Pros: Subtle and works without bogging down your computer in the slightest while scanning. Scan results come up in easy to understand terms, and that's all there is to it. The scans themselves take maybe 5-10 minutes, depending on how high-speed your PC is and how much stuff you have on it. Again, it's $20, and it works. It works very well.

Cons: None so far.

Overall Review: Any real tech-savvy person will tell you that the key to superior protection is having multiple lines of defense. To that end, I have this paired with a high-speed anti-virus suite, and on top of the free Microsoft Security Essentials, my computer is proof against just about anything the Internet can throw at it.

Pros: The huge fan effectively cools the whole laptop at once, even a 17.3" gaming laptop like mine. The overall design and honeycomb grill make for superb air circulation. Even without the fan on, my laptop can more efficiently pull in cool air than it would sitting flat on the desk. The slight angle seems to make my laptop a little more ergonomic. I can play games for hours with no noticeable effects to my hand/wrist, and typing isn't a worry, either. Quiet. So very, very quiet. Made of tough plastic and metal. Even the rubber is firm, but still plenty grippy enough to keep my laptop from sliding around. As an experiment, I tilted the cooler and laptop forwards, keeping the front end on the desk, until it felt like the laptop was about to slip off. By my estimation, I would say I got to about a 40 degree tilt before I detected any slippage. If your laptop has good rubber feet, it will stay in place until you decide to move it.

Cons: Even though I can see now that the fan is cooling the hardware nicely, I'm still willing to sacrifice a little of the silence for a slightly more powerful motor, if it means cooling the system even a couple more degrees. Anyway, it's a minor gripe, so no eggs off.

Overall Review: One more positive that didn't fit above: The fans in previous coolers developed a terrific noise after only a couple months of use. This one still runs silent after so many months. Somewhere below is my first review of this product, titled "A little underwhelming." At first, it seemed to be just that. However, with the help of time and a bit of hardware monitoring software, including temperature gauges, I can see now that this cooler is working far better than I first gave it credit for. Hence the corrective, more positive review, to even out my first rating of three eggs. For those of you who are curious, I'm using CPUID Hardware Monitor PRO, watching the temperatures for my quad-core CPU at minimal load. The difference between fan on and fan off is roughly 4-6 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, when ambient temperatures are between 85-90 degrees. Those few degrees might not sound like much, but it can mean at least a couple months added to your laptop's overall lifespan.

Pros: Like puzzles? Got a DS? Get Layton, and get addicted. Last Specter is the 4th game in the Layton series, and honestly, they only keep getting better. Plus, this is the first in a prequel trilogy, making Last Specter an ideal jumpin-on point for the series. And if you're on the fence about puzzle games in general, the Layton series provides soft, non-threatening visuals and a soundtrack to gradually bring you into the world between puzzles. Speaking of, the trademark art style is completely unchanged, complete with people of all different sizes and shapes, and that is most certainly a good thing. The soundtrack is subdued, thoughtful, or dramatic at all the right moments. Long-time fans of the series will be happy to hear that the charming animated cutscenes are much more common in Last Specter than previous installments, and they are integrated almost seamlessly into the rest of the game. I think there could have been more spoken lines, but I'm plenty happy with what we g

Cons: While Last Specter is less of an offender than previous Layton games, there are still a handful of puzzles that involve what I like to call "insane troll logic" or ITL for short. ITL is the reason why you can spend a half-hour staring at your DS without seeing a solution, despite having forked over your precious hint coins to unlock all 4 useless hints. ITL is the reason why you give up after said half-hour and finally resort to an online walkthrough. After finding the solution, your first response is usually something like "How in the nine hells was I supposed to figure THAT out?!" ITL: Because sometimes, it's okay to punch a DS across the room. Nevertheless, it's only a few out of well over 100 puzzles, so no eggs off.

Overall Review: Professor Layton is a bit of a love it or hate it series. Like my first line says, if you like puzzle games, this is most certainly for you. If it's just not your thing, so be it. Bottom line: BUY, because really, if you even have a DS, the odds are good you could get into this style of game.

Pros: It's an all-star cast. Any fan of the 90's animated series will be thrilled to hear the big stars are back to reprise the iconic roles of yester-year. Kevin Conroy is Batman. Mark Hamill's Joker is... interesting, to be sure. The legendary Maurice Lamarche plays a Mr. Freeze that's every bit as cold as we like him, and hearing Zsasz tell you his story over pay-phone chills you to the bone. Combat has been greatly streamlined, turning large groups of mooks into big road-blocks. Still, hopping from one mook to another, countering and pummeling each into submission is hugely satisfying. The visual aesthetic fits the scenario perfectly, and just looks good anyway. You'll find quite a bit of interesting chatter between mooks, almost all of it is more than canned/stock dialogue. Very nice touch, there. Once you get the hang of gliding and grappling your way across the cityscape, you might just find yourself climbing tall points just so you can just jump off and fly around

Cons: There's an issue with DirectX 11. When I say "issue" I mean this game slows down to near slide-show framerates with DX11 features on. This is easily remedied - see other thoughts - but nevertheless, a problem like this is, quite frankly, inexcusable in a AAA game. Not to mention that, to my knowledge, there has not been much/any effort on the part of Rocksteady Studios to fix the problem. Note: Take a look at my PC specs in other thoughts, you'll see the DX11 slow-down issues are not due to weak hardware, in case the thought had crossed your mind. It seems like every other storyline mook encounter forces you to play stealthy, and while it's nice to feel like a ninja every now and then, I can't help feeling the stunning and take-down mechanics don't facilitate these moments as well as they should. Somehow, it feels to me like these sequences slow down the game more than they should. I kinda want to take off 2 eggs for these and other issues, but the rest of the game is too go

Overall Review: Regarding the DirectX11 issue: Find the game launcher - it should come up the very first time you play - and simply set "DirectX 11 Features" to Off, and you're good to go. I hope you have a USB Xbox controller, because Arkham City feels like it was designed for the console. It's not like the keyboard controls are useless, it's just a game pad feels more natural, IMO. You must be ALWAYS CONNECTED to the Windows Live service, or else you will be unable to save your games. Sometimes, your connection doesn't feel like working, or it takes three minutes to download your profile so you can play because it's snail slow. I thought of making this a con, but this really falls more into the "personal gripe" category. If you have issues with DRM, this might be a concern for you. Bottom line: Do you like Batman: The Animated Series? Yes? Give this a go, though you might be better off with the console version anyway. Rig: i7 2720QM 2.2GHz, GTX 580, 16GB 1333 RAM, 2x500GB HDDs

Pros: Um... Everything? Okay, ALMOST everything. At the risk of sounding like some howling fanboy, every good thing you've heard about Skyrim is true. This is the game against which every game that is even remotely similar will be measured, and it is a very, very tough act to follow. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that lives up to and exceeds virtually every expectation. Oh, I could go on and on, and on, andonandonandonandon, but I'd only be repeating myself, really. This game is made of awesome and win, plain and simple.

Cons: I understand some people have had gripes about the inventory system, and some other mechanics make it clear that little was really changed between this PC version and its console counterparts. Personally, I haven't had much issue with the inventory, but I thought it fair to mention how, yes, some people aren't as psychotically ecstatic as others.

Overall Review: If you plan on running Skyrim at high or ultra graphics settings, you'd better have the hardware to run it, because the sheer tonnage of what is being rendered at any given moment is staggering. On the other hand, if you turn the graphics settings down some - particularly by fiddling with all the options in the "advanced" tab - you'll find the game still looks good and you have your impressive framerates. Bottom line: See review title.

Pros: Combat is tight and controls exceptionally well, whether you're trying to be pacifist, stealthy, or aggressive. Side-quests give an insight into the world around you instead of just being there for the sake of being there. Main storyline is deep and involving. EVERYTHING IN THIS GAME IS PRETTY! The soundtrack is pure awesome. Every line of dialogue is acted out, not just spoken. Even the chatter between two random NPCs has some effort put into it. You can pick up and throw dumpsters. Awesome. The Icarus Landing System upgrade gives me the chills every time I see it. Every. Single. Time. When the drama is ramped up, especially during the "dialogue duels" (makes sense in context) you will find yourself hanging on every Oscar-worthy word. Choose stealth-kills and you'll feel like a master assassin. Choose pacifist (zero kills) and you'll feel like a shadow-melding ninja. Choose aggression and you'll feel like the angel of death. All three paths are equ

Cons: Two, MAYBE three times, I experienced some weird kind of lag during dialogue, but each one only lasted a few seconds. The rest of the game was velvet smooth. ... NEXT!

Overall Review: Word of warning: The AI is somewhat smarter than other games. They will see you if you don't take cover, and yes, they CAN hit you from that distance, and yes, it only takes a few shots before you go down. This is both a pro and a con, because while it's refreshing to have smart enemies, stealthy players will probably have their cover unexpectedly blown with little warning. You'll be loading various saves quite a bit, but finally knocking out that last mook is so very worth it. Bottom line: Are you remotely interested or good at FPSs? Yes? BUY. No? BUY anyway, if only because everything else is amazing. Laptop: i7 2720QM 2.2GHz quad-core, 16GB 1333 RAM, GTX580M, dual 500GB HDDs in RAID 0