Amazon.co.uk Review
Compton's Encyclopedia 2000 Deluxe is a 2-disk work that offers support for homework and general reference. It is quick to load and an excellent guided tour gets you using it with confidence in a few minutes, without making it necessary to refer to the printed guide. It requires at least 15 MB free disk space, 2x CD-ROM drive, 16 MB RAM and 256-colour SVGA.
The articles are written in a chatty, almost discursive style, using undemanding language. If you need to know the meaning of a word, a double click on it brings up the dictionary definition, all of which makes the encyclopedia suitable for younger children. The entry on Animal Migration, for instance, begins:
Many people take trips periodically, often seasonally, in search of a fair climate, good food and a change of scene in pleasant surroundings. Some animals are impelled to travel for similar reasons, and their trips, too, are often annual and linked to the seasons.
A useful feature is the way an outline appears beside each article and you can go directly to the part you want to read. Among other features are guided tours of major monuments, the ability to download frequent updates, and Ask The Librarian, which allows you to e-mail Compton's for information not found. The timeline, split between World and American events, reflects the American source of the material.
The product comes with National Geographic 1997-8 and CyberPatol Internet filtering, so that children can be left to use the many Internet links with confidence. This product is primarily aimed at supporting homework. Older users might like to consider the Grolier Enclyclopedia or the Oxford Encyclopedia. --Julia Cresswell