TermiNet is a personal firewall utility and, as such, enables the user to monitor the kind of online interaction their PC experiences in order to avoid unwanted hack attacks.

It does this by offering three simple modes of operation. By default, it launches in Stealth Mode meaning that while you retain full and unrestricted access to the web, email, chat and so forth, your own computer can't be 'seen' by prying eyes in the outside world. By ignoring uninvited - and potentially harmful - attempts to communicate with your PC, wannabe hackers are oblivious to your presence.

In Closed Mode all internet traffic, both inbound and outbound is completely blocked; nobody can hack into your computer but nor can you do anything online. Not the most useful setting, really. Open Mode reverses this: TermiNet is blind to all internet traffic in both directions.

TermiNet has the advantage that different rules can be configured for different users. Thus the kids may have unfettered access to the web or email but may be restricted from online chat rooms. You can also control types of access on days of the week - no surfing on a Sunday, for instance - but not within specified hours on these days.

Firewalls often cause problems if you choose to let your computer act as a server by allowing others access to files stored on your hard disk.

TermiNet lets you manually override the settings by specifying that one or more particular ports (virtual gateways into your computer system) remain open. It's a nice touch but could be nicer, as although you probably think in terms of applications - Outlook Express for email, Internet Explorer for surfing, and so on - TermiNet makes no attempt to identify which programs you have installed.

This means that you have to fiddle with ports and 'protocols', rather than simply specifying that Program X can remain unrestricted while Program Y must be shackled.

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