Microsoft Encarta [portable] -

Was Encarta always right? No. Was it biased toward a Western viewpoint? Absolutely. But for a kid without high-speed internet, that CD-ROM was a portal. It made research feel like exploration, not a chore.

Do you miss the sound of that CD-ROM drive spinning up? And did you ever beat the final boss in MindMaze? microsoft encarta

Nostalgia Overflow: Why Microsoft Encarta Was the 90s Kid’s Internet Was Encarta always right

Before Wikipedia, before the smartphone in your pocket, there was a CD-ROM. And on that disc lived a virtual encyclopedia with a bouncing 3D logo and a soundtrack that sounded like elevator music for a spaceship. before the smartphone in your pocket

That was (1993–2009).