If a software adds only 0.1 to the version number, it's usually a minimal upgrade. Not so with the avast! antivirus 4.8 Home Edition. It now protects against spyware, rootkits, and other forms of non-virus malicious software. And the best news is that it's still free of charge. Installing it is a breeze but requires a reboot once it’s done. The user interface is reminiscent of a media player, with large buttons, like the scan starter that looks like a big Play button. The reviewer noted that the avast! antivirus 4.8 Home Edition was rated by AV-Comparatives Advanced+, their highest level. Whenever a virus is detected, a siren goes off and a warning is issued. The product checks for threats in memory each time it launches. If it does find a malware running in the background, it offers to launch a boot-time scan that runs before Windows has fully loaded so that rootkit techniques are prevented from working. Scanning is quite fast, taking less than 10 minutes while a thorough scan took around 15 minutes. With good marks from independent labs and the new ability to remove spyware, the avast! antivirus 4.8 Home Edition is an antivirus software the reviewer can recommend.