hit with students and researchers.
First, the Encarta 98 Research Organizer promises to speed up what some consider the most difficult step in a research project - organizing and outlining materials. This new tool lets users gather information from books, online resources and other CD-ROMs, all the while making virtual "note cards," arranging them into outlines, and constructing a report. It will even help add proper source citations.
A new Sidebars feature adds 900 sidebars supplementing the traditional text with perspectives from primary-source documents such as firsthand accounts, informed opinions, guest essays and historical accounts. The Deluxe edition also includes an 18-installment license for Web Links and Encarta Yearbook updates, available for $20 with the regular edition.
Both versions benefit from Encarta's new closed captioning option, designed to assist the hearing-impaired and deaf in research opportunities. Also, both versions ship on two CDs, and contain over 30,000 articles. Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, (800) 426-9400, www.microsoft.com.
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