The Solo is a fairly large three-spindle machine weighing 3.6kg, like the Dell Inspiron. The core specification is similar, although this time 96MB of SDRAM is standard, but once again you get a big 12GB removable hard disk and a six-speed DVD-ROM drive. Modularity in the build provides a range of configurations, with the option of exchanging the DVD player for a CD-R/RW and the floppy drive for either an LS-120, a second hard disk or a second battery.

The construction was reasonably solid throughout except for the use of flimsy plastic port covers, and the latest model has a magnesium alloy lid surface to protect the large diagonal screen properly. Comms are provided as part of the standard spec, which includes an internal fax modem, so both PC Card slots remain free for other uses such as networking or perhaps in this case a hardware DVD decoder card.

In addition to the usual ports the Solo has an S/PDIF digital audio output which can be used with a 5.1 speaker set and AC-3 decoder to reproduce surround sound effects from DVD films. Composite video I/O gives you a means of connecting to a TV set, and a set of play controls on the front edge of the case mean that you could stow the closed notebook under the telly and use it as a DVD player. An expensive one, but nevertheless...

Like the Dell, the Solo has a big 15-inch TFT screen, but this time it runs at 1280 x 1024 resolution rather than the normal 1024 x 768 XGA. This boosts the available workspace, which is a definite benefit, although everything does of course get smaller at the same time. The crystalline clarity afforded by TFT stops this from making the screen too hard to read, however, and on the whole we felt the screen represented an improvement over the standard 15-inch XGA panel.

The keyboard was a good size with large Enter, Spacebar and Backspace keys, which along with a generally intuitive layout and a moderately positive action made for fast, comfortable typing.

Apart from its screen, the Solo also stood out from the rest in terms of battery life and performance. With SpeedStep enabled it ran for a laudable 4 hours, and it proved to be very fast indeed, making it entirely capable of replacing a business desktop if that's what is required of it.

A powerful desktop replacement system, this machine from Gateway is a veritable powerhouse, with impressive multimedia options, a good spec and good overall build quality. Little touches - like the composite video output and DVD controls - set it apart from the crowd.