Avira Premium Security Suite 8.0 is undoubtedly first-class at detecting malware but the AV game has moved on when it comes to factors such as usability, intelligence and hardware footprint. It's now looking relatively dated and awkward to use.

Even if it wasn't free, AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 Free would be a good antivirus product.

ClamWin Free Antivirus is a solid free antivirus program. We wouldn't recommend that you use it as your sole method of protection, but it is well worth having as an extra level of security.

ThreatFire adds a worthwhile layer of security for your computer. Even more impressively, it's free.

If you are fed up with spam, then ClearMyMail is the business. It stops spam in its tracks and, from our experience, does so without causing the almost as worrisome headache of rejecting valid emails without good cause. It is simple to set up for POP3 account holders, but offers lots of control if you want it. Some ISPs perform spam filtering and so only a handful of unwanted e-mails get through. ClearMyMail is probably overkill for this fairly rare type of user. Apart from not supporting webmail (yet), the service does introduce one small unknown. All e-mail is being run through not one but two services, namely the ISP providing the account and ClearMyMail's, which are two possible points of failure. This wouldn't worry most people, but it's worth being aware of.

Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware and Firewall is very good value and offers a lot of first-rate protection for a very reasonable price. The real-time malware and virus protection work very well, and the quarantine service is easy to manage. We like how the various shields worked together to provide the overall security posture while still allowing a level of customisation. When shopping for an antivirus, antimalware product for your home office or small business, don't overlook Webroot's offering.

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.

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

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

Panda Titanium 2006 Antivirus compares well with its main competitors. Some of the additions, such as antispyware, are merely an attempt to keep up with the competition as increasing numbers of rival programs include such functions. The bundling of a firewall and Wi-Fi intrusion detection make this good value for money.

Recommended for the basic home user and doesn’t hog system resources, so it will be appreciated.