Both my sisters and mum had all recently got webcams, to use with MSN Messenger, so not wanting to be left out I thought I'd better join them. Doing my usual bargain hunting on ebay one day, I came across this Logitech QuickCam Messenger Webcam - and won it for 99p. I'd had a webcam feature on a previous digital camera, (which I sold) so the idea wasn't entirely new to me, but this was the first "dedicated" webcam I've had.

After a week or so wait, it arrived from Singapore. Included was the camera itself, complete with USB lead (it'll work with either USB 1 or 2), a rubber stand, a CD and a brief but easy to follow installation manual.

The camera itself is ball-shaped, and about the size of a snooker ball. The front has the camera lens, the outer part of which is a focus ring. On top is a button, which can be used to take a quick snapshot when you are running the QuickCapture software. You'll also notice the microphone.

The stand works quite well, it's rubber construction allowing it to sit on top of a computer monitor (or elsewhere) without falling off- It is easily turned left and right, and to a certain degree up and down - it's therefore quite quick to get it where you want it.

It'll work with most compatible chat programs, including AIM and Yahoo. I use MSN Messenger, so can only comment on intergration with that.

Before you connect it though, run the installation programs which take a few minutes, and require the computer to be reset. Assuming all is ok, you can then simply plug it into a free USB port. You can test all is working by running the Logitech software. With this you can take a picture, record an AVI video (with or without sound) and adjust the settings. I was quite surprised at the settings available, with options such as "low light filter" and "colour boost" as well as the usual brightness, contrast and colour saturation options you'd expect. Even more advanced settings are available, white balance, gamma and backlight compensation for instance - however you'll probably not need to fiddle with these in a well lit room. You'll find basic audio settings here too.

As for the picture itself, again I was quite surprised for a low-cost camera. Although it's obviously quite grainy (I think possibly due to the image enhancement used), the picture is sharp, and the colour is good. On the technical side of things, you've got the option of 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120 resolutions. The lowest is probably too small to be of practical use, but either of the higher provide reasonable image quality - for a webcam. Don't expect to be able to take any quality snaps, but if you don't have a real camera to hand, this will do in an emergency.

It works well with MSN Messenger, seems to maintain a constant moving image, according to the specs this is up to 30 frames per second (on broadband anyway), and hasn't caused any issues so far.

The built in mic is adequate, but I much prefer to use a seperate headset when using audio. If you don't have a seperate mic, you'll probably need the camera quite close to you, and to speak clearly and at a reasonable volume to hold any kind of decent conversation.

To happily run this camera, you'll need need a PC with the following spec:

Windows® 98, 2000, Me, XP
Intel® Pentium® II 400, Celeron® , AMD™ Athlon™ processor (500+ Mhz recommended)
64 MB RAM
200 MB free hard drive space
USB port
CD-ROM drive
Windows® compatible sound card and speakers

Overall, I'd say it's a simple, good quality web-camera, and at the price, also a very good buy. Expect to pay between £15 - £30, or on ebay - even less.