Verdict: You know the phrase - jack-of-all-trades ...

On sheer size and weight, the Flatron M203WA is something of a 10-ton gorilla. Its whopping silver frame dwarfs the 20in screen that sits inside it, and there's a huge outcropping below the panel that packs in two mean-looking speaker drivers. If the result looks like a TV, that's because it is. This is one of those hybrid monitors, with a built-in analogue tuner plus a range of connections that cover all the bases from PC to DVD to console use.

This approach certainly has its benefits. You can watch TV while you work, thanks to a neat Picture in Picture capability, and plug in a Freeview box through the SCART socket on the rear, then hook in a PlayStation 2 or Xbox through the composite or S-Video connections at the bottom. Sadly, newer consoles such as the Xbox 360 will need to use the old-school D-SUB port, as the LG doesn't include the required component video inputs.

The sound system is easily the best on test. While a separate speaker set will give you more volume or surround (although the built-in SRS WOW system provides a pretty good pseudo-surround effect), if you want to keep things small-scale or just tidy, these babies pack enough wallop to run Prey.

The bad news is that the screen itself simply isn't up to the task. Low-end contrast isn't bad, but it's hard to coax a truly deep black out of the panel, while performance at the high end is woeful; the LG just isn't bright enough.

DVD and HD video were both underwhelming, with flat colours and a woolly grasp of detail, and once Harry Potter dove into Hogwarts lake, it was hard to see the middle distance. And no matter how good Prey sounded, the fuzzy definition and lack of highlight detail left the game looking soft - not what you want in a violent sci-fi shooter. The less than vibrant colour also made a poor impression in our photo tests.

While the LG might be tempting if you need something to act as both a monitor and a TV, you end up with something that does neither job particularly well - for example, DVDs played through the SCART input didn't look particularly brilliant. You're best advised to look elsewhere.

• Cases - 21st November 2008
• Motherboards - 24th October 2008
• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008

• OCZ Core Series 30GB - Hard disks / storage
• Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - Hard disks / storage
• Asus EAH4870 TOP - Graphics cards
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Sound cards
• Multiwinia - Games
• Zotac GeForce GTX 260² - Graphics cards
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 - Graphics cards