"Concerned with possible intruders whilst online? Norton Internet Security has you covered in one comprehensive package." With the internet being such an integral part of many of our daily lives, it was only a matter of time before undesirables started looking for ways to exploit our computers and basically shake the thoughts we had for the internet to be a safe place for our children to be entertained and for us to conduct commerce. Symantec are here to the rescue with their latest version of Internet Security and I must say that this product is sensational. Being a long time user of the 'net, I am aware of most little tricks and traps that one can fall for when online. Even so the folks out there who for some ungodly reason want to mess up our systems and see the contents of your hard drive, move faster at new ways of hacking into our systems than the average person can remember to keep them out. That's where this product comes in handy, maintaining vigilance even when you have forgotten. Installation of the software was a breeze with a simple interface that was extremely easy to follow and simplicity itself to get onto the computer. It does take a few minutes to configure itself and you will need to be present to answer the few questions it does ask of the user as it progresses. Upon completion, a quick reboot will be required to facilitate any changes made to your system during installation. One thing I do have to get out of the way is how extremely cool the interface of the program when running truly is. Instead of looking like a bunch of programs running by themselves, the interface neatly links all software into an easy to control package that features:

• Norton AntiVirus
  Stops the bad guys from letting viruses onto your system and then you infecting everyone else in your address book. The purchase of this software gives you one years worth of updates. Using the live update feature, users can stay on top of all fixes to current viruses running through the internet. It is easy to use, however if your machine is on a 56k modem dial up, please allow a fair bit of time online the first time you do a live update as the first download is fairly large.

• Norton Personal Firewall
  This unobtrusive program sets up what is known as a firewall on your computer. For those not in the know, a firewall is the computer equivalent of a guard dog protecting your computer. If someone is trying to snoop, the system will let you know that there has been an unwanted visitor at your computer. If they persist then the programs bark becomes a bite in order to keep intruders out. This system is a fantastic precaution to have on any computer accessing the internet. Another reassuring thing about this program is that it also passed the Gibson Research Corp's stringent testing and in our tests assisted with our machines being invisible to many probes from "unwanted" visitors.

• Norton Privacy Control
  Assists in preventing users from accidentally sending credit card and other personal information over the internet without prompting the user if it is alright to do so.

• Norton Spam Alert
  Spam is an unwanted part of daily internet life now and there is nothing worse than getting 10 emails and 8 of them are junk emails that have absolutely nothing to do with you from people you don't even know. I personally find spam to be offensive on this level, not to mention the amount of pornographic content that gets sent around the internet via spam. Spam Alert can assist in automatically deleting email from unwanted sources. We found that the protection afforded by Spam Alert whilst helpful, was not complete and on many occasions it would even delete "good" emails from friends. It's easy to configure and filter however so take the time to look after this filter as it is a godsend when used properly.

• Norton Parental Control
  Children and the internet has always been a fickle issue, especially with teens and the net as they explore certain topic that aren't always popular with parents. Not to mention the fact that most younger children now can access the internet with ease and therefore leave themselves open for contact from unwanted people as they access chat rooms and god knows what else. Parental Control is determined by the parent as to what level of access their child has to the web and even what programs can be used once online. The control can even be extended to what sites parents are happy with their child visiting, yet can easily be altered when the adult user is back on the net.