Creative Zen Vision W (30GB) review

Along with great performance, there are three things we want from a video player to take on a long journey: a unit that's slick, small and stylish; a user interface that doesn't require any head-scratching or manual-reading; a big-enough screen to comfortably sit through a two-and-a-half hour movie.

Tick, tick and… tick. By those exacting criteria, the Zen Vision W is an excellent portable. The 'W' has a 30GB hard drive, a 4.3in screen, and the ability to deliver superb sound and vision.

Creative's pedigree as an MP3 brand – longer even than Apple's – comes into play here: the player has a pleasingly punchy, detailed sound via the supplied headphones that very few rivals can emulate.

All-in-all then, the Vision W gets the thumbs up: it's smooth, slick, easy to use, reasonably cheap, a great performer and fits easily in your pocket.