As far as many people are concerned there's only one MP3 player. Love it or hate it, the iPod has entered the public consciousness and become an icon. So it's no surprise that everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. With the Zen Touch, however, Creative hasn't just jumped on, it's set down roots: everything from the white and silver styling, to the menu system screams Apple, and there's even a touchstrip down the centre of the unit which apes the iPod's innovative scroll-wheel.

A 20GB iPod will cost you around $499, and a Zen Touch will set you back the same. The Zen Touch weighs a travel-friendly 200g: 42g less than a current generation iPod but it's notably larger at 69 x 22 x 105mm (WDH), against Apple's 61 x 16 x 104mm. And while the menu system is blissfully easy to navigate, the touch strip is erratic, even on the low-sensitivity setting.

A remote control is available as an optional extra the supplied bog-standard headphones don't come with one, and certainly don't make the most of otherwise very musical sound quality. The eight-line LCD offers good contrast, sufficient backlighting to see in strong light and plenty of room for information.

Attaching to your PC is easy via the USB 2 connection on the top, and all the connections laid across the top keep everything neat. But it's here that the iPod once again offers so much more. iTunes may not be quite the revolution under Windows that it is under OS X, but it's certainly a good deal more elegant than Creative's MediaSource software. You'll be able to use Window's Media Player to sync if you prefer, but either way you'll have to install drivers, which include Creative's irritating registration nag screen. Once connected though, you can drag and drop files to the player from Explorer.

Unlike the iPod and many others, the Touch's controls are easy to use without taking it out of your pocket, and that's a huge boon for usability. That's also true with the Touch's WMA support still notably lacking from Apple. Battery life was on a par though: a disappointing nine hours.

There are some nice additions though, including an LCD remote control and FM tuner - additions that the iPod lacks, but, when you consider the price, the iPod's software and styling, plus the huge range of accessories available, Creative hasn't come close to kicking it into touch.