Selecting an Internet security suite is a lot like plodding through a Choose‑Your‑Own‑Adventure book. Remember those? The path of the protagonist was entirely up to you, and if those books taught us anything at all, it’s that every decision carries with it potentially devastating consequences. The same thing applies to your choice of antivirus software, only the repercussions of malware are real, and if a shoddy security suite fires off a blank and leaves you exposed to danger, there’s no flipping back the pages for a do-over. The stakes are high, and it’s important you choose the right defense the first time. If you don’t, you risk leaving your system vulnerable to attack from an increasingly sophisticated arsenal of digital artillery. And don’t expect cyber-scoundrels to fight fair. They’ll lace screensavers and kids’ games with malware, spoof email addresses, record your keystrokes, and perform all sorts of underhanded tactics. Your PC is a gold mine of valuable information, and once compromised, these crooks will attempt to steal your identity, swipe your credit card information, pillage your PayPal account, lift your bank login credentials and sell ‘em to the highest bidder, or any number of insidious schemes. If all that weren’t enough, malicious software can render your once-fast PC a pop-up-infested jalopy. Is there any hope? That’s where we come in. We’ve called to arms a gnarly collection of security suites with the roughest, toughest reputations around. We’re also including three popular no-cost AV solutions to find out how they compare. Flip through the pages to get started, and if we miss one you think should have been included, let us know—we’ll run stand-alone reviews of even more AV apps in the future.