The HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Series notebook – to give it its full name – is the sort of computer that's designed to appeal very much to home users, as an all-round entertainer.

It's nicknamed the Dragon, and at first glance it is easy to see why: it’s monstrous. The main reason it's so large is the monitor, a 20.1in widescreen model.

The bulk of the device means it's not the type of notebook that can be carried anywhere further than from a bedroom to a living room, say. This makes it more of a replacement for a desktop computer than a travellers' notebook.

The screen is very clear and sharp, and it sits above a well spread keyboard area, giving plenty of room for manoeuvre. This not only includes standard keys and a numeric keypad but also a removable remote control that can be used to control the media functions of the notebook.

The remote control is designed to work with Windows Media Center, which comes with the supplied Windows Vista, and a Media Center button takes the user directly to the software, in which it's possible to watch television using the notebook's integrated TV tuner (which works with both standard and digital television). The remote control works whether it's docked in the keyboard or popped out and held in the hand, in which mode it's effective over a range of about two metres.

To go with the large keyboard, there is a larger-than-average trackpad. We were disappointed to find that, despite its size, it was not particularly comfortable to use – because it is integrated into the keyboard's plastic casing it gets quite hot, making it unpleasant to use after the computer has been switched on for a while. We were also disappointed with the keypad, the buttons on which were too thin and recessed too far, meaning we caught our fingers on the row above while typing.

The unimpressive the mouse and the keypad can be somewhat excused by the amount of emphasis HP has put on the media features of the notebook. As a style point, the volume, wireless networking and bass buttons, which sit above the keyboard, are touch sensitive and light up in blue, making it easy to change settings even when watching a film in the dark.

The size of the screen and the included HD-DVD drive – which can also read and write CDs and normal DVDs – also made watching a DVD as pleasant as watching on a good television set, with extremely good picture quality. The sound from the four speakers and the large inbuilt subwoofer – which spans the underside of the monitor – was fantastic, giving a good impression of surround sound.

The display can be tilted upwards, which is ideal for getting rid of glare and reflections, but although it doesn't have an anti-glare coating, the screen isn't overly reflective.

One large downside of the power of the computer is the battery life, which we calculated to be around 96 minutes for watching a DVD, so if you're a fan of epic movies, it'll need to be tethered to the mains. You can add around 45 minutes if you're doing office work, which is less power-intensive.

Performance was impressive, and the Dragon was impressive in our lab testing. Its Intel Core2 Duo T7500 processor (running at 2.2GHz) and enormous 4GB of memory, along with Windows Vista Home Premium, mean that anyone except hardcore gamers will find it exceeds their needs.

Vista compatible: Yes