It's difficult to provide an objective review of ContentProtect because we were irritated by the program before we had even finished installing it. We take a dim view of companies that either force certain procedures on customers or make things overly difficult.

You must be connected to the Internet to install ContentWatch, because the program will verify your registration number with the company's web site before installation is complete. As a general rule, we dislike programs that require any kind of registration verification.

If you want to try ContentProtect before buying it, a two-week trial version of ContentProtect is available from the ContentWatch web site. In order to download the demo, you must enter an email address, so the company can email you a temporary (and long) registration number. In order to use the demo, you must enter the registration number. The number expires two weeks after you download the demo, whether or not you've actually tried the demo. If you are unable to provide a valid registration number, the program will uninstall itself and reboot your computer, which is not acceptable behavior.

In the Default mode, anyone can access the Internet without signing in to ContentProtect. In User Mode, individuals have unlimited access to the computer, but if they want to use the Internet or messaging software, they must log in to ContentProtect, where they are limited by the parameters you set for that user account. The Filter Settings you choose for each user determine access to browsing, instant messaging, peer-to-peer access (such as file exchange services), networking gaming and newsgroups.

ContentProtect also includes a Time Controls feature, which allows you to set time limits for each user.

ContentProtect 2.0 has promise as a web filtering program, but we cannot give a blanket recommendation to products from any company that seems determined to make it as difficult as possible for potential customers to try out its programs.


Pros: Provides a wide range of Internet-related controls that are relatively easy to configure
Cons: Requires a number of passwords throughout the program rather than a single administrative password, process for downloading and trying out the demo version of the software is unnecessarily cumbersome, no built-in help, if you make any changes remotely it takes several hours for the changes to actually take effect


Specifications:
Available for: IBM PCs and compatibles.

Minimum requirements (PC):
PC or compatible with 133 MHz or faster processor
Windows 2000/XP (English Language)
128 MB RAM minimum, 256 MB recommended
25 MB of hard-disk space
CD-ROM drive
Color monitor with 800x600 resolution
Internet connection
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher, Netscape 6.0 or higher, or other current web browser