Whenever I review a browser I have to take a deep breath and put my prejudices firmly to one side. I'm a Firefox fan, and generally feel (tongue-in-cheek!) pity for people who use other browsers. I'm especially suspicious of Internet Explorer, which is why when Maxthon landed on my screen for review, well let's just say I wasn't hopeful.

In fact, it's just as well that I decided to be objective, because Maxthon really surprised me. If you are a person who likes lots of options, you should really check Maxthon out - the IE-based browser has more buttons, menus and configurations options than Photoshop, and you can really customize it to the max. All aspects of the browser can be re-sized, moved or taken away and there are multiple skins, interface styles, and language options.

Maxthon generally opens its configuration options in new tabs, rather than windows. This means they are easy to see and modify, which is just as well, as there are so many of them. These options Maxthon gives you, including the standard File, View, and Tools types, can be found in the Menu Bar, while there are even more in the lower Status bar. If things are beginning to sound a bit crowded, you can disable most, leaving the whole interface much cleaner.

It would take a very long time to detail all of Maxthon's options, so suffice to say that as well as the standard ones (tab behavior, display, encoding), there are a multitude of other features, from content control to image and script disabling, an in-built ad-blocker, auto form-filler and advanced screenshot function. In fact, some of the options are quite complex, and you might want to take a look at the user manual before jumping straight in.

If you like a simple browsing experience, or are a big fan of your Firefox add-ons, Maxthon probably isn't for you (although there is a good selection of Maxthon add-ons). If you are an Internet Explorer user who wants more options, however, or are just interested in life beyond Mozilla, give Maxthon a try. You might be as surprised as I was.

Maxthon is a great choice for those looking to expand their browsing options.