Dr Who Encyclopedia

Dr Who Encyclopedia Review

by on December 9, 2011

Since its reintroduction in 2005, Doctor Who has become essential Saturday tea-time viewing for kids and adults alike, proving hugely popular. It’s spun off a huge range of books, toys and games, and, for the fans who like to know the details, it now has its own encyclopedia on the iPad.

The Doctor Who Encyclopedia certainly has the right pedigree in terms of its writer. Gary Russell edited Doctor Who Magazine for four years before going on to work as script editor of the current TV series and to write many Doctor Who books. What Russell doesn’t know about the Doctor and his history probably isn’t worth knowing.

Design-wise, the app has a lot going for it. The interface makes good use of swiping and touching throughout, and the navigation works well, splitting the content into logical sections covering friends, enemies, companions, places and things. rnrnHowever, it’s worth noting that the encyclopedia really only covers the three most recent Doctors – those played by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. Don’t expect in-depth coverage of the whole of Doctor Who back to the days of Hartnell, Troughton and Pertwee. And content focussing on the ninth and tenth Doctors will cost you extra (£4.99 per Doctor), so really what you’re getting covers mostly the last two series, with the exception of some of the more famous characters.rnrnWhat you also don’t get, bizarrely, is any video in the app itself. Yes, despite this encyclopedia being about a television show, there aren’t any clips.

You do, though, get a listing of all the episodes in the most recent series, along with links to the iTunes Store to let you buy them, and links to the trailers for many of the episodes, which open in Safari.rnrnThat said, and even without any of the additional Doctors, there’s a lot of material here. Sometimes, you wish that some of the articles (which may be only a paragraph or two long) offered more depth, but the breadth is impressive, the writing is crisp and informative, and there’s plenty here to keep fans occupied.

Download this app: Dr Who Encyclopedia for iPad

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Review courtest of Tap!