Content area
Full Text
2000 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2-CD Deluxe Ed. Danbury, Conn.: Grolier, 2000. 2 CDs. PC and Mac editions available. $59.99. www.grolier.com.
Requirements (PC): 486 DX/100 Mhz processor or higher; Windows 95, 98, or NT Workstation 4.0; 16 MB RAM; 10 MB Hard Disk space (70 MB preferred); 2X CD ROM drive; Windows-- compatible sound card (wave-table sound card recommended); SVGA 256 color monitor; MS mouse or compatible pointing device; speaker/headphones. Optional: printer, modem, access to World Wide Web.
The Deluxe 2-CD Edition of the 2000 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (GME) will make a strong addition to junior high, high school, and public library collections. Tolerably easy to install for someone familiar with computers, once it is installed it is easy and fun to use.
The installation process itself requires an Internet connection in order to download QuickTime and QuickTime system software, necessary to enjoy many of the features available with this product, such as videos and 360-degree panoramas. An Internet connection is also required to enjoy the many links to Internet sites provided in the Encyclopedia. The reviewer installed the product on a PC with a Windows NT operating system.
The Encyclopedia itself is contained on two disks, necessitating an occasional disk switch for the user with only one CD-ROM drive.
Accompanied by an Activities and Study Guide booklet containing brief exercises generally aimed at the junior high level, the activities in the booklet are directed toward a more basic level than the entries in the Encyclopedia itself. The booklet offers both software guidance and exercises for comprehensive testing.
Another accompanying booklet offers some tech support for both Macs and PCs; more extensive help is available on a Web site and on the CD-ROM menu; and a toll-free number for tech support is also available. The product is very user-friendly; if any tech support is needed, it will be most likely during installation.
The search engine is simple to use and offers several levels of searching, from an alphabetical index to more sophisticated Boolean searching. In addition to Boolean searching, the advanced search allows users to limit the search to various media types, such as sound clips, maps, and more. When one searches for a topic using key words, related entries also appear on the menu.
The...