Being able to see the person you are communicating with makes such a difference to the quality of your conversation and reduces the feeling of distance of those that are far apart.

The problem is that most IM clients only allow one video at a time. ooVoo however allows you to see up to six friends, family or colleagues at the same time, in very high video quality and all for free. When you install ooVoo, you're requested to sign-up for an account. This takes less than a minute and you can choose a screen name other than your username.

When you log on, you notice the quality of the ooVoo interface which immediately conveys the feeling of a solid product. It's also pretty intuitive making it clear how you add contacts, record video messages and phone landlines and mobiles. In the preferences, you have a huge amount of control over how calls are conducted. If you're having problems with the quality of the video, which is generally excellent, there are diagnostic tools to help you too.

OoVoo is an excellent Video IM client for those that need to conduct multiple video chats or teleconferences with several colleagues in excellent video quality.