Avast Internet Security 6 software

Avast is one of the biggest providers of free security software, but it has recently been giving its paid-for versions more of a push.

When it launched versions of its programs last year it gave them a makeover; previously the programs were rather clunky and technical-looking, but the new look was clean and professional.

The new version of the program doesn't make as many changes – in fact, it looks similar to the previous one. The Internet Security edition includes an anti-spam tool and a firewall – an alternative Avast Pro Antivirus 6 includes all the security features except those two and is good if you want to use the free firewall built into Windows.

We would recommend the Avast firewall, though, as it gives lots of configuration options but was still easy to follow. You can download the Avast Free Antivirus product and get the same level of protection, but it doesn't include the innovative new Avast Safezone that's in both paid-for versions.

The Safezone improves upon the ‘sandbox' feature of version five. That allowed users to open potentially troublesome programs in an isolated mode so they can't cause problems on the PC. If you get sent an email that looks dodgy but you want to check it, you can open the attachment in the sandbox. There is now a helpful option to automatically run new programs in the Sandbox.

Safezone extends that to an entire web browser that's boxed off from the rest of the PC, so you can surf any website without any danger to the rest of the PC. But its usefulness does depend on the user remembering to enable it.

Otherwise, not much has changed. The program's controls are well laid-out and easy to follow and configure. A feature that will be familiar to all Avast users is the audible alerts whenever a virus is found or the program is updated. But this can be turned off easily.

Avast Internet Security 6 may only be a slight improvement on its predecessor but it's a good one.