Most of the UK's internet-connected population is now using broadband, but even for them there are times when it's handy to have a modem handy for making an old-fashioned dial-up connection.

Chiefly, that's going to be when the broadband connection isn't working, or when travelling, and that's when the US Robotics 56K USB Modem comes in useful.

It's a small chocolate bar-sized device that connects using a built-in USB cable. Software is supplied and is easy to install under Windows XP and Vista.

There's also a cable for the phone connection, but annoyingly, the one in our kit was an American-style one, so you'll need to invest in an adapter (for a few pounds from Maplin or similar shops) to connect to British sockets.

It worked well – speeds are, of course, nowhere near broadband rates, but it’s as fast as we'd expect from a dial-up connection. The standard Windows dial-up networking software is used to make the connection, so there's no need to use extra software.

Our only problem is the price – competing modems may be a lot bulkier, but they're also a lot cheaper.