Magellan Roadmate 300

Let Lady Penelope guide you home.

Blessed with elocution rarely heard outside of a Swiss-finishing school, the Roadmate 300 is so appealing you might find yourself driving around aimlessly just to hear its dulcet female tones. And it's not just a good talker - it'll direct you to where you want to go with the precision of an air-traffic controller.

Soon you'll forget what it was like to end up in a cul-de-sac with no idea of how to escape. Not only do you have a detailed map with several small arrows pointing you in the right direction, but also a large graphic appears prior to a turn informing you where to go. That's not to mention the numerous gentle reminders from the female voice throughout your journey - just to be absolutely certain you don't screw up!

While the maps are impressive - it can even tell us where the nearest vineyard is - they are temperamental, and the fiddly interface is disappointing. Also, the unit has no internal battery, so it has to be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. What's more, the GPS can be fairly slow, taking up to 15 minutes to find your location when you start.

But despite those few niggling problems, it's hard not to love a device that lets you store 600 addresses and makes you think that Lady Penelope is chauffeuring you around.