This feature lets you quickly look up words and phrases in Encarta's Dictionary Tools, which include a dictionary, a thesaurus, and translation dictionaries (for English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish). The Search Bar, for instance, adds an icon and a small text box to the bottom of your screen. The lack of a user guide is a shame, because you could miss some of the great features within Microsoft Encarta Premium 2006. These are free until October 31, 2006, when you'll have to pay $4.95 per month or $29.95 per year to continue the service. You can opt out of this program, but you must provide personal contact information to register with Club Encarta for weekly content updates. Microsoft says that this is not spyware because the data collection process protects your anonymity.

At the beginning of installation, you're asked to join its Customer Experience Improvement Program, which collects information on how you use your hardware and software. Unfortunately, when you use Microsoft Encarta Premium 2006, you'll have to log in with a Passport account and put up with Microsoft's intrusive data-collection practices.

For families, the included Encarta Kids provides a lighter, peppier take on topics that kids are most interested in, such as animals and history. But with features such as a translation dictionary, an interactive atlas, a video library, and a Web Companion, you can easily search both Encarta and the Internet for the information you need. Microsoft also mars the experience by aggressively trying to collect data from users during setup. Encarta's intuitive interface makes it easy enough to click your way through the software to find what you're after, but Microsoft should have included a user guide to explain the gamut of features for those who want to make the most of the product. Microsoft Encarta Premium 2006 jettisoned last year's Homework Help to make a cheaper product for users who don't need features such as online math help and who don't want to spring for Microsoft Office.

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