ProHance Mouse. (evaluation)
by David Sears

Few accessories prove as useful as the ubiquitous mouse, and almost no mouse user would want to surrender such a timesaving tool. Mouse quality does vary, however, and for discriminating shoppers, the ProHance mouse is a contender for best buy.

The ProHance mouse driver supports resolutions of 50-800 dots per inch (dpi), allowing for extremes of precision or speed, whatever you needs may be. For intricate pixel-by-pixel drawing, the ProHance mouse provides more than enough steady control, and for moving place to place in a hurry, 800 dpi is plenty. Some DOS-based applications don't ordinarily offer mouse support (Lotus 1-2-3 and WorldPerfect prior to version 5.1 are good examples), so ProHance includes a set of pop-up menu templates that transparently provide abbreviated keystrokes and rapid cursor movement--a welcome boost to your productivity.

If your favorite software isn't already supported, a separate utility allows for custom menu creation. Used with software that features mouse adjustment as part of its architecture--the Windows control panel, for instance--the ProHance driver complies with such adjustments without grumbling, allowing for trouble-free transitions from DOS to multitasking environments.

Designed to be used as either a PC or Microsoft mouse, the ProHance mouse comes with the three requisite buttons for PC mode. Because I prefer a firmer button press, the ProHance mouse's plastic click left me feeling ambivalent toward the mouse design.

ProHance Technologies gives you an antistatic mouse pad for superior tracking, though control suffers little on other surfaces, such as a desk top. A mouse pocket, complete with adhesive backing, may be affixed to your monitor, your computer, or another convenient spot, and provides an excellent place to store the mouse when it's not in use.

Easily installed, the ProHance mouse posed no problems during testing and worked well in both games and productivity software. As either a replacement or first-time mouse purchase, this mouse delivers both standard versatility and a few extras--a solid value at its price.