World Book Encyclopedia 2002 Premiere Edition (4 CD-ROM)

World Book 2002 Premier Edition offers four CD-ROMs of up-to-date and useful information for students, parents, teachers, and librarians. Since 1917, World Book has been one of the top names in reference materials. The encyclopedia gives users accurate, comprehensive, and detailed information in an easy-to-access format, compiled by more than 3,700 scholars, specialists, authenticators, and reviewers.

The ongoing Classroom Research Project allows the creators of World Book to monitor current classroom topics and receive feedback from students in more than 250 classrooms internationally. World Book curriculum studies and readability evaluations help to ensure that content parallels student needs and abilities. Accompanying the two World Book CD-ROMs are The Universe and History of Earth from Discovery Channel.

With Discovery Channel's The Universe CD-ROM students can investigate key topics such as black holes, nebulas, solar flares, and spiral galaxies. Beneficial animations, documentary footage, and interactive experiments can help students study the universe. The History of Earth CD-ROM investigates significant topics concerning the planet. Study the Earth's stages of formation, the magnitude of plate tectonics, and the grandeur of volcanic eruptions. Web links and quizzes for exam preparation round out the content and can help students understand Earth's history.

Review

Though World Book offers fewer articles (approximately 25,000) than its competitors, it is the best choice for elementary and middle school students. The search features are adjustable, with cross-referenced results, and list the most related articles first. There's a handy popup tool kit with writing tools and a dictionary. The reading levels are great for elementary, middle and high school students (appropriate for third grade and up), and the multimedia features are generous, with hundreds of videos, sounds and panoramic scenes. Features like customized chart, timeline and web makers add to the package's value. Online updates to this excellent resource are free.