PC Tattletale automatically records every keystroke and every action taken on a computer, including instant messaging conversations, web site visits, and email messages.

PC Tattletale also records activities and applications that aren't related to Internet use, including word processors, databases, and games. If the computer is on, PC Tattletale is on the job.

PC Tattletale can operate in stealth mode, so even the most computer-savvy kids shouldn't be able to find a way around it. Once you install the program, it is virtually invisible. It doesn't appear in the Start menu, the system tray, the task list, or the Windows Programs folder. If your children do manage to discover the program (or you've been honest and told them it's there), they will not be able to uninstall it without the administrator password.

PC Tattletale can capture screen shots, and note the date, time, and user when the screen shot was captured. The screen shots are saved to a hidden, password-protected directory. You can easily and quickly browse the screen shots using PC Tattletale's VCR-like play, fast forward, and rewind controls. A special cache purge feature helps prevent your hard drive from being overtaken by screen shots.

For the most part, PC Tattletale doesn't protect your family from objectionable or potentially objectionable content. Instead, it monitors your children's activities, and lets you know whether or not you need to take any action. PC Tattletale does offer limited filtering capabilities.

It can block specific URLs if you manually add them, and you can set it to block sites that contain certain keywords. If your children try to access a site that contains a tagged keyword, they will see a 404 Page Not Found error. The keyword blocker records the URL of every attempted web site for you to check later.

There is no option to set up accounts for individual family members. Instead, PC Tattletale records all of the activities of everyone who uses the computer, which some family members may find a bit chilling. Because PC Tattletale records everything, you can waste a lot of time looking through the activity logs of family members who don't need monitoring.

Pro: Easy to install and easy to configure. Runs in stealth mode, so it's almost impossible for even a computer-savvy child to circumvent it.
Con: Can't create profiles for each family member.