New Internet Tools Beef Up Encarta 2001

Microsoft's Encarta Reference Suite, the popular electronic encyclopedia, has some new capabilities that make it definitely worth a look. In particular, its Researcher tool allows you to capture Web information easily. I looked at a shipping version.

Encarta Reference Suite 2001 combines Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe ($50 for the stand-alone edition) with an interactive atlas, a dictionary, and Encarta Africana, Third Edition, which focuses on black history and culture and is new in this version.

During installation, Encarta adds a Researcher button to the toolbar of Internet Explorer 5 or later (it doesn't support Netscape). Researcher then lets you highlight text and images from the Web and import them directly into your Researcher organizer. The tool automatically appends Web sources and bibliographical references to copied items.

From the organizer, you can edit and arrange your notes, and then export any or all of the items there to your word processor or to an HTML file.

The software's Web Center makes getting to related online resources easier: Pull up an article on any major topic, and you get embedded links to Web sites chosen by Encarta's editorial team.

One notable downside: The CD-ROM version ($75) contains seven discs; swapping them to use the software can become tiresome. However, a one-disc DVD-ROM version, also $75, is expected soon.

Encarta 2001 successfully concentrates on the essentials--comprehensive, current content presented with state-of-the-art multimedia and design. World Book and Grolier both put out worthwhile competing titles annually, but Encarta's depth of content and superior online features keep it consistently in front.

SUMMARY

Encarta Reference Suite 2001 PRO: Upgraded encyclopedia; easily captures Web reference material. CON: Swapping the CD-ROM discs gets annoying; DVD-ROM version definitely easier to use. VALUE: Valuable, timesaving suite of reference tools. List price: $75, for either CD-ROM or DVD-ROM version. Microsoft 800/936-3500 encarta.com