A Mind of Knowledge review

The world famous Encyclopaedia Britannica, a host or other reference texts, and all for just £25?

Encyclopaedia Britannica 2004 Standard Edition

4/6

Back in the days before the PC, a glossy leather-bound set of Encyclopaedia Britannica was the ultimate status symbol for the academically aspirational family. Nowadays, multimedia encyclopedias are ten-a-penny - Britannica itself posts a vast amount of its content online - while Google will turn up information on almost any subject under the sun. Those leather-bound sets now lie unloved in attics - or available in charity shops for a couple of quid. So why invest in Britannica's interactive incarnation?

Well, for starters, disc-based encyclopedias such as this provide much more than paper volumes could ever do - audio and video clips that bring articles alive. But compared to the 'Deluxe' version of Britannica, this two-CD set seems a bit light on multimedia, or even images. And right from the off, the fact that this collection is provided on two CD-ROMs rather than a more practical single DVD means that serious research stints will be marred by the constant need to swap discs to find the right article.

Content is accessed through Britannica's Home screen, and is divided into sections, including the World Atlas and Interactive Timelines. Articles can be searched using keywords.

The Atlas provides a range of maps showing everything from the usual political boundaries and physical features, to precipitation, land use, vegetation, population and peoples. It allows you to review and compare information about different countries using graphs and tables of data.

Britannica's Timeline covers topics from Architecture, Art and Childhood through to Sports, Technology and Women, though information gets patchier the further back in time you go.

Britannica 2004 Standard Edition isn't the most up-to-date PC version of this famous reference text, but for most purposes it's fine. The 2005 edition (and its rival, Microsoft's Encarta) race ahead in terms of presentation. Video and other multimedia aspects are seamlessly integrated into articles, rather than being a click (and often a disc-change) away. But for the price, its inclusion in this boxed set is a steal!

Britannica Human Body

5/6

Encyclopaedia Britannica turns the human body into a virtual exhibition, complete with interactive exhibits that would put most museums to shame.

The exploration is launched from a futuristic entrance hall, and provides users with six areas: growth and development; energy, information processing; circulation; defence and movement. Each topic has its own themed hall, in which you'll find a large variety of texts, diagrams, photos, simulations and video clips. Explanations are simple but comprehensive, and an on-screen medical dictionary is provided to explain more complex subjects in greater depth. For more casual users, there's a general glossary.

Students can pursue their research at a more sophisticated level using the links the program provides to relevant Web sites. Once you've done your research, a toolbar lets you personalise your projects using the program's built-in drawing tool, spreadsheet and word processor.

Teachers and parents who are planning to tie the Human Body in with schoolwork will be frustrated to learn that the software doesn't mention which Key Stages,or even age groups, its sections are aimed at. Overall, we'd say it's appropriate for kids between eight and 13.

Where Human Body falls down is in its 3D simulations. Rather than an absorbing journey through the circulatory system in the style of Fantastic Voyage, you get a lazy meander. The eye and skeleton models are similarly unappealing.