was the final retail version. Released in August 2008, it was intended to bridge the gap between offline reliability and online expansion. However, just six months later (March 2009), Microsoft announced the discontinuation of all Encarta software and websites. This makes the Premium Edition 2009 the definitive final form of the product.
For an entire generation, "Mindmaze" was the secret weapon of Encarta. It was a first-person maze exploration game where you walked through castle halls, and doors would only unlock if you correctly answered trivia questions based on the encyclopedia. It turned learning into an adventure game—a feature that modern ed-tech still struggles to replicate. Microsoft Encarta Premium Edition 2009 ISO