Nothing revolutionary, but this simple and affordable music-production program feels both mature and modern

A well rounded package that falls short on security.

Plenty of features and strong security complemented by a clean interface.

A clean and fast interface, plenty of features and strong security make it a winner.

A well thought out site with plenty of features, including SMS alerts.

An impressive service, if only it was a touch more reliable.

A new interface, smart albums, guided editing and photo merging keep Photoshop Elements ahead of the pack

A highly usable all-round security suite, but ultimately a strong runner-up rather than a new champion.

Refocusing on disc-related features makes Nero the top choice for optical disc authoring.

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

Improved interface, object and layer handling, plus integrated 3D painting add greatly to power, usability and value

A highly polished, enthralling 3D guide to the universe, although it lacks convincing reasons to upgrade.

New multiple page support and improved text handling, but the program’s main strength remains its underlying speed.

With a complete overhaul of the plug-ins this is the biggest update in years, but it’s too expensive.

New realism for bristled brushes and automatic painting that approaches manual quality give Painter X an edge.

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

Feature-packed and good value, but it’s slow, has too many pop-ups and a less-than-perfect firewall.

Live’s standing as a general-purpose music-production environment continues to grow.

Added features and fixed bugs mean that Firefox remains our browser of choice

A mixed bag of features, with some fundamentally flawed defaults and too many opaque alerts.