Panda Internet Security 2008 is being sold as a complete solution. With that in mind, we think a number of the components (parental control, backup, PC optimisation) are rather disappointing and, in most cases, are easily improved upon with software and Web services freely available over the Internet.

There are utility bundles and there are utility bundles, but BitDefender Total Security 2008 is definitely up there with the best of them. If you want high levels of security, excellent ease of use plus great VFM you should definitely try BitDefender Total Security 2008 -- or at the very least the 30-day trial version. You won't be disappointed.

Norton AntiVirus 2008 continues the recent upwards trend. Its AV capabilities remain world-class (it's the only antivirus with over seven years of consecutive VirusBulletin 100 detection awards) and yet remain easy to use. A good choice for small family networks.

Annoyingly, Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.5 asked us what to do during installation of four popular browser toolbars (AOL, Das Ortliche, Google and Quero); the other five programs in our round-up deduced that the toolbars were legitimate. Unfortunately, Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.5 just doesn't perform as well as it used to.

Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2007 Plus is a definite step up from the freeware version, but its lacklustre performance would send us searching elsewhere for help.

Spyware Doctor 5.0 continues the good work laid down by its forebears. Indeed, we'd go so far as to suggest that Spyware Doctor might be the best anti-spyware utility available.

In the end, Grisoft AVG Antispyware 7.5 is a pretty solid program with the strongest signature database we tested, but it falls short in behaviour-based protection against unknown threats.

You could manually track down personal information on your PC with Google Desktop or another desktop search tool, but Identity Finder makes the process much easier. In addition it can dig into saved browser passwords, which neither Google Desktop nor the native Windows search can. Identity Finder works with Windows Vista, XP and 2000, and an Enterprise version is available for Windows Server 2003. You can grab a free trial version from their Web site, but it will show you only the information it has found--it won't tell you where the data is or let you take steps to protect it. Those details and capabilities will cost you.

Kaspersky 7.0 offers top-notch virus and spyware protection at a reasonable price, and it does so without hogging system resources.

All up, this is a user-friendly utility for businesses wishing to implement stricter security for portable data devices.

Ad-Aware 2007 Free is a solid post-infection tool. If you don't want to dredge up the money to purchase real-time protection with Ad-Aware Plus or Pro, we recommend this free version as a utility that savvy users shouldn't be without. However, as threats become more sophisticated, the real-time protection available with the Plus and Pro versions should be a strong consideration.

Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2007 is in the upper echelon when it comes to anti-virus software.