Introduction

Let's talk keyboards, shall we? They have letters A-Z and numbers 1-0, some F Keys, and a ton of other keys that have seemingly found their way into your typing vocabulary. But are all keyboards the same? Some would say, for the most part yes, and I would tend to agree. But this isn't always the case. There are specialized keyboards, designed for special purposes and special types of people, and in this little computer hardware world we live in, gaming and multi-function keyboards are king. The best of the best are able to perform your standard typing functions along with having special multimedia keys for playing music or watching movies. They are also able to be programmed, whether it be for little onboard LCD displays or special multi-key stroke macros.

The Razer Arctosa 'Black' Gaming Keyboard is just such a keyboard. Razer has long been known for its extremely high end gaming mice and keyboards and the Arctosa is no different. Designed for the average gamer who wants more than just a $10 generic keyboard, and priced as such, this black beauty is geared to keep you moving, straffing, casting spells, building bases, and running like hell in all of your favorite games.

Razer designs 3 types of gaming keyboards, all with one thing in mind, spiders...I mean, gaming. I mentioned spiders because their 3 classes of keyboards are spider themed.

• The Tarantula; The grandaddy of spiders is for the Extreme Gamer who wants nothing but the best and all the bells and whistles that come with it.
• The Lycosa; a genus of huge European wolf spider, which people have referred to as a turantula, is for the Mainstream gamer who wants more than the average keyboard but doesn't want, or can't afford, the extreme versions.
• The Arctosa; also a genus of wolf spider but not near the size of the Lycosa. This is for the average gamer who wants a keyboard that's all around better than a normal keyboard but doesn't need, or want, all the other eye candy or toys that come with the higher models.

But can a keyboard like this truly spin a web around its competition? Or has this arachnid been put down by the John Goodman type pest control.