Britannica's Multimedia Reference Suite Expanded and Updated for 2004

Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. has announced its 2004 Ultimate Reference Suite, a multimedia reference library for information seekers of all ages, which has been thoroughly revised and updated.

Unlike other multimedia reference products, which focus mainly on students in the middle grades, the mammoth, 100,000-article Ultimate Reference Suite provides comprehensive information for everyone from young children to adults in one place.

The product, available on CD-ROM and DVD for Windows and Macintosh computers, has three encyclopedias: the entire 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica Student Encyclopedia and Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. Each encyclopedia forms the cornerstone of an integrated "reference library" that includes a dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and historical timelines appropriate to the age of the user. Young students can advance to the next level when they're ready, and adults can use it all their lives.

Included in this year's product for the first time are over 8,000 articles from the Britannica Book of the Year covering events of the past decade. They provide extensive coverage of current affairs and are a valuable aide to research on recent events.

The 2004 edition also includes recent encyclopedia revisions that reflect the changing world situation since September 11. An article entitled "September 11 attacks" has been added, along with entries on Al Qaeda and the Al Jazeera television network. Also included is coverage of the newest drugs and advances in biomedicine, trends in global crime and punishment and significant developments in sports, the arts and popular culture.

New topics covered for the first time include Mattel's Barbie, designer drugs, West Nile Virus, ecoterrorism and Gulf War Syndrome.

"The Ultimate Reference Suite is for anyone who needs reliable, in-depth information for school, work and everyday life," said Jorge Cauz, president of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. "Because it has three complete reference libraries, for all ages, it serves the whole family."

Contents include:

• Encyclopaedia Britannica -- the entire 32-volume Britannica, more than 75,000 articles, many written by Nobel laureates.
• Britannica Student Encyclopedia -- Created by Britannica's editors for students ages 10-18, these 15,000 entries are geared to school subjects and presented in a lively style students enjoy.
• Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia -- Written for students in the early grades and designed to instill a look-it-up habit.
• Merriam-Webster Dictionaries and Thesauruses -- Almost 555,000 definitions, synonyms, and antonyms that are easy to access from encyclopedia articles with a single click. Even young students can use it.

Other features include a world atlas, with maps hot-linked to encyclopedia articles, timelines, rich multimedia and KnowledgeNavigator, Britannica's interactive browser made for creative brainstorming and exploring different topics. Customers get free quarterly updates and a 90-day free subscription to Britannica's online premium service ( www.britannica.com ), with popular magazines and links to valuable Web sites.

Britannica's Ultimate Reference Suite carries a suggested retail price of $69.95 and comes with a $20 mail-in rebate. The product is in stores now. Customers can also call 1-800-323-1229 or go to www.britannica.com .

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.