It’s easy to believe that registry cleaners fall into the category of “computer voodoo”. You expect to perform a few ritualistic gestures and gain a faster, less problematic computer.

A modular scanning tool that catches most unwanted software – but not quite all

A well rounded package that falls short on security.

A fairly straightforward site focused on savings, but it functions well.

Great if you have foreign accounts to manage, but only average otherwise.

Straight forward site that handles all the basics and includes some innovative security.

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

A handy application that simulates a real VoIP call to diagnose your broadband problems.

Optimize your broadband connection with this handy freeware application, even if you use Vista.

Improved handling of templates, tracing, text and layers along with new table support, but ultimately X4 disappoints

A quantum leap in usability over the previous version, although malware protection could still be better

A mixed performance undermines an otherwise good-value product.

Protect your personal data with these essential downloads that offer spyware protection, data encryption and more

A big improvement from Microsoft, but there’s still some way to go. OneCare can now call itself a serious security contender.

A professional product, but it's a poor performer for the price.

Protect your PC from itself and yourself

A great choice for offices that need to recognise batches of documents, with its only real weakness being poor automatic zoning on complex documents.

A decent compromise between OCR value and features – especially as you can upgrade from the Sprint version.

Camcorder, still camera and portable media player all in one sleek package.

It’s what the professional audio market has to offer podcasters and budding musicians -- but quality comes at a cost.