DK Eyewitness Children's Encyclopedia

DK Multimedia and the Eyewitness series of books, videos and computer programs have long been known for their high quality. While I am generally a huge fan of DK Multimedia products, this one is not as good as it has the capability to be. There are only a few encyclopedia programs on the market for young children under the age of ten, so your choices are limited.

The main screen of the encyclopedia looks like a child's electronic toy. There are buttons across the top which specify the various fields of study, culture, nature, history, science, geography and an atlas. Articles can be accessed by choosing one of these fields and then narrowing the search. This is a nice feature which prepares your children for some of the search options in more adult programs. Around the 'terminal' are buttons which lead to the World Wide Web, a note taking area, copy and print options as well as a who's who area and a keyword search option. If your child just wants to "see cool things," he or she can pull a slot machine type lever and be taken to various sites at random. There is of course a regular index of articles which can be scrolled through. It is also possible with this index to search for videos, animations and more. This is always the first stop I make when I look at a new encyclopedia. Like many people, I enjoy seeing the multimedia capabilities. The video clips and animations included in this program are very nice. The program will run sluggishly with anything less than the minimum requirements however, so take them seriously this time.

While the DK Children's Encyclopedia is for children ages seven to ten, most children over the age of eleven are more than ready for a good adult encyclopedia program. Even with it's weaknesses, this is still one of the only good options for children seven to ten. You will find the article selection limited, but covering subjects of most interest to children in this age group. The text is written in nice large print which is easy to read. As an article is displayed there is often a very nice introduction with a human voice. From there things go down hill. Your child can click on the text and have it read to him, but it will be read in an old fashioned, computer generated voice. This becomes quite annoying as time goes by. There are programs on the market where the entire text is read in a nice human voice, so the technology is available.

If your children struggle with adult encyclopedias, this may be a good option for your family. It would also be a good choice if you have a slower reader who can usually read independently, but may need some help on occasion. In this case your child would not have to rely on the computer generated voice. With the simple addition of real human voices, this program is one I would recommend highly. The voice is just too annoying to handle for hours at a time.

Grading for DK Eyewitness Children's Encyclopedia

Educational Value- 4
Entertainment Value- 31/2
Use of medium- 3
Age- 7-10

Buy the Eyewitness Children's Encyclopedia at Amazon!