Labs

BullGuard 7 is an internet security suite that combines anti-virus and spyware protection with a firewall, anti-spam software and an online backup service. We have tested its ability to detect viruses and spyware. The whole package is bundled into a single interface that feels cramped at times. Last year, we reviewed version 6.1 and criticised it for poor virus detection. Is this latest version, which uses BitDefender's anti-virus engine, an improvement?

In a word, yes. BullGuard detected 73 per cent of our email viruses and 31 per cent of the web-based threats. As you might expect, this is virtually identical to BitDefender's results. This detection rate is almost

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exactly average compared to the other systems here. This might sound underwhelming, but the previous version of BullGuard performed much worse.

Now BullGuard is snapping at the heels of McAfee and Symantec and actually beats the products from both of these market leaders when it comes to web-based threats. It detected fractionally fewer email viruses than both, but twice as many web-based threats as McAfee VirusScan.

If you think that, at £35, BullGuard 7 looks expensive compared to some of the others, remember it is a complete internet security suite and that the prices we have printed for McAfee VirusScan Plus and Norton AntiVirus are great deals from Amazon.co.uk. If you buy either product from their official websites, you are looking at £40 for each. Norton AntiVirus doesn't even include a fully featured firewall.

The BullGuard package also includes a support service that covers more than just product support. Licensed users of the software can ask just about any computer security-related question and hope for an answer within the hour.

The renewal cost of £30 is a bit steep, but overall this is a good security bundle that includes everything you need to keep a Windows PC secure at a reasonable price.