What proved encouraging about this group test was that there were no really duff machines here. There was a definite spread, both in terms of price and features, but all were above a certain level of quality.

This can make choosing a winner difficult, but after a little cogitation, the Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000 emerged as the front runner. This was on the basis of its proper Mobile Pentium-M processor, which brought dividends both in performance and an impressive battery life, but there was more.

The Toshiba was the lightest machine on test, and also the only one to offer the flexibility of a modular drive bay, allowing the machine to grow with you, so to speak. It also had a decent keyboard, plenty of ports and a good, bright screen.

Alternatively, you could go for the ACi Perfecta, which was solidly built and nicely designed, pleasant to use, reasonably well specified and capable of decent battery life. For £100 more, the Evesham also makes a tempting proposition, with more to offer in terms of its core specification and a better warranty into the bargain.

It's true that no machine scored full marks with our reviewers, but even really quite expensive portables are often pulled down by some weakness or other, so a high overall ranking, along with a price you could actually afford, is pretty good going.