We don't know anyone that likes pop-up ads on websites so the idea of software that blocks these annoyances is very appealing. There are numerous ad-blockers available free of charge online or you could choose to spend £30 on Net Nanny's Ad-Free.

If you did, you'd get software that can do all it's free rivals can, with a few extras besides. One of these is an ability to block banner ads within websites, which supposedly speeds up surfing as your PC no longer needs to waste time downloading the graphics for the adverts. Sadly, during our tests this function was none too successful.

Fortunately, the program is great at preventing the infuriating pop-up windows that afflict many websites, with not one appearing once Ad-Free was up and running on our test PC (a process that was completed in a couple of minutes). The software can easily be configured to allow certain pop-ups.

Contact: Guildsoft 01752 895100
www.guildsoft.co.uk