Of Mice and Mats

Logitech G5

Price: £37

Logitech has designed this mouse from the ground up to be a mouse for hardcore FPS fans. It sports a number of custom features that should make it top of your list when considering something to splash some serious cash on.

Let's start with the design. It has the distinctive Logitech 'curve' that the company has employed since the MX-7 a couple of years back. We've met a few people that hate it - and it's useless for left-handers - but it's pretty likeable. Like the Microsoft, it's usable by both finger-tip mousers and flat-palmers. It has a cool 'rusty' look. The cord is just that - cord. Unlike most rubbery or plasticky mouse cords, this is more like a piece of rope, and is designed for extra durability.

The mouse has three main buttons along with a tilt wheel, which clicks. However, it's the two extra buttons that make this really interesting. By using the + and - on the top, you can alter the sensitivity of the mouse on the fly - without software. You can scroll between 400, 800 and 2000 DPI settings depending on the exact gaming situation you find yourself in. Want to breeze through a level with minimum mouse movement? Crank the DPI right up and you can pull off 180 degree turns with a flick of the wrist. Need to turn the sensitivity right down to pull of a AWP-camping headshot? You can do that and take a careful aim.

The mouse also has a really interesting solution to the problem of mouse weight - some people like 'em heavy, some people like 'em light. Logitech allows you to vary the weight by up to 36g by integrating a weight cartridge into the bottom of the mouse. The mouse can handle exactly the way you want it to.

There are only a couple of negatives to this mouse. The first is the unique shape that is difficult for left handers to use effectively, and the second is the price. At £37, it ain't cheap, but then it does offer a number of unique features that really could improve the time you have gaming. If weight and DPI adjustment mean nothing to you, then it is pointless buying this mouse. If, however, you see these and think - "Aha, just what I've been after!" - then you will find this a fantastic buy and will praise the day you read this review.