To invest in a 5.1 speaker system you've got to be a keen gamer or someone who loves to hear music while sat at their PC.

So, assuming that you fall into one of these categories, you're going to be more than a little interested in Logitech's satellite-ample G51 system. And we're happy to report that this is a solid collection of speakers that'll do your music or games justice.

Well-built system

Unpacking the set gave us a good idea of build quality. The sub-woofer is a large, imposing slab of black plastic. Interestingly, it features a dual-ported design, with one on the underside of the unit. This means that you'll be feeling bass notes through your feet if you turn up the volume loud enough.

The five satellites feel solid and sturdy, and sport an impressive modern design in the form of a black/light bronze colour scheme. Logitech has also made downloadable artwork available, which can be printed out and fixed to each speaker, but whether you do this is really down to personal taste.

All the satellites are wall-mountable, and the centre channel speaker can be clipped onto your LCD monitor with ease.

Superb sound

Colour-coded wires make it straightforward to connect up the system, and then all that's left is the control pod. This enables you to adjust the individual volumes of the subwoofer, surround and centre speakers, as well as the overall volume of the system.

You can also choose to convert a standard stereo source into 5.1 sound using Logitech's "Matrix" technology. This worked well in our tests, and even breathed new life into games long since completed or abandoned.

So how does it sound? In a word, excellent. This is no doubt partly down to Logitech's frequency-directed dual drivers technology, which works to output a smoother field of sound that's confident and immersive rather than aggressive and harsh.

If you can live with the inevitable trailing wires, then this is a 5.1 system to be proud of.