The word "essential" denotes something of absolute necessity--something that you can't get by without. But Webroot Internet Security Essentials 2011 ($60 for one year, three PCs, as of 12/2/2010) is sadly a bit of a misnomer: Its antimalware performance proved it was simply not up to the task of securing a modern PC. If you want "essential" protection, you'll need to look elsewhere.