Reviewer, 2008-12-24 09:33:00

This is a tool to record messages that are sent / received through any version of the ICQ Messenger.

Pros: The ICQ Spy Monitor is a spying utility that records each and every message that is either sent or received through the ICQ Messenger online chat application. The tool works all versions of ICQ to date. Each message is recorded along with a timestamp and the username who sent or received that message. It also stores the login information used by each user. The configuration wizard enables the user to set up a task schedule such that the monitoring can start and stop at specified times. The time at which monitoring starts and stops is also recorded. Logs can be uploaded to an FTP server, exported to HTML format, and sent to a particular email address at set time intervals. The program has low resource consumption of its own and it runs in an undetectable Stealth / Invisible mode so that user’s are unaware of its activity. The interface is fairly intuitive in terms of performing the required functions.

Cons: The interface is understandably basic because the tool is required to perform very few functions. However, the interface is also poorly designed, with the necessary task of viewing the logs not being a pleasant one. The way that the logs are presented is not very intuitive and one ends up trying to toggle through different views to find one that one likes. Customizable views would have been a valuable addition to this tool.

As with any such tools there is a question of privacy. The fact that one user can view all other user’s private conversations is a major concern.

Overall: 3 stars. It does the required task of recording all ICQ messages. Apart from a question of privacy the product is also over-priced for the function that it performs.