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Rating: 
Summary: Nice Dictionary, lousy software
Review: I can't believe how bad the user interface is for this
product, and even though I bought it to replace a nearly
10 year old "Talking American Heritage Dictionary", I'm
likely going to stick with the old one!
The "About" information reveals what's going on here--the
copyrights are for 1999, and there are even notices about
"for 16 bit Windows"; we're talking pretty ancient software.
The dictionary itself is pretty standard; there are plenty
of entries, and a nice layout. There is good use of bold,
color, and italics, which makes for easier reading. The
dictionary guesses when you type most of the word you are
looking for. You can hit "Enter" without finishing the typing,
and the word appears.
It didn't handle misspellings well. I tried to look up
"mnemonic" by entering, "mnumonic". The dictionary responds
with "M. Nurs", and offers no suggestions. The AHD, on the
other hand, suggested I try "mnemonic" (which is the correct
word), when I entered the same thing.
The dictionary sometimes adds words you look up into a history.
Sometimes it doesn't. I have yet to figure out when it decides
to add, and when not.
The buttons are not organized well, and the shortcuts actually
conflict with the menus. I tried to exit by hitting ALT-F,X
(standard Window's UI), and instead brought up a filtering
window. Strangely, only filter and Prefs have a keyboard
shortcut--the other 7 buttons have none.
There is no click to find a word! This is terrible. I looked
up "PC", and it says "See Personal Computer". Why can't I click
on "Personal Computer"? I have to type it all out (yes, you can
copy/paste). There is no excuse for this in a software
dictionary.
Mouse scrolling does not work, nor does drag-scrolling (you don't
get realtime movement by dragging the scrollbar.). You either
have to move line by line, or move the scrollbar, let go, and
hope you've gone the distance you wanted.
If you just want to read definitions on your PC, this dictionary
will work. But the American Heritage is just as cheap, and works
much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent. The best English Dictionary I ever had.
Review: I have been trying to find this dictionary for several years. I couldn't find it in Venezuela. Short time ago I was looking for a dictionary to replace my old Webster's New World Dictionary, second college edition, when browsing Amazon.com I found the Unabridged Random House version -and with CD version, too! I am quite satisfied with the dictionary. Up to now I have found several words that my old dictionary didn't show. The DC version is very useful for me. I am a journalist writing for the English language Venezuelan newspaper "The Daily Journal" and are often asked for translation of other journalists' work. The CD version in my PC saves me much time I used to spend looking through dictionaries. I am glad I ordered it from Amazon, not only for the reasons stated above, but also because it was delivered within just a few days at my office in Caracas. Something else: I bought, at the same time, the Simon & Schusters English-Spanish Dictionary. It is also the best in its kind. I have had a copy for several years but it is in very poor condition now. I only wish this dictionary also came in CD Rom version. It would be wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. The best English Dictionary I ever had.
Review: I ordered Readers Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Book & CD-ROM (Windows) only to discover that it won't run under Windows 95 Version 2 (or b) or higher. It apparently will only work on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, Version 1 (or a). It's all a bit technical, but Random House should release a newer version that'll run under the newer Windows 95 versions. Better yet, Random House should designate which version of Windows 95 their CD-ROM will run under. When trying to load it on Windows 95, Version 2, at some point in the installation, a message will appear advising that there may be something wrong with the disk. I originally ordered thru Amazon and they 2nd day air mailed me a replacement disk and dictionary. I encountered the same message, so I took my computer to the technician who built it, and he immediately identified the problem. The dictionary itself, albeit rather large, was visually attractive, of good print quality and size and legible for easy reading. Needless to say, I was disappointed that I couldn't load the dictionary onto my hard drive. I tried adding what did load to MicroSoft Word, but it suggested that I divide the dictionary. I don't know how that could be done. Perhaps I need more RAM than what I have.
Rating:
Summary: Won't work with Windows 95 Version 2 or b whichever
Review: I ordered Readers Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Book & CD-ROM (Windows) only to discover that it won't run under Windows 95 Version 2 (or b) or higher. It apparently will only work on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, Version 1 (or a). It's all a bit technical, but Random House should release a newer version that'll run under the newer Windows 95 versions. Better yet, Random House should designate which version of Windows 95 their CD-ROM will run under. When trying to load it on Windows 95, Version 2, at some point in the installation, a message will appear advising that there may be something wrong with the disk. I originally ordered thru Amazon and they 2nd day air mailed me a replacement disk and dictionary. I encountered the same message, so I took my computer to the technician who built it, and he immediately identified the problem. The dictionary itself, albeit rather large, was visually attractive, of good print quality and size and legible for easy reading. Needless to say, I was disappointed that I couldn't load the dictionary onto my hard drive. I tried adding what did load to MicroSoft Word, but it suggested that I divide the dictionary. I don't know how that could be done. Perhaps I need more RAM than what I have.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Dictionary, but the 2003 edition is actually 1999
Review: Random House WUA is a fine dictionary - no question about it. The touted 2003 release is actually the now four year old 1999 edition. One click at Help->About is enough. Even file dates are from 1999. It was probably tested for Win XP/2000 compatibility and then re-released.
Still - the best Unabridged Speaking computer dictionary I know.
Rating:
Summary: Great Dictionary, but the 2003 edition is actually 1999
Review: Random House WUA is a fine dictionary - no question about it. The touted 2003 release is actually the now four year old 1999 edition. One click at Help->About is enough. Even file dates are from 1999. It was probably tested for Win XP/2000 compatibility and then re-released.
Still - the best Unabridged Speaking computer dictionary I know.
Rating:
Summary: This is only a re-issue of the old 1999 version.
Review: The contents of this dictionary is superb. But the software is only a reissue of the old version. No user interface has been changed or improved. It does not even recognize a mouse's wheel button!
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