A Mind of Knowledge review

Verdict:

Review Date: 16 Dec 2004

Price when reviewed:

Reviewed By: James Nixon

Our Rating 6 stars out of 5

In the context of this boxed set though, these are minor grumbles. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Human Body is a useful and interesting introduction for young science scholars.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary

6/6

The Concise Oxford, usually supplied as an add-on with Britannica, is a useful inclusion. The approach to computerising this reference source is distinctly no-frills - it appears as a window that's small enough to have on-screen at all times. You can scroll through its contents alphabetically or search for a specific word. With no facility to link with other programs, such as Britannica or Word documents, you have to copy paste words you want to look up into the search box, but that's hardly much hassle. Definitions include an audio pronunciation guide, too. A fine reference tool.

Penguin Hutchinson Reference Suite

The last element in the Mind of Knowledge set is the pub quiz lover's dream. The Penguin Hutchinson Reference Suite groups together Hutchinson's World History, the Hutchinson Encyclopedia, Roget's Thesaurus, dictionaries of computing, quotations and the Internet, and a guide to 'English Usage and Abusage'. All are accessible through a single screen. You click on the book to access its content. Any relevant keywords are then added to the keyword list. This enables you to search all the texts in tandem, turning on or off whichever you feel is relevant. Dictionary entries lack the depth of Britannica's articles, but as a quick-stop reference, it can't be beaten.

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