For a long time Microsoft dominated the Web browsing scene, and we all paid a price for that. Once Netscape, the original mass market browser of choice, saw its market share decimated, the lack of a true competitor allowed Microsoft to get a little complacent with developments of Internet Explorer, and perhaps that goes some way to explaining why it's taken five years in a fast-moving Internet world to come up with a new version.

That new version, initial teething problems aside, is undoubtedly an improvement, though, and finds Microsoft learning from the fairly harsh lessons that it has had to learn of late. Seemingly from nothing, one of its market-dominating products has lost a significant slice of market share, as Firefox has well and truly seized the initiative, and while IE7 doesn't exactly see Microsoft wrenching it back, the developers have smartened their program up. Would we recommend Internet Explorer 7? Yes. Happily. Is it going to win this round up? Absolutely not.

That prize is going to Firefox. But before we get there, we should spend a little time saluting Opera. It's certainly a browser that's hurt by its relative lack of user support, which would help maximise the Widgets function built into it, yet it's a smart, sleek Web browser, and while we feel that few people will be compelled to seek it out in desktop form, those who do will be perfectly happy with their choice. It seems very strong in the hand-held market, too.

But Firefox still wins, for several reasons. First, its ethos. By harnessing user choice in an accessible way and positively encouraging its user base to expand and improve the program to their heart's content, it's grown and expanded at a rate that any company with a spreadsheet to balance simply couldn't keep up with.

It's also backed by a large, dedicated community, who will ensure that even in areas where it struggles, it won't be long before a solution comes alone. And ultimately, it was the best of three in our tests. It hits the sweet spot between streamlining the software and delivering the functionality and ease of use we rightly demand of our modern day browsers.