Acer AL2032WA

While the glorious Eizo S2110W is evidence that you get what you pay for, the AL2032WA shows what a difference there can be by paying just a small premium. With the exception of the Apple display, the AL2032WA is more expensive than the other 20in models, but after a few minutes of use we were in no doubt that it was worth the money.

Taking it out of the box, the beautifully curved bezel shimmers under the lights, while the discreet stand adds further class. As well as DVI, VGA and S-Video inputs, it caters for home entertainment devices via scart and composite inputs. Plus, it's simple to switch between the sources.

Once connected, the CrystalBrite display shows its main strength: as the name suggests, it produces a wonderfully bright and even white. A side effect - despite the 800:1 claimed contrast ratio - is that black screens are a little too bright to be truly black, but you'll only notice this in a darkened room.

As expected, when we played a DVD the picture was sharp and detailed. Dark areas, such as shadows, retained details thanks to the high brightness. Our only gripe is that colours appear pale and washed-out at times in outdoor scenes. But the overall experience is immersive, helped by the built-in speakers. While not on a par with proper hi-fi speakers, they offer plenty of volume.

Far Cry looked equally enticing, with the luscious greens of the trees appearing just the right tone. The Acer (rated at 8ms) was the only TFT this month to earn full marks in our technical response-time test, so it's no surprise that we saw very little smearing while darting around the jungle. A little distortion appeared in our scrolling test, though, so it isn't perfect.

Image editing will be a joy thanks to a high level of detail, although, again, colours can appear washed out at times. The Acer pales against the Eizo here, as it doesn't have the same level of adjustment: colour temperature, brightness and contrast are all you get in the OSD.

The panel's glossy coating, which helps produce the high brightness, may be the make-or-break factor in your decision. Watching DVDs will pose no problems, but try to view dark images in a brightly lit room and you'll be distracted by your own reflection staring back at you. As long as you can position the Acer so there are no lights or windows reflecting, you won't be disappointed.

Overall, the AL2032WA is a great choice if you need a TFT for entertainment: nothing else here offers the same mixture of features, quality and value for money. If your budget can stretch to it, the Acer AL2032WA is worth every penny.