It's rare that we discover the perfect program or utility. Well, do we have the perfect utility for you. Trend Micro's Housecall is a Web-based antivirus utility that not only scans your system for viruses and worms and removes any potential problems it discovers, but it does all this for free! As counterintuitive as this sounds, it's true. Throw in the fact that Housecall is so simple to access and run that a child can use it, and you begin to understand why we're heaping such high praise on this amazing utility.

The first time you access Housecall (at http://housecall.trendmicro.com), you'll need to download a small browser plug-in. Once installed, this plug-in is used to scan your system's memory and storage media for any signs of a virus, worm or other potentially destructive piece of computer code. Being Web-based, Housecall does not rely on traditional methods to update and distribute its database of virus definitions. Each time you initiate a scan, the latest definitions are transferred automatically to your system. In other words, Housecall is always current, ready to identify and eliminate the digital threat that emerged yesterday, today. Few antivirus utilities offer this degree of timeliness in their protection.

Housecall does more than simply scan for dangerous code, however. Unlike many other Web-based scan utilities, Housecall can also eliminate most viruses or worms it finds. Housecall is more than just a marketing tool. It's a workhorse. An "Auto Clean" option lets you turn over all scrubbing functions to Housecall, which carries them off flawlessly, removing any questionable files or embedded code it discovers during a scan. Alternatively, you can elect to correct things yourself after Housecall finishes its scan.

We probably should confess a certain level of hyperbole in our declaring this the "perfect" utility. There are a few viruses Housecall can't remove automatically. To be fair, even some of the "big names" in anti-virus software have problems with these especially insidious pieces of rogue code. Housecall still identifies any viruses it can't cure and even offers suggestions on how to remove them manually. Would that all software addressed its shortcomings this well.

Let's be honest. Trend Micro doesn't provide Housecall for free because of altruism. The company hopes you'll be impressed enough with its Web-based service to purchase its commercial antivirus program, PC-cillin. Maybe you will, but, in truth, you probably won't need to. Housecall offers all the virus protection most people will ever need.

Pros: Comprehensive, reliable Web-based antivirus utility that's updated daily
Cons: None