2000 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition "It Just Gets Better And Better!"
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Type of Product
Grolier's latest encyclopedia, 2000 Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition, is an excellent upgrade choice. You now have access to more articles, more media, including more documentary videos, more interactive animations, more sound, more Internet links, and more videos, as well as a new Research Starters feature to help children with their homework and a new Millennium feature that traces 1,000 years of the most important developments in world history. As with the previous version, it is easy for children to use as it comes on only two CDs packed with hundreds of graphics, sound and video features, Internet links, organized presentations, and fact-filled articles. It is loaded with 59,000 articles (37,000 on disc, 22,000 online), 15,000 images, 1,200 maps, 177 videos, a 250,000 word dictionary, 150 Panorama photos, over 16 hours of sound and more. It even has 25% more articles than the printed edition. Plus, you also have access to two other encyclopedias online: The New Book of Knowledge and the Encyclopedia Americana. To keep the material current, Grolier Internet Index offers 26,000 links to World Wide Web sites and the Article Updates provide about 500 revisions each month. Grolier's provides a fast and easy way for the whole family to access current and up-to-date information on the CDs or on-line. You can also read a review of the previous version of the encyclopedia by clicking on this link: 1999 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Price: $59.99. It is available for both the PC and the Macintosh. You can check out Grolier's website for other software titles: http://gi.grolier.com
User Level
The Grolier Encyclopedia has been designed specifically to be used by different family members who have individual informational needs. It incorporates material from three encyclopedias in one software package. It is useful for all levels of encyclopedia users: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Because it is very intuitive; has a straightforward interface; and includes a variety of search and browse functions, both simple and advanced, it is suitable for all levels of PC users. The New Book of Knowledge (online)--For elementary-age children and their parents, this encyclopedia includes selected, easy-to-understand articles and basic background information. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (on disc)--For junior high and high school level students, this encyclopedia is excellent for completing homework and term papers. Encyclopedia Americana (online)--for high school, college and adult users, this encyclopedia provides thousands of authoritative, in-depth articles geared to more sophisticated users.
Features
Content-rich Articles: Includes 59,000 comprehensive disc-based and online articles (37,000 on disc; 22,000 Encyclopedia Americana and The New Book of Knowledge). (Increased) Online Links: Features more than 26,000 links to the World Wide Web, plus 22,000 links to the Encyclopedia Americana and The New Book of Knowledge. Links with content summaries are updated monthly. All Internet links are reviewed by the Grolier editorial staff for appropriateness. (Increased) Article-to-Article Links: With 132,000 links from articles to relevant article, users will never come upon a dead end in their research. Free New and Updated Articles Monthly: New and updated articles made available online provide the most current information on both existing topics and those not yet available on the disc. The Millennium: this new feature traces notable events, colorful figures and important themes of the last 1,000 years of world history through an intelligent combination of media and text. (New Feature) Historical Panoramas: These sweeping panoramic photographs will bring the past to life and add a new dimension to learning. Includes expansive views of World War I battlefields, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Panama Canal under construction and nearly 50 others. (50 New Historical) Research Starters: Curriculum-based media and article lists will help students get a jump start on their homework and research assignments; students can add to these lists or create their own. (New Feature) Help: Expanded and enhanced for this edition, these context-sensitive help screens provide clear, concise instructions wherever you are in the encyclopedia, making it easier to use. (Improved) Atlas: Contains 1,200 maps including the world; countries; cities and states; North Atlantic, Arctic, and other major ocean floors; and topics such as lands and resources, history, and weather. The powerful "drill-down" feature allows viewers to quickly and easily narrow their focus to smaller and smaller geographical areas. Expanded Media Content: New documentary videos, interactive animations, and more music amount to hours of added media content, all of which link to relevant articles for a broader learning experience. (Increased)
Review
The program is easy to install and takes very little space on your hard drive. You have the choice of installing QuickTime for movies, if you do not already have it. There is a short Overview section of features and a very extensive Help section for users who desire more in-depth material. Interface. The intuitive and easy to use single-window interface is one of the reasons for the popularity of the program. Young children or users unfamiliar with a computer will still feel comfortable. And the changes that have been made to the interface in this new version will not overwhelm children or make the transition from one version to another difficult. There are three main parts to the screen from which all the main features and functions are accessible: the Features Bar (top), the List Pane (left), and the Content Region (right). Features Bar--The Features Bar provides easy access to all the features of the encyclopedia. List Panel--The List Panel lets you Browse, Search, or use Markers. Content Region--Articles and media are displayed in the Content Region. Tools and tabs relating to the displayed item also appear here. Features Bar. The Features Bar includes six tabs for: Articles, Media, Atlas, Timelines, Research Starters, and Interactivities. To give you an overview of how the program works, I will discuss the six tabs and what features are found under each tab. 1. Articles. The encyclopedia contains more than 37,000 articles. The Content Region, which encompasses the right portion of the screen, displays each article with a series of tabs across the top that can be clicked to change the display in index-card fashion, from Text, to Related Media, to Outline, to Pictures, to Related Articles. Also, graphical presentations of items such as diagrams, charts, and formulas, and special characters including symbols and accent marks have been placed directly in articles for a more enriching experience. This helps to explain concepts visually for younger users. Browsing the articles is easy. An alphabetical list appears in the List Panel. You can list all Categories or just some. You just click the Categories button and choose from the list of Topics and Sub-Topics. All articles are grouped into 10 topics. When you click on a Topic, its Sub-Topics will be listed in the right side of the dialog box.. You can choose any combination of Topic and/or Sub-Topics. 2. Media. Under the Media tab is where you will find access to all the media items in the encyclopedia. An alphabetical list appears in the List Panel. An icon indicating media type will appear next to each item. You can use the scrollbar to move through the list, or type a word in the fast-type box. As you type, the list will change to reflect your place in it.You can also display media items in sequence, by clicking the Auto Run button. You may browse the entire list, or restrict browsing to certain media types or subjects by clicking the Categories button and selecting from the Media Types and Topics presented. 3. Atlas. The encyclopedia's Atlas includes 1,200 maps, including maps of the world, countries, states, and cities, plus topics such as exploration, history, geology, and weather. There are 169 city maps featuring street-level detail and more than 400 point-of-interest photographs of famous landmarks. For instance, you can click on a continent, then a country, then a city. As you roam a map, the cursor will change from a pointer to a globe to show a link to another map; a turned-over page icon for a link to an article; or a camera icon for a link to a Point of Interest photograph of a map location. There are also ocean floor maps of the North Atlantic, Arctic, Indian and other major ocean floors showing geographic formations such as trenches, basins and ridges. For instance the resting site of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean is hot-spotted with a point of interest photograph. 4. Timelines. Timelines helps you explore the relationships between historical events. This feature divides world history into nine periods. Each period has a graphic timeline, a text essay, and a video essay. Timelines also includes the Event List--a scrollable chronology of more than 6,000 historical events, each linked to relevant articles. Also accessible from the Timelines Home Screen is the Millennium feature. 5. Research Starters. Research Starters presents multimedia surveys of 50 topics in seven major subject areas: Geography, Life Science, Literature and the Arts, Physical Science and Technology, Social Studies, U.S. History and World History. Each topic has an introduction and a list of 50 or more items. The Research Starters also illustrate successful research strategies, thus teaching children better research techniques. 6. Interactivities. Interactivities are networks of articles, pictures, videos, animations, and sounds which help you explore a variety of subjects in depth. You can navigate the networks topic by topic, or browse items of particular interest. Each network has links to additional relevant articles and media to encourage further research and exploration. The Millennium. The Millennium feature showcases developments in the past 1,000 years in world affairs, science and technology, religion and philosophy, literature, visual arts, and music. It includes over 300 new text entries, a 1,200 word survey article on the Millennium, thousands of links to related subjects, 63 new screens showing the most important people and events of the times, and links to Related Timelines, where more information and multimedia are available. Panoramas. There are more than 50 new panoramic views of major historical sites and scenes to bring history to life. 360 degree Panoramas are navigable photographs which create the sensation of being at the center of a location and looking all the way around. You click and drag on a 360 degree Panorama, moving the cursor left and right to navigate. As the cursor moves, the image will move. You may also zoom in and out of the image. Each panorama image has links to articles and descriptive captions. The encyclopedia has sweeping views of such places as the World War I battlefields, the 1914 World Series and the Panama Canal under construction. Science Question & Answer. Based on the New York Times Book of Science Questions and Answers, this feature teaches you about science by answering hundreds of questions, many of them drawn from everyday life. (You must register the encyclopedia to be able to use this feature.) Videos. There are 177 videos, including 9 multiplex videos, in the encyclopedia. Videos cover a variety of subjects and historical events. Each has links to related articles, and plays against a backdrop of related information. Multimedia Maps and Essays. The combination of geography and history, in moving-image cartographic presentations with voice-overs, are called Multimedia Maps. The Multiplex Videos feature shows you movies on related subjects on a single screen, with detailed background information and hyperlinks to relevant encyclopedia articles. Both of these media types use QuickTime controls. Animations. Animations explain complex mechanical and natural processes. In some cases, you must click a button or "hot spot" to move to a different part of an animation, or click the Play button to begin. Animations have captions with background information and links to related articles. Search Features.The Grolier Encyclopedia has strong search features.You may conduct Simple and Complex searches on articles and media items by using Search, a main mode of the encyclopedia. It doesn't take hours to research a topic, nor do you have to search through layers and layers of screens and it is easy for children to work on research projects independently or with minimal adult supervision. The search tool permits topic or category searches, simple, single-word or phrase searches, and complex searches that allow the user to narrow the search parameters using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to find specific information.Wild Cards are helpful for locating words with a common root, or when you're not certain how to spell a word. There are two types: "*" and "?". Tools. The encyclopedia offers a variety of Tools to help you find and use information. These include the Dictionary and Online Knowledge Explorer, the Toolbar, Markers, Knowledge Tree, and Online Connections, plus easy access to your word processor. Toolbar. You have the basic buttons for printing, copying, and saving. Back and History buttons enable you to retrace your steps in the encyclopedia. Back is used to return to the last item you opened. The History button shows a list of items you have opened. You also have a Mark button to add the open item to a Marker List. OnLine Knowledge Explorer (OKE) provides access to a wealth of added reference material online. It includes links to related articles in the Encyclopedia Americana and The New Book of Knowledge, relevant Internet sites, and updated and new encyclopedia articles. Knowledge Tree--This feature is excellent for more complex searches. The Knowledge Tree is a subject index that helps you explore ideas across different branches of knowledge. All the encyclopedia articles and media items are classified. When you have an article or media type open and you click on the Knowledge Tree button, your location in the "tree" will be shown on the left side of the screen. You can then move up and down among topics and subtopics. The right side of the screen shows the items at the same level of classification as the open item. Dictionary. You can look up any word in the encyclopedia with the Dictionary feature. The comprehensive, easy-to-use American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition, is integrated with the encyclopedia. Double-click any word in an encyclopedia article. The dictionary will open with the word on the left, and its definition on the right. You may also use the dictionary independently. Markers--This feature allows you to "collect" encyclopedia items of all types for future reference. Once you have a Marker List, you can add any open item to the collection. This tool is easy to use and lets you organize any material you want to save. Word Processor--You may open you word processing program from the encyclopedia to quickly place notes and quotes in papers, documents, etc., via standard copy and paste commands. You must first set up this capability by selecting Word Processor from Preferences on the Edit menu. Online Connections. Online Connections makes it easy to access updated and supplemental information from the GME. There are links to the Grolier Internet Index (a collection of thousands of editorially-selected web links) and Grolier Article Updates. To use the encyclopedia's Online Connections, you must first select a web browser. This is done under Preferences on the Edit menu.
Personal Comments
The 2000 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition, is an excellent buy for any family. The encyclopedia is very easy to use with its straightforward intuitive interface and its wide selection of navigational options. It is comprehensive in its well-integrated article and media content, offering material for the whole family with the two CDs and the additional material on the two encyclopedias online. And it is easy to keep the material current by using the monthly updates. The new Millennium and Research Starters features are excellent aids for children for homework. And since it is widely used in schools, children will already be familiar with it and can dive into research with any down time. A nice feature is The "Resume Last Session" that allows you to resume to the spot you left the day or session before. Also, you can change the font size to make the print bigger on the screen so it is easier for smaller children to read.
System Requirements
Windows: Processor: 486DX/100 or higher Operating System: Windows 98, 95, or NT 4.0 Memory: 16MB Hard Disk Space: 10MB (70MB optimal) Apple Quick Time Hardware: SVGA, 256-color monitor; 2X CD-ROM drive; Sound card. Macintosh: Processor: LC475, 68LC040 CPU, 25 MHz or faster Operating System: MacOS operating system 7.5 or higher Memory: 8MB QuickTime Hardware: 13 in. or larger color monitor; 256 colors; 2X, double speed CD-ROM drive); Sound card.
Other Goodies
The package includes an book called Activities and Study Guide. It has four categories: The Millennium; Science and Technology; Geography; and Arts, Sports and Hobbies. The activities can be done alone, or with a group of people. It helps you research a subject and tests you. It also includes a 45-day free trial version of the software program Cyber Patrol. It is a security service that allows you to block your child's access to inappropriate websites. Through an agreement with AT&T WorldNet Service, users who don't already have an Internet Service Provider can access the Internet for free for one month using their own Internet browser or the free version of Netscape Navigator that comes in the box.
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