Encarta Encyclopedia 1996 - Mind Maze

I found a copy of Encarta Encyclopedia '96 in a recent Ebay purchase, so I spun it up for fun. I vaguely remember playing Mind Maze as a kid, so that was neat to play through again.
Embarrassing stuff here, sadly. It's really cool to get lucky and nail like 100 level 4 questions in a row, then get put on the spot trying to figure out what state in the US is the most "West North Central" (three separate directions) a couple levels lower.
Thankfully I answered a lot of the easy questions right, like "What is literature that is Welsh?" "Welsh literature" gee thanks

[@Maznator]

Thanks man, sometimes I need a reminder those days were real.

[@iMusikkForeva]

Literally, feels like a fever dream...

[@tvfromvcr8331]

This! ❤

[@Ghost_emoji]

Well said

[@wkejnwelfvnwklnv]

Yeah...

[@ImmediatelyLeaveYT]

true that!

[@Yickerman]

Holy shit so this WASN'T a childhood fever dream

[@aidenhawron3459]

Exactly bro I had the vaguest memories of the music and somehow found it

[@Myperfectshell]

Right?!

[@TheRealSamBrawn]

YES! Same!

[@drosera8943]

I barely understood much as a kid, but I loved Encarta! Hours of just exploring all the knowledge contained within.

[@kar01870]

Same here!

[@adsmith364]

Facts! It was so much to explore!!!!! 🤩

[@noyaaaaa_]

I learned English from Encarta kids during my formative years

[@josssidn9620]

Me too

[@lunedogg]

I bet you’re doing pretty well now lol

[@noj1yt]

This is why i am deeply fascinated with medieval games

[@AriochStarr]

Holy shit! This! This is what I've been searching for for years! A vague memory deep in my subconscious with nothing but a sliver of thought to keep me searching, and I finally found it! I have no idea what it is or what it's about but I'm ecstatic I found this again. Thank you so much for this video.

[@Vots]

I also just found this. I knew I wasn’t imagining it, but recently thought maybe I was lol

[@vazirani.akinosi]

Exactly my thought!

[@lt127]

THANK YOU for this! and thank you for not talking over it and letting us nostalgic people take it all in! T_T

[@dodopipansey7804]

💗🙏☺️

[@anemoia3603]

I remember this game through the walking sfx 😭 we played this as a family but mostly I just watched. I was 3! I miss the days when we were still complete, simple times, no worries, no responsibilities, still full of hope, and just having fun. Oh the memories

[@Mesquitepigerino]

Dang I played this when I was 5 and pretty sure I had no idea what was going on. But it's all coming back to me now. Thank you for uploading this nearly forgotten memory!

[@shawn2587]

Same

[@bakertheteacher]

This game is a classic. I remember sitting and playing with my brother when I was in 1st grade back in 1995. The nostalgia. I am at a loss for words! Thank you for this upload! The good ol days..

[@GuardianDiancie]

Thanks for sharing this. I have been trying for almost 10 years to remember what the name of a CD with various information and trivia. I use to play this almost daily after getting home from school. Wish I could play this again. I had more fun learning new things through this game, than I did in school.

[@cs512tr]

i played this a lot as a kid, this and dangerous creatures were what we had back then for research at home material on pc.

[@poedgar3085]

I have just brought this game 2 days ago and brought a original windows 98 pc. I miss the 90s as a kid and thankyou for sending me back to the 1990s.

[@djpillarbox]

I've been searching for this hazy memory for days.... I didn't even remember that it had music but as soon as I heard the piano I knew this was what I was looking for!

[@lenanana8]

This game and the whole Encarta encyclopedia fill me with such nostalgia for my childhood!!!! I would spend hours on this game and my mum would have to drag me from it hahaha. Does anyone know if there is a version of this that we can install on modern laptop OS?

[@Hypegreene05]

This was my SHIT!!!!!!! We had it at home so I got to play all the time.

[@Estellux]

Loved the hecc out of this game as a kid. Thanks for giving me a means of showing it to my husband!

[@crazylegskc]

I loved Encarta! The go-to encyclopedia before Wikipedia. For the longest time, I didn't know that you could bypass the intro by clicking on the screen, so I sat through the intro each time and eventually memorized the order that the various pictures popped up.

[@stuffedninja1337]

Oh god, I forgot about the horrendous unskippable Encarta intro!! I’m delighted that other people are into this as much as I am, though my sister and I *always* picked Sports, Hobbies, and Pets, probably because we thought we had the best chance of getting things right. I answered SO many questions about Lou Gehrig and King Charles Cavalier Spaniels. ETA: The last question being what it is is fucking poetic to me now I told you it was Lou Gehrig

[@ven2368]

Now, I never played this. I can only wish I had, because the late 90's/early 00's infotainment atmosphere is both something that I was immersed in and relished as a kid, and something comforting and familiar as an adult. Good on those of you who got to experience this :) (also sorry if my words are a bit difficult to parse.)

[@adsmith364]

Can we go back to these times? I wish we could. If encarta made a genuine comeback, I'd support it. Internet resources have become so questionable, so many distractions, and unfortunately too much politics instead of clear straight factual information being presented like it was in the 90s.

[@booradley6832]

Encyclopia Brittanica is still an online resource.

[@Aurora-qn2dx]

Thankyou for this..One of my favourite games from my childhood.

[@EvilShadez]

This game creeped me the FUCK out when I was a kid 😂

[@ZOSO900]

I've always remembered Mindmaze, but I just barely thought of KZbin searching it instead of just missing it. I played a lot of this, and the classic art quiz. I also remember the world instrument quiz.

[@aqeelahd8335]

Wow bringing back memories of my childhood

[@SRP3572]

I loved this game. So many good memories and hours spent on this one

[@lunacavemoth]

I used to blast the music of this game while playing it on all topics for the questions on medium to difficult . I really thought the magician guy was my friend . I was 8.

[@milos.]

I remember playing this, I just don't know where. I know my dad had encarta 2006, and later 2009 installed

[@HD-gw4wf]

Oh my Gosh! How nostalgic! I loved this as a kid!

[@vgeesnaps]

Used to play this during my childhood days. Now 32, damn I miss being young.

[@hyouka_unforgiven]

My first internet ever in those old years . Nostalgia 2007😢

[@katinko3046]

thank you for not gatekeeping this.

[@tabithaAsher2171]

Brings back so many memories!!

[@tremorsfan]

I remember if you click on the guy in the stocks he'll tell you he's a time traveler like you and that all he told the guard was that he was in stocks.

[@gamrkidd]

Oooooh the memories of me playing this back when I was like 9!

[@Writerchick17f]

I loved this and matching the instruments to their geographic regions.

[@Junglesmells]

I swear to god this game made me a future stoner

[@pantherplatform]

I played this back in 96 when I was in middle school

[@GMAV3RICK]

Me too!

[@reggiejohnson9288]

The 90s, you had to be there

[@junkalopes]

IT WAS ENCARTA?? i've been trying to figure out what i was playing as a wee child for like fifteen years and it was ENCARTA????

[@Miakel]

I tell my children about they days before the internet when Encarta was a main research tool for school.

[@aftercloudj]

i dont know why but this game make me feel uncomfortable and creeped out back those days as a kid

[@FnjordKnot]

The dialogue was the best part!

[@zethrenbeltran4071]

Simpler times.

[@lt127]

truly

[@KCWingBoy]

This is a throwback for me.

[@ed6431]

Oh my gosh we had ONE computer in each Year 6 class (and only two year 6 classes) for use for Y6 ONLY you had to be awesome in class for a WEEK to get a go on the computer and we only had this game 😂😂😂 I was awesome 3 weeks in a row to get on this bad boy and damn was I class Queen sitting clicking for 2 hours each day 😂😂😂😂 I felt sooo cool

[@diogeneslantern18]

The username lives up to the reputation

[@danilomariano1726]

I shouldnt be seeing this, best days in my life...

[@marius31600]

Damn, so nostalgic my old pc has encarta normal (the blue i forget its name) and encarta kids

[@AnimeW69]

I used to play this game too!

[@8TFR]

How did you even go about recording this off Windows XP? I just got a bunch of similar Win 95 disks like this

[@AnStupidIdot]

I set up a Windows XP virtual machine using VMware Workstation Player. From there, you can go into the VM settings and select an .iso file (an image of a disk) to load for the virtual disk drive, go back into the VM, and install/run it from there. I created an .iso of Encarta from a copy I had laying around, but I'm sure you can find copies on archive.org to download as well, there's all kinds of neat crap there. I recorded my display using OBS.

[@tiatin]

This is a crazy ask, but here goes: does anyone remember hearing "You're a smashing success! On you go" when you got an answer right? I thought it was from an Encarta game but after watching this, I'm not sure since I didn't hear it. I just don't recall where I heard it but it was a game from the 90s...I think.

[@wowalamoiz9489]

I think you might want to use the subreddit _Tip Of My Joystick_ to find what game it was.

[@neurocidesakiwi]

Wasn't there audio of someone saying, i challenge you to a duel of the mind?

[@DodingDagaGaming]

highschool pa ata ako nun nilalaro q to sa pc namin haha..ohh wonderful memories

[@taralen1101]

6 year old me in the 90s getting every answer incorrect. Now I know all the answers lol.

[@areejjaved7246]

It reminds of waiting for my turn to use computer just to play mind maze

[@emma_mareee]

Omg so many memories

[@davtappy]

I've heard the sound @1:54, 2:01, 4:14 the "incorrect" sound be used in other things as a sound effect. Does anyone know what it's called?

[@AnStupidIdot]

So I dug around the files a bit, there's a folder entitled "MIDI" which has all the MIDI files used in the game, including the background loop music and some other things for MindMaze. My guess is that the incorrect sound is just one of these, a single low piano note/chord. I could be totally wrong but that's just my assumption. This link should display all the individual files of an upload for Encarta '96 on an archive.org upload: ia903009.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/31/items/MicrosoftEncarta96Encyclopedia1995OEM/ENCAR96ENCY.ISO You can ctrl+f and search for MIDI on that page to individually download the files, or download the whole .iso and look around yourself if you like, tools like 7-zip can open ISO images no problem.

[@wowalamoiz9489]

Could use stuff like this to prepare for _Who Wants To Be A Millionaire_

[@GldnClaw]

Does anyone recall a point-and-click in the mid 90's where you had to use Da Vinci's inventions to escape from somewhere or get around somehow?

[@pantherplatform]

The music gave me flashbacks...

[@wardaddy2.022]

nostalgia

[@lolamonicamorinigoresquin]

Este era de lo mejor

[@naughtiusmaximus]

"AmSmartGuy"

[@EtzeNuegez]

Pure nostalgia

[@blueist_waffle]

New Mexico???? Bro

[@lestatsluver666]

Omg, I don’t remember the music being so Mp3’y

[@chimeraelite]

Dude yes

[@AJ.429]

Unfortunately these days these things no longer exist. We had real PC games back then like Adiboo, Pingu, World Explorer, Virtual Safari, Children's Encyclopedia and many more. Unfortunately they was dying out mid 2000s as internet games on sites became more popular, it didn't take real hold till 2006-08 when games like World's hardest quiz/game when hacking, pawning and other crazies became more popular. Unfortunately things got way worse from there as since 2015+ estimate and definitely 2017+ most games now are just apps downloaded to your phone or computer since the windows apps computer became more popular. Most apps just don't work and take too much data. Most install more than they admit (data) Everything is online only and is bugged. Many is just from Google play and is heavily censored. Updates are required which just adds more storage than overwrites it . Most games now are just junk like Angry birds (which was censored) or Candy crush (promotes gambling) and usually has a 18+ theme. Everything now requires money and subscription. Others are just junk prank apps with no purpose. The only other games is modern downloaded ps5 games digital edition which is just pointless games like "The pathless" dudes, out there, just get an old computer, and you should be able to get these old discs off eBay super cheap but be wary, if they become super rare they will be super expensive. Unfortunately many old computers Don't work either because windows stopped releasing updates for them and many don't support WIFI and most ethernet is going extinct since landlines are being axed by 2025. Phones are going Digi so all those first novelty phones that Alexander bell invented will just be museum pieces most likely along with the computers of 93,95,97 etc

[@ganjamon3000]

Ah memories. Had this on a basic azz pc my uncle gave my family

[@AmeliaAstor]

excuse me, where do u get the game?

[@AnStupidIdot]

It looks like it is available for download from WinWorld and archive.org. Link to WinWorld page: winworldpc.com/product/encarta/1996 If you search it on archive.org you will find some uploads. I had a physical copy that I used for this video, if you're looking for that I'd hunt around on ebay.

[@Wildskatz]

So you’re not a smart guy 😂

[@Helicoptro]

git gud

[@christopherwall2121]

8:29 Kill Jester

[@nidakhan7692]

I close my eyes and i am there little girl sitting infront of PC Trying to play 🥲

[@MrAHSAN199]

My fav pastime as a kid

[@ELEKTRA_LUXXX]

This was so fun to play!!!

[@EazyE864]

OMG HOW DID I GET HERE 🥹🥹🥹🥹

[@kingfsh6634]

nostalgia