Being a slightly techno-phobic 25 year old I was a bit wary about buying anything that didn't have 100% positive feedback (Although even 100% is no guarantee) and therefore it was with a sense of apprehension that I bought the Zen V 1GB player.

True to form I was unable to figure out what to do to enable me to load music onto my player for the first couple of weeks. Nothing to do with the player itself but more down to my not being motivated enough to read the instructions. Once I bothered to read the instructions everything was straightforward to use.

The player is lightweight but well built and easy to navigate. Play music based on your own Playlist, Genre, Artist or just play every song you have. This is a useful feature as depending on your mood you can find a genre/artist to suit it. While most players, if not all, can do this, I found it so much simpler with his player.

If your not sure of what Download site to use I would suggest using 'Napster to go' as it allows you to transfer in bulk at a relatively low cost. Its also very easy to do with the 'drag and drop' feature.

The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of five is for the simple reason that nothing is perfect, although, I've yet to find the imperfection with the Zen V.

OK, pros and cons:
Pro's:
1. Unbreakable. Well, practically. The first day I got it I smashed it against the floor about as hard as it is possible for someone to do this (accidentally) and it was still OK. It made a little ticking noise for a while when I clicked the pause and back buttons, but its OK now. I have dropped it about 20 times since I got it two weeks ago, and there's not a scratch on it. Though the screen does get smudgy very easily.
2. It shows you the album art. Just a nice little extra thing, and no-one else's (that I know of) MP3 does this.
3. Charges quickly. It says it takes 6 hours to charge, and this lasts 15 hours, but I just plug it in for about an hour at a time, and it lasts me a couple of days, listening to it on full volume. So that was a pleasant surprise.
4. You can put stuff on it really quickly. Don't use the software, just go with media player. The software's not bad, but media player is easier.
5. Loud maximum volume. Always good.
6. Cheap. If, like me, you drop things, this is a huge bonus - should it break, it can be easily replaced.
7. Its pretty and small. Much smaller than you actually realise reading the dimensions.
8. You can make playlists on the MP3. Really good idea, and it lets you type in a name and everything.
Cons:
1. Only charges via USB, unless you buy an extension. Also, also only charges via USB port, not Hub - it overloads the hub and kills your computer.
2. Only 1MB. Still good for the price, but don't believe it when it says you can fit (up to) 500 songs. I've managed to get about 250 on mine, even after deleting the preloaded photos.
3. Big headphones which everyone can hear what you're listening to through.
4. The shuffle function. I don't know how it works, but my music remains distinctly unshuffled. It keeps trying to make me listen to the same tracks.
I've had no trouble with freezing or anything (I avoid using the lock function, just in case)
Overall, excellent, especially given the cost.
 

Prior to buying this Creative player, I was struggling along with another 1GB MP3 player in "stick" format, which cost only ten pounds less!

The first huge advantage of the Creative Zen V, over the "sticks", is the LCD colour screen and the functionality that comes with it. It's exactly the same principle as with the Apple iPod - you simply scroll around the menus to play individual tracks, whole albums, complete genres, playlists or what ever else you want. None of this is normally possible on an "MP3 stick".

Next benefit, is the rechargeable battery. It recharges quickly via the USB socket and lasts fairly well. Better than constantly shelling out AAA batteries, I think. A word of caution on this - I did buy a remote charger for it (generic MP3 player model, not a Creative product) and it doesn't work with the Zen, so watch out for that if you're shopping for a charger!

The third big plus, is the file transfer system. Although the Creative software looks a little bland and basic, it does allow much quicker file transfer than my old player (where I "dragged and dropped", but the files were very slow to load).

The photo storage option is, in my opinion, just a nice gimmick! For a start, you only have 1Gb of space and a photo is commonly around 1Mb. Secondly, the screen (nice though it is for text), is really too small to allow you to see any detail in photographs (as with a mobile phone). On top of that, it kills the battery!

The packaging and the accessories included (quality earphones, various patch leads, neck strap, velvet carry bag, software disc etc.) are also very impressive, given the low price.

I gave it 5 stars, primarily because it only cost 41 pounds (may have gone up now) and for that price, it simply cannot be beat!

My only two criticisms (in case anyone at Creative ever reads these reviews), would be:

1. Having the "play/pause" button mounted half way up the case (on the right hand side) and the "return to previous menu" button underneath it, makes a lot less sense to me than it would if these controls were reversed. I use my player exclusively for listening to a (very long) language tuition course and I need to use the pause button all the time. It makes my hand cramp up, when I have to hold the player in such an awkward way, to access the pause button. Also, for anyone who wants to put this player in their pocket and access the pause control through a layer of clothing (as I frequently do with my iPod), it's quite hard to find the right spot to press. If the button was on the lower half, it would be easy to just squeeze the lower corner of the unit, to pause it.

2. The earphones supplied are the "traditional" design, but I had to replace them with Creatives (rather excellent) EP630's in-ear phones, to get the most out of this good-sounding little player. OK, maybe this more about personal preference than anything else and I guess that some people still have phobias about "sticking foreign objects into the their aural cavities", but buying them separately did add another 14 pounds to the price of the unit (in my case).

So, all in all, it's nice to be able to recommend something so heartily. Until recently, the 4Gb version was on offer for here only 66 pounds - now THAT really is a bargain!