That's not to say that this Acclaim is the perfect laptop - it's not - but it certainly offers most of the features that you'd want in a package that can easily slip into a briefcase. The dimensions are respectable for a start - 269 x 242 x 25mm - and the machine weighs in at 1.9kg. It's a tough piece of kit, too, with a magnesium alloy casing that gives it good torsional strength and (hopefully) some protection against knocks.

Inside the case of our test machine was a 1GHz Pentium III processor, but slower options (down to 700MHz Celeron) are also available. 64MB is the standard memory count, but our test machine had 192MB, of which 8MB was used by the onboard graphics adapter - so don't expect massive 3D gaming power here. The potential maximum of 576MB of system memory is worth considering, though, as many ultra portable machines have limited expansion options in this area.

ACi - Acclaim features - Verdict

ACi - Acclaim price

£1,399 + VAT (DVD upgrade £199 + VAT, CD RW upgrade £179 + VAT)

ACi Ltd: 020 8830 1958