Having grown up with the printed Britannica set (c. 1970), I am extremely disappointed with this digital version. Although all the articles are complete, searchable, and cross-referenced, the overall user interface is so poorly designed that it makes using this program nearly unusable and absolutely unappealing.

Installation issues:
1. wastes space (>2gig) by installing all 3 encyclopedias with some redundant material.
2. same interface for all 3 encyclopedias creates an intimidating environment for children.

Interface issues:
1. articles are difficult to read because of poor font choice (sans serif), insufficient spacing between lines (< single spaced), and lame layout design (in-line images lacking, repeated TOC wastes space).

Mac OS specific issues:
1. This is not a true MacOS app; it is a JAVA app running inside it’s own window with interface components which are inconsistent with MacOS (e.g. menu shortcut key is Ctrl, not Cmd).
2. Screen redraw performance is unacceptably poor (e.g. several seconds to resize window, almost a minute to select-copy article text [450MHz G4, 1 gig RAM, OS 10.2.4])

Content issues:
1. Timeline shows only one item per screen; no context, no Gant chart.
2. Atlas is not interactive (no zoom; lacks detail) and other multimedia items are inconsequential.
3. Dictionary and thesaurus cannot be accessed directly; must do full encyclopedia search.

Summary: I bought and decided to keep both Britannica and Encarta 2003 RL. The Britannica articles are substantially better researched and more complete than Encarta. Encarta is much, much, much better at everything else (even running inside VirtualPC 6.0). Money saving tip: if you must have Britannica articles, buy the “deluxe” version rather than the “ultimate” (full articles, fewer disappointments).

Description
From Booklist
Encyclopaedia Britannica continues to be an authoritative resource. The 81,000 articles are signed by more than 4,300 contributors and have extensive bibliographies. The latest printing retains the Micropaedia/Macropaedia/Propaedia structure: short articles for quick reference in the Micropaedia, in-depth treatment of broad topics in the Macropaedia, and an “outline of knowledge” in the Propaedia. The articles on non-U.S. countries in the Macropaedia are extensive–India is 175 pages long. Afghanistan is updated through 2004 with information about the new constitution and government formed by Hamid Karzai, making it more current than the Micropaedia entry, which ends with the overthrow of the Taliban. The Micropaedia entry for Yasir Arafat notes his November 2004 death.
The 84 new articles in this printing include Kerry, John; Nanotechnology; Wal-Mart; Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD); and Yo-Yo Ma. New articles on Animal rights, Monkeypox, and SARS update biomedical coverage. Among the 3,900 rewritten or revised articles are African American literature, Great Depression, Mt. Everest, and Vietnam War. More than 120 maps have been added or changed, including those for Chicago, Europe, Iran, Iraq, United Nations Peacekeeping, and Vietnam War. Among the 119 new illustrations are new flag and primate plates.

Encyclopaedia Britannica retains its position as an excellent scholarly reference source for public, academic, and secondary-school libraries, especially since it has improved its coverage of current events and added some articles on popular culture. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The handsome three-volume reproduction is so beautifully executed that it’s almost indistinguishable from the 1768 original, right down to the natural age spots and watermarks on the pages. It serves as a time capsule of the world’s knowledge and a must-have for collectors of history or vintage books, the set lends an unmistakable air of prestige to any home or office. Over Two hundred and thirty years ago in 1768, a ‘Society of Gentlemen’ undertook the publication of the world’s first “Encyclopaedia Britannica”, establishing a tradition of comprehensiveness and authority in general knowledge that has remained unsurpassed ever since. It took three years to compile and had far reaching effects. It took us just as long to create the 3-volume Replica first Edition “Encyclopaedia Britannica”. And the result is a fascinating insight into the life and thoughts of Britain at the dawn of the age of invention. With the aid of modern technology we have skillfully retained the antique look of hand-set type, the rust marks of age, the watermark of the paper and the richly decorated binding of the original set. Beautifully illustrated with engravings by Andrew Bell, one of the founders of “Encyclopaedia Britannica”, these three volumes, virtually indistinguishable from the First Edition original, are a book collector’s dream. As an engrossing conversation piece, this set lends an air of prestige and beauty to any home or office library. If you love history or vintage books, you’ll find it difficult to put down the fascinating volumes of the “Britannica First Edition Replica Set”.

Platform: Windows 98 / 2000 / Me / XP / NT / 95, Mac OS X

Description
Filled with knowledge on every subject, the Encyclopedia Britannica 2003 Ultimate Reference Suite CD-ROM delivers the 32-volume Britannica collection and more to your desktop. Brimming with more than 75,000 articles, this award-winning four-disc set makes finding information easy for every member of the family, from grade school to graduate school and beyond. With three reference libraries–one for every age and reading level, Britannica’s Ultimate Reference Suite offers just the right encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, thesaurus, and timeline for every family member. It’s all the knowledge anyone needs.
For students in upper elementary, middle, and high school, this collection adds the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, with 15,000 entries geared to school. Britannica’s Elementary Encyclopedia is written for children in the early grades and designed to instill a look-it-up habit. Also added are two Merriam-Webster dictionaries and thesauruses with nearly 555,000 definitions, synonyms, and antonyms that users can access from encyclopedia articles with a single click.

Additional tools include an updated world atlas, timelines, and more. Take a tour of the world through more than 1,300 clickable maps linked to articles. People, events, and discoveries of the past come to life on 25 timelines with 6,900 points linked to related articles. Britannica’s exclusive KnowledgeNavigator tool, an interactive browser, is perfect for creative brainstorming, discovering new ideas, and exploring different topics. Rounding out the collection are some 21,000 images, videos, audio clips, and animated maps, as well as a clever research organizer.

Description
In the world of books, there are hundreds of timeless classics. But only one collection of great works is a classic in itself – “Britannica’s Great Books”. This 60-volume set brings you centuries of celebrated writings from the greatest minds of all time, including Plato, Shakespeare, Swift, Freud, Hemingway and Twain. “Britannica’s Great Books” are truly a valuable lifetime reading companion, with 517 timeless works containing the great thoughts, theories and insights that have shaped our culture today, offering ideas that will continue to inspire mankind for centuries to come. To buy such a comprehensive collection separately would be tremendously difficult and nearly impossible. “The Great Books”, and the priceless education they bring you, represent what is perhaps the single greatest book value on the market today. The new “Great Books” provide a well-rounded, liberal arts education in many fields of study. Philosophy, religion, mathematics, psychology, astronomy, politics and anthropology are just a few of the areas you can explore from the ancient Greeks to such 20th century greats as Sigmund Freud, Franz Kafka and T.S. Eliot. You will find “Great Books” useful for practical, everyday needs, too, like speech writing and business presentations, not to mention great family conversations at the dinner table or stimulating discussions with colleagues and friends.