There used to be a clear distinction between the two main applications that created a backup image of your hard drive: Norton Ghost benefited from simplicity, while Acronis True Image pushed ahead in terms of performance. Recent releases of True Image, however, have seen its interface become incredibly slick, while Ghost has added important features, such as incremental backups, that provide much faster operation and require less space.

While Ghost 11.0 saw Symantec's product make up ground on True Image's impressive performance, version 12.0 is more about adding features. LightsOut Restore allows you to recover your system without the need for a bootable disc and it's possible to convert a recovery point to a virtual disk with all known information about your PC.

Norton Ghost offers integration with Google Desktop, allowing you to search backup indexes to locate your data, as well as remote management of other installations of Norton Ghost if you purchase extra licences. This is a product that combines an extremely easy-to-use interface with considerable power at a reasonable price. There's no excuse not to backup with a utility such as this.

Symantec Norton Ghost 12.0 is an excellent and user-friendly product. However, Acronis True Image remains a marginally better buy.