Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite 2007 review

Verdict:

Review Date: 29 Nov 2006

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: James Nixon

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Britannica is a far more serious affair. Its homepage opens with an interesting 'this day in history' piece of trivia, but aside from this it's very much down to business with its rather intimidating alphabetical list of articles. It dishes up a whopping 43,000 words on the history of Mesopotamia alone, and accompanies it with a multitude of related articles and an extended bibliography. However, the very sight of all that text would be enough to frighten off all but the most hardened academics. Unlike those in Encarta, the maps aren't interavailable, which makes the learning possibilities for younger users much more limited. Britannica makes a token effort to grab their attention by switching between libraries aimed at Elementary and Student users, as well as the standard Ultimate Reference list. However, the differences are really only cosmetic, with the homepage being fronted by a cutesy picture of a panda, and text in a rather patronising cartoon font.

The articles in each library contain some odd choices. Scrolling through, we could scarcely imagine primary school children warming to a scholarly treatise on pioneering US photographer Ansel Adams, or a blow-by-blow account of the action of CD4+ T-lymphocytes in its article on AIDS. Encarta's Children's Encarta option is far more inviting.

beautiful mind

For older users, especially those with more serious academic research in mind, the sheer depth of Britannica's articles make it an obvious choice. As a more rounded and infinitely more entertaining, family reference work, Encarta provides a better balance of fun and facts, sweetening the pill with movies and sound clips that bring learning to life.

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