Philips is not a name traditionally associated with sound cards but its new Sonic Edge 5.1 looks like a feature-packed product worth considering. Like all modern sound cards, it fits into a PCI slot inside your computer. It provides 5.1 sound for movies as well as surround sound for gamers so it should keep everyone happy.

Installing the card is simple enough, especially with Windows XP, which automatically detects and installs the appropriate drivers. However, we would recommend a visit to the Philips website to download the latest updates.

Sonic Edge supports the major sound standards for games as used by people like Creative. It also has a technology for playing stereo soundtracks through surround sound speakers. It has a digital output for recording to other digital devices, such as Mini Disc players or CD-RW drives.

The sound card's software offers a couple of neat tricks, such as the QSizzle and Qrumble which minimise the shortcomings of MP3 music. Bundled software includes MusicMatch Jukebox Plus, AudioPix music video creation and Acid Xpress for making music. At £40, it's a good-value package.

Contact: Philips 0870 601 0101
www.pcsound.philips.com