Product Reviews

PC-cillin is very simple to use. It has two interfaces - basic and advanced - but even the advanced mode seems quite uncomplicated. This is no bad thing, because you can still configure settings, schedule scans and review log files. In fact, the simple layout is more likely to encourage users to play with the program and discover some of its less obvious features.

The antivirus engine detected our conventional viruses, as did the Panda

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package, but whereas Panda picked up an infected file on the desktop immediately, PC-cillin waited for us to try to access it. A system scan would have found it too, but it's not nice to think that nasty programs could be lurking undetected, even for a short while.

You can filter out rude Web sites, block damaging ActiveX scripts, secure wireless connections and scan incoming e-mail, including Web-based services such as Hotmail. The firewall element is good, too, and is fairly easy to configure.

Files that have been infected with a virus are isolated in the Quarantine area until they can be cleaned. If the files are beyond repair, they either remain locked up, or you can choose to delete them.

PC-cillin 2003 is a pretty decent antivirus program, but it lacks the flexibility of Panda's software, which is also reviewed in this issue. What's more, although it's a little less expensive than the antivirus programs from Norton and McAfee, we'd still recommend the latter for maximum security and peace of mind.