Users type in a word, phrase, Boolean string, or question, and Collier's Encyclopedia 1998 does the rest, searching all articles, maps, and multimedia elements. It then lists the results of the search, ranking each piece by relevance. If a user isn't searching for a particular set of keywords, Collier's Encyclopedia 1998 provides an organized interface for browsing. Each of these branches is further subdivided. Humanities, for example, is broken down into Religion, Art, Architecture, Literature, and so on.
Users continue to delve down until they find articles that fit the chain of topics they've chosen.
Alternatively, users can enter the Multimedia Gallery, where all maps, movies, pictures, sounds, and Web links are listed alphabetically. Users can click on a title that interests them and be linked to the element immediately. Collier's Encyclopedia 1998 is part of SierraHome, a Sierra On-Line division that is dedicated to providing premium titles in home productivity and family software.