PC-cillin Internet Security 2004

Editors' rating

Excellent

8.3

out of 10

The good: Includes a firewall and an antispam component to weed out junk mail; updated interface makes it easier to locate and configure program settings.
The bad: Nagging pop-up reminders for product registration and subscription services.
The bottom line: PC-cillin 2004 includes a firewall and antispam tools--features not found in Norton AntiVirus 2004 or McAfee VirusScan 8.0.

Reviewed by:
Jeff Bertolucci
Review date: 11/5/03

Features of PC-cillin Internet Security 2004

PC-cillin Internet Security 2004 is what Norton AntiVirus 2004 and McAfee VirusScan 8.0 both strive to be: an all-around security solution for your desktop PC. Unlike Norton and McAfee, PC-cillin includes a personal firewall to fend off malicious intruders and antispam tools to battle junk mail. To be fair, both Norton and McAfee do offer firewalls and antispam tools, but you'll have to pay about $40 for each standalone app. PC-cillin is the first antivirus app to include both within its basic feature set.

PC-cillin 2004 is one of the few antivirus programs in its price range to include a firewall.

When it comes to down-and-dirty virus busting, PC-cillin delivers the tools you need. Its real-time scanner checks all file downloads, inbound and outbound e-mail, and even attachments received from instant-messenger applets. PC-cillin cleans zipped files by default, which is important for inexperienced users, most of whom don't check their advanced antivirus settings to see which file extensions are scanned.

Like most antivirus programs, PC-cillin also integrates with Windows Explorer. Simply select a file within Explorer, right-click, and choose Scan Virus from the menu. We were less impressed with PC-cillin's own standalone Scan Files tool, however, which performs only drive- and folder-level scans.

PC-cillin virus definitions are free for one year, after which Trend Micro charges a $14.95 annual fee, on a par with what Norton and McAfee users pay.