The Microsoft Optical Mouse is your standard, corded, three button office mouse affair, in computer beige.

It is ‘the mouse’ - in a standard, lefty-or-righty ergonomic design, it is perfectly usable by anyone.

Microsoft mouse are well built. That is a fact. That is something I tested once when I broke the wire on a mouse by jamming it under something heavy. I hammered, chissled, cut at, knifed, stood on, dropped, slammed doors on and generally brutalised one of these things to see how strong it was.

The buttons came off, and I managed to detach the base from the body. Then I put it back together, and apart from some scuff marks you would never be able to tell what I had done.

To copy an old joke, they should build planes out of the stuff they make these mice out of so that they can survive crashes.

But, seriously. This mouse is the best general use corded one you can get. It is pretty good for games, it is good for long term use - I would even recommend it to give to children who have not learned how to take care of their computers yet. This is one of the few mice that is likely to survive abuse from a child.

It is one of the more expensive corded mice, but it is well worth it if you are after a standard, wired optical mouse. The only problem with it is that not everyone will find it sensitive enough. If you are one of the people who demands a fast, sensitive mouse, then the Microsoft Laser Gaming Mouse is probably the best one for you.

Installation: 10/10
Configuration:9/10
Responsiveness:8/10
Ergonomics:8/10

Overall: 9/10