Once again Encarta emerges victorious, thanks to its balance of content and accessibility. What's surprising is that this is in spite of Britannica's much-heralded new interface and the boasts of a program that's supposedly easier to use than ever.

Why did Encarta Premium Suite 2005 win? It scored in several key areas. First, it hangs together better as a computer program, with a more intuitive interface and the ability to get around its content with few notable pauses. Second, its localisation is far better, and you're never left with the feeling that this is an American product repackaged for the British market. And third, the breadth of content and innovations that support it just edge Britannica out.

Encyclopaedia Britannica 2005 scores by being cheaper and not having the Encarta Online sign-up procedure, but throws it away with its insistence on selling you things. It also, arguably, has the slightly better content, but the difference isn't great.

Which leaves things pretty much wrapped up for another year. It's becoming clear that on the program side, neither has many great innovations left in it, and more and more this annual scrap is going to come down to the quality and breadth of the content. For now, Encarta maintains its lead, but we'll see you back here again in a years' time...