The annual battle of the small business accounting programs has flared again as both MYOB and Quicken roll-out their 2004 editions. While both have made several tweaks and additions to last year’s models, the main difference this time around is in MYOB’s new product activation model. While many users will consider it overkill, there is little doubt that MYOB and others have suffered as a result of software piracy over the years and this time MYOB is determined to stop it.

A brilliant performer, particularly in terms of photo image quality. It’s superb value, too.

The move to a new platform brings credible new challengers to Intel’s Core 2 processors

New songs and a battle mode make Guitar hero III a winner

Not quite small enough to inhale, but the features and looks will still leave you breathless.

The slump in the accounting software market since the heady days leading up to the introduction of GST has seen the major players completely revamp their products. For example, QuickBooks Pro once sold for less than half its current price and was designed for small business.

Getting your PC to meaningfully accept voice commands or dictation has been a benchmark for futuristic computing since time immemorial. Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS for short) has been a leader in the field for some time now, and is rapidly becoming devoid of competition.

The S5000 is one of the best-looking SLR-style digital cameras we’ve seen and comes from the same lines at the S602 Zoom. The plastic casing is solidly built but feels much lighter than the 448g our scales declared. This is mostly down to the excellent ergonomics – the hand grip is perfectly designed for one-handed shooting.

A forward-thinking system which can deliver superb sounds from digital music

Almost five years have past now since the first release of 3ds max, then called the full 3D Studio MAX. One of the first packages of its kind to introduce affordability and performance to an industry dominated by huge price tags. And even after its competitors have been forced to compromise their price to compete, max has kept up its innovative features and held its ground.

Foam insulated to dampen noise and five hard disk bays, makes this an excellent case.

Enjoy your music on the move: we try out five of the best flash-based MP3 players on the market.

Economical running costs and a great scanner make it appealing, but it’s slow and hard to use as a standalone copier.

This two-CD set is loaded with five separate programs. Sierra Home Architect will help you design and decorate your dream home in 3D.

Lots of positives here, but a few minor negatives, too

A wealth of web server load-balancing and traffic-management features; ideal for those on a tight budget.

Huge capacity, but not very quiet or good value

If you had asked me a few weeks ago what the advantages of eight megapixels (MP) were over five, I would have said very few. However, that was before I discovered the fun factor in being able to play with an image that is up to 115cm by just over 86cm (72dpi).

A quality PSU with an excellent 5 year warranty.

The acclaimed Razer series gets an unconventional design upgrade - different, but it gets our thumbs up.