Although it's aimed at gamers, the Logitech G15 keyboard not only enhances the ability to goof off on a computer, but it's pretty darn handy for productivity, too. Its broad spectrum of features, great design, and a reasonable price make it a great bet for both hack freelance writers (cough, cough) and aspiring game gods.

What most stands out about the G15 is its size. This is one of the longest keyboards in keyboard land, measuring 21.5 inches across (the average keyboard is about 18 inches). It's very slim, though, and boasts an ultra-modern, attractive blend of silver and black coloring. This ain't your LOST scientist's utilitarian keyboard, this is some snazzy-looking hardware.

And, as it turns out, size matters. Those added inches are used to put a little extra space between keys and to allow for the inclusion of a bank of 18 G keys, G for Gamer, which can be edited with Logitech's easy-to-use Game Profiler software so you can assign keystrokes and macros in Windows and/or record custom macros for in-game Uber moves 'til your heart bursts with joy. So extraordinarily handy, you'll soon wonder how you made do for so long with just your Joe Beige keyboard.

Spreading out the keys also affords more precise typing, both when dealing with humdrum work documents and when doing the WASD shuffle in first-person shooters.

However, all of this great functionality does come at a price; the G15 is a little hard to get a handle on at first. That extra distance between keys makes touch-typing sketchy during the initial few days of use, and the added length for the G keys on the left side of the keyboard fools you into hitting them instead of the Ctrl or Shift keys as often as not. Neither hurdle is particularly tough to get over, mind you, but it's still something that needs to be learned, like going from minivan to an M1A1 Abrams, you drive both, but there's so much more at hand in a good solid war tank. All good.

Cool too, the entire keyboard is backlit with an attractive blue glow, which perfectly suits late-night gaming sessions with the lights off and/or burning the midnight oil at the office (or late night gaming at the office when you should be burning oil). The backlighting is also handy if you use one of those retractable keyboard drawers, which are otherwise great for ergonomic, carpal tunnel avoidance, but usually throw a shadow over the keys when you only have a desk lamp for lighting.

The G15 also sports an illuminated fold-out LCD screen at the top, which serves as a dashboard; a nifty feature that it provides amenities such as a clock and system information (CPU and memory usage, song titles, etc.) while in Windows, or (semi) crucial gaming data while in-game. Mind you, it's more gee-whiz than practical, somewhat redundant, and useless under a sliding keyboard drawer too, but there you go.

Other G15 functions include the typical tricked-out bonus functions common in deluxe keyboards. A bank of keys at the top of the keyboard, for example, controlling apps like Windows Media Player, an on/off switch for that problematic Windows key that drops you to the desktop if you accidentally bump it in game (or just look at it sideways, it seems), and a couple of USB ports--which are, unfortunately, too low-powered to handle major devices like an MP3 player, though they work just fine for a gamepad or what-have-you.

Smart, stylish, and relatively affordable (a sub-$100 type luxury item, as it were), the G15 fits the bill for pretty much anyone in need of a new keyboard, whether you're looking for something to help you through all-night World of Warcraft marathons, all-night term papers or crunch nights at the office.