Many years ago, when I was in the 4th grade, I picked up a copy of Robert Heinleins "Starship Troopers" and instantly got hooked on Science Fiction.

To this day, when I'm not reading computer tech reports, meteorological studies or bicycling product evaluations (that's my current vice), I'll pick up a copy of some classic work of Science Fiction, and after a few minutes, all is right with the world.

Grolier's "Science Fiction" the Multimedia Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is based on the Hugo Award-winning book by John Clute and Peter Nicholls and contains 4,500 entries from all areas of this part of our lives.

They promise multimedia, and you get it, with 1,700 pictures of books and magazines, 321 "Author Portraits" and more than 70 film clips and stills.

Whatever you're looking for in the world of Science Fiction, you'll probably find it, and the background material to give you an appreciation for it here.

There are sound clips of 33 sci-fi authors, including Arthur C. Clarke and William Gibson.

The clips of the classic movies are linked to one of the articles in the title, and there's a "Time Machine" section that lists 11 eras with events crucial to the development of science fiction.

Did you ever wonder what Jules Verne or Isaac Asimov looked like?

You'll find their images here in the program.

"Science Fiction" is well organized, packed with fascinating information, and uses multimedia technology effectively.

The end result is a $60 program that you need in your software library if you have science fiction in your print library.

If your multimedia machine runs Windows, or is of the Macintosh persuasion, you'll find the right version at a software emporium near you.