Encyclopaedia Britannica

We’ve previously noted the apparently outdated nature of encyclopaedias on CD or DVD – after all, discs can only store so much information while the internet essentially holds all the information in the world.

Moreover, the internet isn’t frozen in time, unlike a disc – many people wanting up-to-date information presented in encyclopaedic style would these days go straight to Wikipedia.

But these considerations haven’t stopped Britannica issuing a 2009 DVD edition of its famous print encyclopaedia. So what does this £40 package offer that can’t be had free from the likes of Wikipedia?

Well, at a glimpse you could easily mistake Encyclopaedia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Edition for a web browser – from the toolbar at the top (replete with Back, Forward and Home buttons) to tabbed browsing and the ability to make bookmarks, it all feels familiar.

This makes navigation straightforward (for anyone who’s used a web browser, anyway), though it also compounds the feeling of the disc being a limited resource. When you look for a topic on which Britannica hasn’t collated information, you suddenly remember that this isn’t a web browser, and that Encyclopaedia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Edition isn’t the sum of all the world’s knowledge.

To be fair, every information page does include a Related Content button that further sports an Online Search option (which takes you to the online Britannica) but this is more trouble than just using the web in the first place.

However, let’s concentrate on some positives. Rather than just shovel a load of unfiltered information in front of readers, Britannica tailors its presentation for adults, teens and kids. So it is that the adult ‘library’ is spare on prettiness but big on detail, while the kids’ library is bright and busy (and the better for it – we much preferred it this way).

Indeed, considered purely from a child’s perspective, Britannica is great. There’s a Homework Helpdesk, an educational games section and even a dictionary with all the rude words removed.

And of course, parents can allow kids to use Britannica safe in the knowledge that most articles will be accurate and safe from sabotage – something that could never be said of Wikipedia.