Cherry Xero

The Xero is an inexpensive USB optical mouse (it uses a light to track where it is on the table rather than the ball used by older mice).

Besides the standard left- and right-click buttons it has a scroll wheel for moving through documents. Clicking the scroll wheel and moving the mouse makes scrolling even faster.

Its other controls include two buttons on the left-hand side, where the thumb goes if you are right-handed. These go back and forth through web pages, but we found them more irritating than useful as we kept clicking them accidentally.

There is also a top button marked DPI, which changes the mouse’s sensitivity. There are two settings, making the mouse pointer move more or less quickly as you require.

It’s small but well-designed, fitting comfortably if you have small- to medium-sized hands. Those with larger hands may find it too compact. There are two rubber grips, one on each side, which stop your fingers from sliding off.

This is a decent cheap mouse with few frills and one minor flaw. Despite that, it’s a good-value mouse.