McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008's protection keeps up with the changing threats on the Internet, but the product doesn't excel, burdened by a user experience that's basically unchanged from last year.
AVG Anti-Virus 7.5 Professional Single Edition is a pretty good, no-frills virus scanner. But you'll need to purchase antispyware software for complete malware protection.
BitDefender Antivirus 10 is a solid antivirus and antispyware solution, offering two-year subscriptions for the price of one elsewhere; however, it could be faster, offer built-in help, and uninstall better.
CA Antivirus 2007 provides a good antivirus engine, adequately protecting your desktop from basic malicious viruses and worms, despite a few interface glitches.
McAfee released test versions of two consumer security products on Friday, promising integrated protection that people can install and then forget about.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus earns our Editors' Choice as the best standalone antivirus application we reviewed this year. But, as the performance charts below show, the competition is knocking at the door.