There are two versions of BitDefender 8. The Standard version is a standalone Antivirus package and it’s very cheap at £18 (inc. VAT) for the download. The Professional Plus version costs a bit more at £27 (inc. VAT) and adds Firewall and Antispam features. Some people will see antispam software as an unnecessary extra as any decent ISP should keep the obvious rubbish from reaching your inbox, and in the corporate environment the job should be handled by your email servers.

The main interface is a model of clarity, thanks in part to its size. It’s big, almost filling an 800 x 600 screen, but it means that you can see everything at once. Down the left hand-side are buttons for General, Antivirus, Antispam, Firewall and Update and as you choose each one in turn you are shown all the options that are available. Only the Antivirus element offers you a ‘More Settings’ button, which are quite obscure.

You would probably only use these on initial set-up. They include options such as ‘Do not scan files greater than 5000Kb’ or ‘Scan Inside Archives’, which is disabled by default. This is the first piece of Internet security software we have ever used that had all of the ‘correct’ options enabled out of the box, and as a result BitDefender achieved a good balance between security and ease of use.

It also has a couple of neat touches. The Firewall has a nifty counter that keeps tabs on the amount of inbound and outgoing traffic, and if you are concerned that something is amiss there is a button to block all Internet traffic, which is only one click away. BitDefender also includes a tiny display that is the size of your thumb, which sits on top of your work.

It’s transparent and divided into two segments to show when the software is working away on your files and the Internet. It sounds daft, but it is surprisingly reassuring to see the red and green lines working their way across the display, telling you that everything is all right with the world.

PRICE £22/£27 (EX/INC. VAT)
RATING 8
KEY FEATURES Antivirus, Firewall and Anti-spam
OS COMPATIBILITY Windows 98/Me/NT4 SP6/2000/XP
CONTACT
Online only
www.bitdefender.com