Want a better monitor than the one included with your computer (or a larger or wider screen for viewing movies, for instance)?

With its glossy black frame and blue power light, LG’s 22in W2252TQ is one of the more attractive budget colour screens we've seen, echoing the sophisticated slender design of the company’s television sets.

It doesn’t stint on features either, having a list of specifications that reads like those on a more expensive model, including a better-than-average 10,000:1 contrast ratio (when set to movie mode) for more life-like picture reproduction and 2ms response time for greater comfort where most competitors average 5ms.

Added to this are the more usual 16 million colours and a maximum resolution of 1680x1050 pixels, while an ez-zooming function switches resolution with a button press.

When watching movie action sequences, movement was noticeably smooth and colours realistically rendered when the panel was left on its default settings, with plenty of detail also evident when playing games, even in areas of shadow.

While that’s good news, so too is the fact that both kinds of computer input are available: VGA and DVI ports to cater to all PCs and modern Macs and allowing for plug and play operation.

What you don’t get is USB ports or built-in speakers, and neither does it take an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) connection from a games console (the only other socket is for attaching the provided mains lead).

At a weight of 4.4kg and dimensions of 519x430x220mm, the screen feels solidly built while not being prohibitively heavy.

The LG W2252TQ has a 170 degree viewing angle, with controls for adjusting the onscreen display slightly awkwardly located under the gentle curve of its bottom-left-hand corner. Here the widescreen viewing ratio can be swapped to standard 4:3, individual colour channels tweaked, or switched to sepia or black and white for viewing still photos.

With a recommended price just shy of £200 and online prices more attractive still, with a decent screen size and better-than-average features the LG W2252TQ looks and feels like a lot of monitor for the money.