The most striking feature of the Arctic Cooling K381 keyboard is the fact it's so compact, almost like they've simply taken a laptop keyboard and given it a case. Another way of looking at it is that it's a cheap impersonation of the Apple keyboard but at a fraction of the price, with wires and not built quite so well.

Is this shape-shifting keyboard a Shift in the right direction?

This gaming keyboard is equipped with a fan to keep your sweaty gaming fingers cool

This motion-sensitive keyboard and mouse hybrid aims to tame your media centre

A budget backlit keyboard for the style conscious gamer

Can this compact gaming keyboard redeem Roccat's previous efforts?

Bluetrack keyboard and mouse set for the price conscious

Logitech has unveiled the first peripheral of its latest gaming range – with the N13 game pad aiming to put a brand new spin on an old concept and lure gamers away from their keyboards.

What do you need from a keyboard? Well, obviously keys are a must, with comfortable ergonomics and responsive switches being equally handy. Multi-coloured backlights? Silver-painted WSAD keys? Cursor keys? Touch-sensitive control panel?

Microsoft has clearly thought about the needs of the media PC user when designing this set. It’s made sure that good quality and ease of use are placed alongside great build quality and a host of features.

When choosing a media centre keyboard and mouse, then size is one of the key choices that needs to be addressed. If you don’t want to blot your living room with a full-size keyboard and mouse then the DiNovo Mini is ideal.

At only £30, the KeySonic ACK-G12 is one of the cheapest and smallest keyboards on the market and has a host of great features that’ll help you master your media PC.

Golly, two Razer products in two months that I actually like. Maybe this Cult of Razer thing is more insidious than I previously gave it credit for, or maybe it’s just because first the Destructor mouse pad and now the Lycosa keyboard are actually well designed, extremely useable PC peripherals.

Microsoft cops probably more criticism than any other company in the world. People just seem to like moaning about Windows and Office, and let's face it, it's easy to see why. But one thing Microsoft cannot be criticised for is making rubbish peripherals. Because it makes great ones.

Simply in terms of the idea, I like the thought of a modular keyboard, especially if you're talking media centre-style. Having a full keyboard with a removable number pad and media remote would be very handy. Sometimes you don't need the extra buttons and sometimes you do - see, handy.

Unless you have a 17-inch laptop it is unlikely your machine will have its own numeric keypad, so this external calculator from Genius is a possible replacement.

Apple's new wireless keyboard is a thing of beauty. It's right up there among our favourite designs to spring from the fertile imaginations of the Apple design team. It took a tantalisingly long time for our order to arrive, but the wait was well worth it

Genius is damn good at its budget peripherals as well as the more high-end PC playthings. Sadly, this budget wireless set feels rather unpleasant by its usually decent standards.The mouse works fine, if a little over-sensitive, and feels fairly solid and weighty.

Continuing Apple's shift away from white plastic, the new Apple keyboard is now a super-slim aluminium board. In a nutshell, Apple has nicked the keys from its MacBook laptop, embedded them into a 0.4 cm thick aluminium tray and added in a few function keys to make the keyboard.

Apple has finally done away with its chunky old keyboard and replaced it with this super-slim aluminium upgrade. The new board comes bundled with all iMacs and Mac Pros, is available independently, and a wireless version should be available in the UK soon

Travel mice: mostly a bit rubbish. If they're not RSI-inducingly small, they track poorly, or have pants battery life. Consider this fellow the very saviour of the sector, then. Some really intelligent design has gone into the Ci75M

When we first saw pictures of the Ci70 Wireless Desktop Set, it looked he perfect keyboard and mouse set for Mac users. In smart silver, it was not only Mac-compatible, but it had a Mac-only [Eject] key and other quick-launch buttons

This strong, wide-format mouse is very comfortable to use, especially if you are migrating away from using a narrow mouse. Its larger size has no bearing on how much power it draws; the low-powered USB slots on an Apple keyboard powered this one

For laptop users needing more speed and control than a touchpad can provide, an external mouse is an essential tool. Providing a fast and portable wireless solution is the Genius Traveller 915 Laser mouse for laptops (£25 inc. VAT).

Trackpads and the classic notebook nubbin are fine for the odd dally with your laptop, but if you're travelling around and still need to work then a decent travel mouse is a bit of a necessity.