Security vendors have taken to producing security suites that offer far more protection than just anti-virus protection and Smart Security 4 is ESET's latest software suite

Using the software for a period of one month, it ably blocked a number of threats from taking up residence on our machine. It caught viruses and Trojans in e-mails, web downloads and also blocked a few suspicious intrusion attempts with its built-in ...

Testing various versions of Symantec€™s Norton AntiVirus (NAV) software over the last few years, the WinLabs team has always described the experience as bittersweet. While the software has always proved highly competent and easy-to-use, it has also ...

Quick to install, interface is better than ever, no longer makes your PC unusable when working, resident scanner works like a charm.

Updates are still quite big.

NAV 2009 takes a couple of steps in the right direction. While not perfect, we’re happy to recommend it now, even if you have an older PC

Symantec develops both standalone PC protection apps and comprehensive suites and Norton AntiVirus (NAV) 2008 with Antispyware falls under the former category.

Very user friendly but still a resource hog and its scanner is slow compared to NOD32's.

Page search detection feature, fast page loading and tab switching, strong security

No IE-style quick tabs

This foxy release offers great performance, useful features and strong security.

The only real issue we have with Eset's offering is with its interface. While it's certainly functional it is also easily the most daunting for novices to get to grips with. Features are grouped under somewhat cryptic headings such as IMON and DMON ...

If you're willing to work through its arguably challenging graphics interface, NOD32 will build an effective shield around your PC.

Our only real issue is that Panda's offering lacks a built-in scan scheduler, so you can't automatically tell the app when to go to work. Curiously enough, you can tell the software when to auto-update its virus definitions. These definition files are ...

Titanium's super fast scan engine is the highlight of the show. It's just a shame there is no scan scheduling included as this would have boosted its appeal.

If you're using a dial-up connection, you're in for somewhat of a wait when you install Norton for the first time, as the initial updates and virus definitions weigh in at 12Mbytes. Once you've finished with this update though, the future definitions ...

Though it has the most user-friendly interface here and a competent scan engine, its resource munching requirements detract slightly from its appeal.

The app's scans don't impose themselves on the PC too much, so you can still carry on working with your word processor or even watch a movie without operations grinding to a halt. McAfee, like all the other packages here, features a memory resident ...

Regardless of your expertise level, McAfee's Virus Scan 2006 is an excellent value buy that has all the possible bases well and truly covered.

In terms of support, BullGuard has an ace up its sleeve. This is thanks to a live chat feature that's available on the company's web site. This means you can chat with personal support, should you get stuck; a great feature for novice users.

If you value your data and wish to keep it safe, BullGuard is a big step in the right direction.

The scanning engine itself is a good one that keeps an eye out for viruses, Trojans, worms and more. As it sports quarantine features, you can also lock away a file if you can't quite clean it straight away with your current virus definition file. SBE ...

With its clean, easy-to-use interface and strong virus scanning engine, Sophos Small Business Suite is ideal for any SMB that operates with networks.