Pure Digital Evoke 3 digital radio

Pure's latest goes to the top of the charts.

Let's cut to it - this is the best DAB radio we've come across. It's got the lot, including a large screen, an electronic programme guide, rewind and record capability, MP3 playback and an FM tuner.

The highlight is the six-line screen. That may not sound all that big, but in the world of DAB radios, it's a revelation. It means you can read station and programme info instantly, instead of waiting for it to crawl across the usual one-line screen. It's ideal for football - at a glance we could see the latest score in the FA Cup quarter final, and the scorer.

Sound quality from the stereo speakers is as good as it gets from a radio of this size. Hook it up to a hi-fi via the line out socket, however, and it really comes into its own.

The EPG, which shows what's scheduled for the week ahead, is also outstanding. To record a programme, you simply highlight and select it. The first time you turn the radio on, it takes a minute for the EPG info to download, but after that you get instant access as it's cached on the SD card. Of the 19 digital stations we could pick up, 13 were broadcasting an EPG.

Recordings are stored on SD cards - a 512MB card will hold five hours, 50 minutes of radio. Connect the radio to your PC with a USB cable (not supplied) and you can convert the recordings to MP3 using a £20 program available from PURE Digital's website. There's also a basic MP3 player for music stored on SD.

Pausing and rewinding radio is as simple as pushing and twisting a knob - you can backtrack between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on what station you're listening to.

This is the digital radio you've been waiting for. Yes, it's a little expensive... but you get what you pay for.