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Another feature that shows how the Ikari is perfectly targeted at its gamer audience is the DPI switching. Instead of having multiple settings that just add to the confusion in the heat of battle, it has two settings - high and low - and, rather than a complicated rocker switch, it uses one button, situated just below the scroll wheel, to switch between the two modes. Hardly revolutionary, you may be thinking, but the really clever bit is how you adjust the high and low settings.

Whereas most mice have a range of fixed DPI settings that you setup using the mouse's driver, the Ikari, which doesn't require any form of driver, enables you to set the exact DPI setting you require on the mouse. You can then carry your settings around with you wherever you go without worrying about installing anything - very useful for visiting LAN centres!

To set the DPI level you flip the mouse over, where you'll find a small LCD screen, then hold down the DPI switch until the screen shows either "HIGH: XXXX" or "LOW: XXXX". It's then a simple matter of using the scroll wheel to change the number to your preferred DPI level and pressing the DPI switch to store the setting. Double click the DPI switch, holding it down on the second click, and you can then set the ‘other' DPI level.

You can adjust the level from 1 all the way up to 3,200 in increments of 1, allowing you an unprecedented amount of customisation. It may seem like a gimmick but trust me, having the freedom to experiment and find just the right setting for your style is incredibly useful.

Equally useful is the so called FreeMove technology. This is a solution to a problem that has always bugged me, that of mice ‘correcting' your hand movement to enable you to make straight lines.

By analysing the way in which your hand is moving, a normal mouse will realise you're trying to draw a straight line and compensate for your slight wobbles and tell the computer you're actually drawing a straight line - go on, try it now. Do you really think your hand is that steady?

While this may be useful for something - I'm really struggling to think what - it's particularly annoying for gaming where you want the connection between you and your computer to be exacting. Moreover, it's not just gaming that is affected either, the amount of times I've been tracing an odd shape in Photoshop and been frustrated by the mouse straightening my lines for me - it's enough to drive a man to distraction.

So, what FreeMove does is allow the user to specify if they want this line straightening to kick in. in fact, there's seven degrees of adjustability so you can find just the right level of compensation for your use. I'd recommend turning it off altogether but if you think otherwise the option is there.

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