Encarta is celebrating its fifth anniversary and, as the leading product on the market, it has much to celebrate. There is a definite comfort level with the interface. The content has grown and improved with each update. Both deluxe and standard versions offer closed captioning for media with sound for the hearing impaired. New online features in the deluxe version include automatic updates and searchable Web links.
Sidebars are a new touch.
They supplement the traditional text with primary source documents, firsthand accounts, guest essays and opinions, historical accounts and articles published by such sources as Discover, National Geographic and the Library of Congress. Students consistently noted that they liked viewing related thumbnail illustrations that automatically appeared as they scrolled through text. Using an index-card metaphor, the new Research Organizer, on the third disk of the deluxe version, guides students through gathering information from a variety of sources, outlining and creating and arranging electronic note cards. A script prompts researchers through the creation of bibliographies. As they fill in the blanks, the product creates the citation.