The Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness encyclopedias have been around for a while, but Avanquest has just launched version 3 of the product. This is a polished and enhanced program which has been updated to keep it relevant for today's students. So Pluto is now correctly classified as a dwarf planet (although there's no mention of whether or not it's the birthplace of Happy, Dopey and Sleepy).

The package broadly covers four main topics - maths, physics, chemistry and life sciences - and contains material relevant to Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 of the national curriculum. Although this is a revamped version, it bears a slightly dated, low resolution feel. However, this doesn't mar the aesthetic appeal too much, as the articles are neatly presented and there's a healthy helping of videos and animations (some 120 in total) which clearly illustrate some of the ideas and concepts the program deals with.

The central philosophy of the Encyclopedia of Science is to let the user explore, and provide plenty of links to various related topics. Read up on the Big Bang, for example, and you're given links to Stephen Hawking and particle physics, amongst other subjects. Links are also embedded in the narrated text that explains each topic, and these can lead to other articles or just pop-up windows which define terminology.

It's all very smartly organised and the knowledge imparted is concisely delivered, with no danger of boring the student. The multitude of nested links encourage a relaxed exploration of the program, and the whole thing's a pleasure to navigate around.

There's also a handy search function to locate specific information, and a full index of every article, video, animation and image in the program. As well as this core content, there's a number of other interesting bits and pieces tacked onto the package.

A virtual molecule display pulls up 3D molecular models of common substances such as salt or diamond, and these can be spun around to be viewed from any angle. The matter explorer is quite similar, putting various everyday objects under a microscope and allowing you to see what they look like at various levels of magnification (all the way down to a sub-atomic level). These are interesting if rather short-lived experiences.

In a chunkier vein, the Encyclopedia of Science also boasts a who's who of the scientific world, from Pythagoras to Linus Pauling. A quiz rounds things off, offering a range of simple multiple choice questions against the clock.

Overall, there's an impressive amount of content here, and most importantly the main articles are presented in a succinct and memorable manner, so the potential for learning is increased.

The Encyclopedia of Science is well organised and concisely scripted, and this updated third version is a worthwhile exercise for those studying science subjects at primary or secondary levels.