To many people, the keyboard is one of the most subjective PC-related purchases to be made, so Saitek's latest unit is a strong product. Aiming - as you'd expect from the name - at the serious gaming audience, it is nonetheless hardly likely to alienate those simply looking for a comfortable input device to work with.

The hook for gamers, though, will undoubtedly be the programmable command pad. This is an eleven-button number pad that's actually separate to the main body of the keyboard itself, and it's thus entirely up to you where you position it. Whether you want it to the left, right or in front of the keyboard, it's a simple matter of moving it where you want it to be and plugging it into the main keyboard.

It lends itself to all sorts of games - from the strategy of the Total War series through to weapon selection in a first person shooter - and as the included software makes programming it a breeze, it's an astoundingly useful innovation. Perhaps the only obvious improvement would be to make it wireless, but as some gamers are reluctant to trust their gaming to anything that doesn't have a lead attached, you can understand Saitek's decision.

The main body of the keyboard also features a flexible wrist rest. You can take it off altogether, or adjust the distance it sits apart from the main keyboard. In short, the whole package has been set up to give you the power to customise things exactly how you like them.

The icing on the cake as far as features are concerned is the LED backlighting. This is built into both the keyboard itself and the command pad, and if you're the kind of person who plays your games in the dark, the effect is both useful and impressive.

So that just leaves us with the keyboard itself. The keys don't have an awful lot of travel to them, and are quite firm to the touch. After a day or two of heavy usage, we'd be hard pressed to call it a deluxe board, but it certainly wasn't uncomfortable to use. Interestingly, it cuts right back on the media keys that tend to infest the majority of modern-day keyboards to just four, although whether you think that's a good or bad thing is clearly a matter of personal preference.

In all, though, Saitek has put an impressive product and package together. In conjunction with the command pad, it's certainly an excellent keyboard for gaming purposes, and it holds its own on everyday functions too. Wireless is one potential area for improvement, and we wouldn't argue if Saitek shaved a tenner off the price. But nonetheless, the firm promises a backlit gaming keyboard, and that's what it delivers. And a good one at that.

Verdict
Gamers will clearly appreciate it the most, yet Saitek's keyboard is nonetheless a quality, useful device that looks the business too.

Company: Saitek

Contact: 01454 451900

Tags: saitek logitech numeric keypad input device backlight keyboard hardware peripheral