Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 [OLD VERSION]

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000067G64
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 4, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,806 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Microsoft's Encarta Reference Library 2003 on DVD is an extremely comprehensive, updatable archive of data on topics from the recent film A Beautiful Mind to the rodent genus Zyzomys. It's paired with a dictionary and thesaurus (one that translates words between English and four other European languages), helping researchers and students track down hard facts on almost any topic imaginable.

To anyone who remembers the first CD-ROM encyclopedias loosed upon the computer-using public in the 1990s--with their tiny, clunky maps and mere handful of digital animations--the scope and capabilities of Encarta Reference Library 2003 will seem like sheer luxury. The mainstay of any encyclopedia is text, of course, and Encarta's articles are as informative, well indexed, and easy to search as ever. Better still, they are more integrated with high-resolution photographs, references to a world history timeline, and film and video clips that genuinely expand on each entry's content. The wealth of tools that accompanies this core of data includes everything from a virtual flyover of Earth's continents to a database of Internet links for further research.

Encarta Reference Library 2003 has features specifically geared to teachers and students, like literature guides that come complete with essay topic suggestions, chart making software, and educational games. The encyclopedia also contains all the information from Microsoft's award-winning Encarta Africana, making it an excellent resource on subjects like the U.S. civil rights struggle, black comedians, and African music.

This stellar treasury of information will be an asset to learners of all ages, something every member of a family can use and appreciate, whether for putting together a report, satisfying curiosity about a particular issue, or browsing for pleasure. --Alyx Dellamonica

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft's Encarta Reference Library 2003 on DVD delivers a comprehensive research and reference station to your desktop. Perfect for every member of the family, this premier reference on DVD offers exciting extra features, including 3-D virtual tours that take you around the world and much more. Homework and research tools let students spend less time searching and more time learning, while thousands of Internet resources extend the learning beyond the Encarta library. And with its extensive multimedia resources, Encarta Reference Library 2003 on DVD is the premier source for learning and exploration at home or school.

Nine great resources round out Encarta Reference Library 2003, including Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003; Encarta Interactive World Atlas; Encarta World English Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Book of Quotations; Encarta Africana, the authoritative source for black history and culture; Encarta Researcher; new learning tools, including Chart Maker, Literature Guides, and Homework Starters; and new translation dictionaries.

Easy to use, this reference library's encyclopedia is always up to date. The Update Encarta feature automatically keeps the content in Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003 current. Explore dynamic media presentations, including hundreds of engaging videos, animations, maps, and other tools. Learn about historical events using interactive timelines and live streaming media, including news from MSNBC. Plus, Encarta's Web Center offers editorially selected Web links and sidebars.

And with your purchase of Encarta Reference Library 2003, you can become a Club Encarta member. You'll receive free content updates until October 31, 2003, as well as a free newsletter--Club Encarta Connections--with members-only specials, tips on using Encarta, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encarta, brand-new every year, again in 2003., July 6, 2002

By 

Billy Budd "an_encyclopedias_addict" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 [OLD VERSION] (DVD-ROM)

I buy ENCARTA every year, and BRITANNICA from time to time. This is my opinion:
TEXT: Britannica's writing style is more sophisticated, and its authors are very well known. However, Encarta is not bad written at all, its authors are good and the contents are more or less the same, or better in the last versions.
You can update Britannica over the Internet free for a year, but only quarterly (4 times). Encarta is updated EVERY WEEK with new articles and additions to the old ones.
MULTIMEDIA and FEATURES: Encarta devastates Britannica with a lot of animations, interactivities, videos, music and sounds, pictures, literature sidebars, new translation dictionaries, Atlas, 2 D and 3 D virtual tours, timeline, games ... It's not only the quantity and quality. It is the easy access you have to all the multimedia, and that text, multimedia and features are completely integrated.
NAVIGATING: Encarta wins again. You only have to type a phrase, a word or de beginning of a word to see all the articles and multimedia that contains it. If you have typed the name of a small village lost in Senegal (e.g.), you see it in the Atlas without clicking again. If Encarta does not find anything, it gives you alternative spellings and you meet with what was looking for. To go "jumping" from article to article is very easy and quick, because you have a lot of links and the "Related Articles" section. If you need to copy text or pictures, the integration with Microsoft's WORD is perfect.
Navigating with Britannica is different. You do not get crazy, but ... I only say that, if you do not know the exact and correct spelling of a name or word, it does not help you with alternative or similar spellings.
My computer is Pentium III 1000 Mhz 256 RAM, and I have copied Britannica into the hard drive (the same with Encarta). The fact is that it is very slow, and that takes a lot of RAM (50 % more or less). If you have other programs open, perhaps Britannica does not work. With Encarta, you do not have any problem.
I hope my opinion is helpful for you.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great All-Around Reference Suite, August 2, 2002

By 

CadK (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 [OLD VERSION] (DVD-ROM)

I know that most folks "outgrow" encyclopedias around high school. While encyclopedias are great for little kids writing reports, they're just not useful enough, detailed enough, or comprehensive enough for adults. That said, Encarta 2003 is still a great all-around reference source for all ages.

To me, the World Atlas is worth the price of the suite alone. It's insanely detailed with 1.8 million places. You can get anywhere by just spinning the globe around with your mouse, then using your mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Speaking of which, you can zoom in insanely close (to the point where small villages listed start appearing on the map). That makes it incredibly fun just to pick a country at random to explore in detail.

The encyclopedia section of the suite is also very well done, plus it's updated on a weekly basis. Once again, it's just fun to browse subjects at random and then click on related links to just keep the adventure going. There are tons of multimedia extras such as tens of thousands of photos, graphs, charts... you name it.

The only real weakness is the Encarta Dictionary, which won't be mistaken for the Oxford English Dictionary anytime soon. Encarta is the most basic of dictionaries. Definitions are not as comprehensive as they should be; words that should have several definitions only have one in Encarta. So if all you're looking for in a dictionary is correct spelling, I suppose Encarta does the job. But if you're looking for something to use for serious etymology, or if you want a heavyweight dictionary in general, Encarta Dictionary is not up to snuff and it is not even close to being in the same class as the OED.

Okay, that nitpick aside, I've saved the best part of Encarta 2003 for last... You can save the entire program to your hard drive (provided you have 3 GB to spare). That means you no longer need to insert the DVD disc into your computer. To me, the biggest hassle of using Encarta in the past was having to dig up the DVD disk and then swapping it with the disk currently in my computer. And if all I was looking for was just one article, it was frankly easier just to open up a web browser and search the Internet. Now, I don't need to sweat it, because all of Encarta is stored locally on my hard drive. That means browsing just got a ton easier since I can launch the program anytime, even when I'm listening to a music CD in my DVD drive.

So yeah, you may have outgrown encyclopedias years ago, but Encarta is still a great reference tool to have on your system.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Encarta Reference Library 2003, August 27, 2002

By 

Wugo "Wugo" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 [OLD VERSION] (DVD-ROM)

My test run with Encarta was a search for information about Mary, Queen of Scots. The subject is on the obscure side, so I was delighted and surprised to find information enough to support a college-level essay, bibliography included.

Encarta's library includes a "talking" dictionary of English, which is quite good enough for ordinary purposes. Pronunciations are typically American. I run it minimized, while writing, for easy reference. English-Foreign Language translation dictionaries are included, too. The languages available are French, German, Spanish and Italian, but the vocabularies are not comprehensive and there are no pronunciation guides. A Thesaurus and a Book of Quotations are tacked on, also, but neither is first rate.

Much is made of the World Atlas, and I agree that it is very good for large land masses. For local maps, it falls short of other programs that the Internet makes available at no cost. A redeeming feature is that the world's large cities are shown in considerable detail.

A feature called "Researcher" is designed to let a student collect, organize and compose term papers and the like. It should be a godsend to any undergraduate who seeks to maximize literary production while minimizing literary effort.

In sum, I intend to keep and use the program. For most purposes it is sufficient and it is an excellent starting point for scholarly research at any level.

It can be installed directly on a hard drive, if there are three gigabytes of space to spare. I did that and have been rewarded by quicker access to information and liberation from CD manipulation. If you choose to follow in my footsteps, be sure to defragment your hard drive afterwards. The installation wizard really leaves a mess!

Wugo