Skylook is aimed at heavy users of both Skype, the internet phone service , and Microsoft Outlook, and allows you to make calls or hold IM (instant messaging) chats directly from your email account and record all conversations.

The software also includes an answer phone, an option offered by Skype but only on a paid subscription basis.

Download and setup are pretty straightforward, helped by a wizard that really won't let you go wrong. You can choose to keep the defaults or make simple customisations at that point, or later once you've got a feel for the product.

Skylook works by adding a Skype bar to your Outlook account, combining any contacts you have in both packages. You can also automatically add any Skype-only contacts into Outlook, using the information supplied during setup.

There are four flavours of Skylook.

The free version, Skylook Basic, enables you to phone, email and text Outlook contacts via Skype, while an Academic version adds the call recording features.

But it's the Business and Home versions that will interest most people, and the only difference between the two is that the more expensive Business download has advanced dialling features for very heavy phone users. Most people will be fine with the Home version.

Once set up, you just fire up your Outlook account. You'll then see the Skype bar running along the top - it doesn't add any icons to your Skype application.

In the bar are various options, including a selection of contact names, which can be changed, and icons for starting and ending calls, accessing the answer phone and stopping recordings. Some of these only appear when Skype is in use.

It can be set to automatically record either just your voice or both sides of the conversation, depending on your preference and, once a call is finished, gives you the option to email it as an mp3 file to the other party.

However, Skylook does not allow you to change the email address should you want to send it to a different account, nor will it let you enter an address if the email field was blank.

Our initial attempts to record conversations were mixed. When it worked, playback quality was clear. But conversations did not always record and there was no obvious way to kick it into action. However, we found a simple reboot remedied this.

You can set the number of times Skype will ring before the answer machine clicks in. A slight issue is that it's not obvious when you have a message waiting. Once again, quality on playback was perfect.

If you have a lot of Skype and Outlook contacts and use both regularly, this is a good application, especially if you need to record conversations. As stated, we think for all bar larger businesses, the cheaper Home version will be fine.

Our only real niggle is that, while it's obvious how to make or receive any type of call, some aspects, such as the answer machine, need to be made easier to use.

Skylook recently got Skype certification, which means it has passed Skype's compliance and quality assurance requirements.

We have arranged for PCW readers to receive a 10 per cent discount when they buy Skylook. The offer is valid until the end of May. The coupon code, which you type in during purchase, is PCWORLD2006.

System requirements:
Skype
Microsoft Outlook
Internet connection