The hardcore hackers of internet folklore may or may not be out to get you, but better safe than sorry. That at least is the fear factor underlying the popularity of firewall programs.

It's certainly true that you're more at risk of attack with an 'always-on' service than through a dial-up modem connection, because a static IP address is a sitting duck.

And so, with ADSL and cable access on the increase, a firewall might appear a compelling purchase. However, we can't help but feel that Biodata has misjudged the market with this one.

The point of a firewall is to block Trojan horse-type programs and viruses from entering a computer system and opening it up to unauthorised outside access. Sphinx Personal Firewall stands guard over a live internet connection to ensure that no evil gets through without your explicit say so.

The problem is that much of the time it's simply not possible to make an informed judgement. This is not through lack of information, mind, quite the reverse - but so little of it is intelligible.

Who cares about the rate of denied packets of incoming network flow? A rocket scientist, perhaps, but not, we suspect, the home PC user.

With Norton and McAfee flogging uncomplicated firewalls that require virtually no manual configuration, and with ZoneAlarm available as a completely free download, it's hard to see why anybody would choose the fiendishly complex Sphinx.

That's not to decry its power and flexibility - it does indeed offer industrial strength protection and more tweaks than you can shake a geek at - but merely to question the appeal of yet another steep learning curve.

More complicated than the competition, we can't recommend Sphinx Personal Firewall for domestic use. But system administrators of the white coat variety will love it.

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