The Microsoft Encarta is an extremly useful and helpful piece of software. It will help with everything from schoolwork to helping you find the right place to take your family on a summer vacation. It is what you really epxect out of a good computer.

Encarta is the best I use it for my homework every night!

Wonderful site! I visit it often and really enjoy the monthly updates. There is a wealth of information there for the asking.

I like this software, but make sure that you check the system requirements before you install it. I gave it to my dad for Christmas, and tried to install it on his (ancient) system, only to find that it had messed up his operating system so much that the Microsoft guys had no idea what was causing the problem. Merry Christmas Dad!

Clunky. Limited information. Try britannica.com instead. And it's FREE.

Lost one star because of its pro-microsoft bias, lost another because Encyclopedia Brittanica is now free on the web. Why bother with Encarta, then?