While Norton AntiVirus and Personal Firewall are the heart of the suite, they remain relatively unchanged from last year's versions. Norton Internet Security 2004 bundles Norton AntiVirus and Norton Personal Firewall with Norton AntiSpam, then throws in additional Web filtering tools and privacy and parental controls. Simply navigate the suite by clicking icons in the bar at the left or get configuration settings of any module by clicking the appropriate link on the right. This is an improvement over NIS 2003, which displayed the firewall's status in an unclear, text-style interface. NIS 2004's interface is now more consistent throughout, with color-coded indicators on the main screen that quickly show you which modules are running and which need your attention. Unlike Microsoft, however, Symantec gives users the benefit of the doubt by allowing up to five installations to account for changes in the original PC's hardware or a reinstallation after a hard drive crash.

NIS 2004, like Microsoft Windows XP, now requires product activation. NIS's interface is easy to navigate, shows the status of its defenses at a glance, and retains the big Block Traffic button at the upper left. You must restart Windows to complete the process. The rest of the installation is hands-off: after entering the 24-character key that accompanies the disc, the only choice you'll have to make is whether to decline the installation of NAV 2004 if you already have the most current version on your PC. Because the suite includes Norton AntiVirus (NAV) 2004, the software offers to scan for existing infections before you install anything. Installing and configuring Internet Security 2004 takes about 15 minutes. Some will object to Symantec's new product activation scheme à la Windows XP, but NIS 2004 is still the best all-in-one security suite on the market.

Priced the same as the comparable McAfee Internet Security 6.0 suite, NIS 2004 is a better bargain, largely thanks to its first-rate antispam app (in our tests, it nailed 94 percent of incoming junk mail), plus a handful of Internet privacy features. NIS 2004 includes Norton AntiVirus 2004 and Norton Personal Firewall 2004 with Norton AntiSpam (NAS) 2004.

Symantec's Norton Internet Security (NIS) 2004 remains a great buy for those trolling the Internet without defenses.

Mcafee internet security suite 2004