Since a computer mouse is so humdrum in most of our everyday lives, many people overlook the significance of a really good mouse. Many of you are probably using the exact same mouse that you got five years ago. Of course, if it ain't broke, why fix it right? Lots of people like myself are either too lazy to get a better mouse or don't care because if it still does its job, there's really no reason to go out and get a new one. I can tolerate cleaning the mouse every week and the sluggishness of response due to normal wear and tear doesn't bother me too much. I can still point and click around Windows and I get a bunch of frags playing Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. I thought a mouse is just a mouse, point and click, no big deal, and a $5 ball mouse was as good as any. However… when I stumbled onto the Kensington Optical Mouse, I literally saw the light (umm... blinking red light that is...)!

Optical Mice (mice with no balls, so to speak) have been around for years already, but seem to be quite expensive for such a common device. Many of them range from $30-$80 and rumors of how buggy and clumsy they can get are true in some cases. The Kensington Optical Mouse however is priced at only $19.99 (packaged with a USB/PS2 adapter) and have had no problems whatsoever when I play games, or just use Windows in general. In fact, there is a noteworthy improvement from when I used a standard ball mouse to the new optical mouse. The precision and accuracy of the mouse is incredible. The mouse glides so smoothly on any mouse pad without the rugged, jagged feeling of a ball mouse.

Since optical mice operate with the aid of a ball, it functions by use of a optical "scanning" laser that tracks the movement of the mouse. There's a CPU inside the mouse that processes each movement that you make and is ten times more accurate and sensitive than any conventional mouse.

Standard Ball Mouse

"Castrated" Optical Mouse

When playing Quake 3, as the action heats up and you're all crazy with adrenaline, you can easily aim and kill everyone with precision without having to experience the annoying jerkiness of the conventional ball mouse. And when your hand stops moving, the pointer stops as well and doesn't trail off like the other mice and is a superb choice for games that need the accuracy such as sniping and aiming.

The design, shape, and the positioning of the mouse buttons are perfect for any type of gamer. RTS, FPS, action / adventure fans, and even 24/7 web surfing zombies will benefit from the Kensington Optical Mouse. The programmable side buttons are excellent for FPS games such as Unreal Tournament, Quake 3, and Alice. I set them for jump and crouch so there's no need to reach for the keyboard making gameplay and control very efficient. Also, since the buttons are programmable, you can set them to minimized and maximize, open and close windows on your desktop using the software included. The wheel scroll is also useful for scrolling up and down on the pages of websites. It's also a pretty useful feature for gaming such as scrolling through weapons or reloading =) The shape of the mouse is very well designed so that it fits comfortably in any hand. The Kensington Optical Mouse has a sleek, sexy look unlike the other mice out in the market that are shaped in an ugly, bizarre fashion that's painful to the eyes as well as the hands.

Although the Kensington Optical Mouse isn't as popular as Microsoft's Intellimouse or the Razor Boomslang, it is by far the best mouse that I have ever used and the least costly. The versatility and accuracy of the mouse will please all types of gamers as well as the general PC user. Also, due to the fact that you don't have to clean the mouse, it pleases the lazy gamer such as myself. Definitely a product that you shouldn't overlook!

Rating: A

Visit Kensington website for more information.

··· Raziel