The strength of a security software suite often rests on its customizability and comprehensiveness. The BitDefender Total Security 2009 tries to be both, though it drops the ball in the process. Installation took a lengthy 20 minutes and requires a reboot. The reviewer noted that there is a setup wizard, but the implementation was found lacking in important tasks such as scan and backup scheduling. Despite having an extremely deep feature-set, the interface can be too simple or overly technical, depending on the mode you choose. The Basic view is too basic, lacking common settings that would be needed by non-technical users. The Advanced view, on the other hand, can be intimidating, with cryptic options that you’d need to look up in the 453-page manual. BitDefender claims that it won’t bog down your system, and it didn’t. It also scored well on Virus Bulletin’s malware tests. However, it scored a less-than assuring 88% on spyware-catching. If you need BitDefender’s unique features such as the IM encryption and the power-saving laptop mode, its pricing options might appeal to you. Otherwise, you might want to check out the competition.