One of PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 2012's best features is a slider to choose how often you want it to show pop-ups.

Can PC Tools new antivirus challenge the established players?

There’s a veritable raft of tweaking, optimising and cleaning utilities on the market to ensure that you’re able to keep your Operating System’s Registry in peak condition

As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Over the course of the past few years, Spyware Doctor has been at the top of its game. The program's one of a handful of anti-spyware tools that has managed to not only keep up with these threats, but also beat back even the toughest of challengers.

We admit that we had high expectations for the latest release of Spyware Doctor, version 5.0. Our expectations were tempered prior to testing, however, by the fact that things change quickly in the anti-spyware sector

If Eset's Nod32 is a rounded anti-virus suite aimed at those with a little more user experience, PC Tools Spyware Doctor 5 (£30 inc. VAT) is definitely aimed at the first-time user. This isn't a full anti-virus package, being a spyware tool

Windows Vista may be the most secure Windows to date, but it makes sense to look beyond Microsoft's bundled tools to a more complete third party offering. Malware remains a problem, and today we also face the threat of root kits.

When you install most applications, they'll add a host of new entriesto your Registry: program settings, file associations, fonts, an Add/Remove Programs entry and more.

You've installed a firewall and anti-virus tool, but does that meanthat you're safe online? Unfortunately, no. Spyware, browser hijackersand another annoyances still have many ways to infest your PC, andthat's why it's worth having a dedicated spyware tool