Labs

When it comes to easy installation and running you can't fault Norton AntiSpam 2005. Aside from an activation routine, installing it was as simple as it comes. Even the activation was straightforward, and this kind of anti-piracy measure is becoming increasingly common so we need to get used to it.

Symantec likes to keep its software up to date and you can expect to download a few megabytes of program files, as well as new spam filters, before you get things up and running. But this is all to the good, as you'll see.

If

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you don't want to get involved in playing with settings you don't have to, but it's advisable if you want to increase AntiSpam's chances of detecting spam and real email accurately. In our tests the default settings did an excellent job, detecting 63 per cent of the spam and misdiagnosing only 10 per cent of our real mail messages. Only Trend Micro's PC-cillin and Cloudmark's SafetyBar were better.

Customisation options include the usual Allowed and Blocked lists for specifying friends and known spammers. There is also an Ad Blocker and a Pop-up Blocking system, which is less useful now as the version of Internet Explorer that comes with Service Pack 2 stops most pop-up adverts. The most intriguing option is Outbound Training, where AntiSpam monitors the emails you send so it can learn what incoming mail to expect.

When we last saw AntiSpam we were impressed and gave it our Best Buy award. The only downside was the £23 including VAT price. However, Symantec surprised us by halving the price of Norton AntiSpam 2005 before we went to press. At £20 it would be a great buy, but at £10 it's an amazing bargain.