PreviewA good attempt at all-in-one system security, fully integrated into the OS.

A three-PC licence as standard, superb silent interface and effective security utilities make Norton 360 a tempting buy.

With the prevalence of Net connections and all the good things a connected society brings such as community, the ability to share ideas and the openness of information, comes the flipside of digital life -- hackers, spyware, viruses and spam.

The Vista version lacks many of the features of the XP suite, while slowing down the PC noticeably in usage

A best-of-breed approach to Internet security pays off. This flexible and resource-friendly suite returns to the A-List.

A comprehensive set of security tools in one package, with a convenient and easy-to-use interface.

Excellent support, but a confusing user interface and disappointing firewall let AVG down

Excellent value for money, but a few performance glitches let BitDefender down.

Kaspersky's first integrated security suite relies too much on the anti-virus component.

Astaro Security Linux turns any PC with the right hardware in to a dedicated firewall and router system with minimal fuss.

PC-cillin is no longer just an anti-virus program - it is a full internet security suite that includes a personal firewall and spam filtering - and it costs between $20 and $40 less than the equivalent Norton product.

A competent suite delivering good value for money, but it offers only average spyware and spam protection

Scanning, site blocking and alerts improved over version 6.

Spam! spam! spam! spam! . . . if it had not been for Monty Python nobody would ever have thought there was anything funny about it. With almost 50 percent of the world’s email now junk mail, offering everything from unwanted penis extensions to stockmarket tips, spam has become as big a problem as viruses.

A free package that scores highly, beating almost all its big-name competition. It’s just a shame it’s such a nag

McAfee puts out its VirusScan 2004 in two versions - boxed or downloaded and managed from the internet. Whatever way you do it, the installation is simplicity itself with no difficult questions to answer or confusing choices to make.

With peerless detection capabilities, this well-conceived package is a joy to use.

At first glance, not much appears to have changed from version 3. A closer look, however, reveals that the engine in version 4 has been tweaked and optimised towards a more powerfully specified product.

A good concept, but the on-demand anti-virus scanner lacks real-time email and IM protection.

Do the new features of McAfee’s latest addition to its Security Suite stack up for home and business?