Doctor Who Encyclopedia Review

Monday, November 7, 2011

Doctor Who Encyclopedia Review

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Doctor Who Encyclopedia Review

By Jennifer Allen on November 7th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: COMPREHENSIVE-ISH
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad

An encyclopaedic collection of all things Doctor Who.

Developer: Random House
Price: $6.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad 2

iPhone Integration Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.58 out of 5 stars

At nearly 50 years old, Doctor Who has rightfully gained many fans along with an entire Universe of fascinating facts devoted to the long running series. So, what better way to discover this huge wealth of information than on an iPad loaded with the Doctor Who Encyclopedia? It’s not all plain sailing admittedly but it does provide a great basis for fans, especially those who love the current Doctor.

The presentation of the app is outstanding. Users can swipe around the screen with a Tardis backdrop, or they can just choose from a series of menus. Plenty of information is provided in an attractive way with numerous links and connections. Sections for enemies and allies are provided with a photo and description of the character, as well as places and objects also being catered for. Further interesting news comes from the episode and series guide with episode previews included, as well as the ability to buy episodes through iTunes.

It’s all very neatly done. Everything has a certain element of polish making Doctor Who Encyclopedia a great interactive book of sorts. Doctor Who fans will love spending time browsing around all the information. I certainly learnt a lot despite watching all the recent episodes. It’s a great sign of the depth of the show.

Two pivotal problems emerge however. The lesser problem of the two is the inability to do anything with the photos in the gallery. It would have been great if users could save images to their iPad to use as wallpaper, for instance. The other problem is the price. The app is initially $6.99 but only comes with knowledge about the latest Doctor: Matt Smith. Those who want to have the same encyclopediac knowledge about the previous two doctors: David Tennant and Christopher Eccelston have to pay the same again for each doctor. For the full package, that’s a pretty hefty $20.97 which, even despite the over 3,000 entries, is pretty expensive for one Science Fiction series encyclopedia app. A shame given as the app is of a high quality otherwise.