Whether used to show individual items on each, such as a Word doc on one monitor and an Excel spreadsheet on another (as this author is currently doing on his twin 24"), or used to form one long, scrolling canvas spanning multiple screens (handy for stretching the timeline view in video editing software), running more than one monitor is a plus.

The downside to this visual Valhalla is the limits that operating systems and other software can sometimes impose on how a user configures a multi-monitor setup and the ease with which he does it.

Aimed at helping users get the most out of multiple monitors, UltraMon by Realtime Soft Ltd. is according to its makers, "a utility for multi-monitor systems, designed to increase productivity and unlock the full potential of multiple monitors."

UltraMon allows users to efficiently move and maximize windows across the desktop while managing more applications with its Smart Taskbar. UltraMon Shortcuts let users control application positioning, while multi-monitor support for desktop wallpapers and screen savers enables different artwork to be displayed on each — or one used across all.

UltraMon mirrors the main monitor to secondary monitors for presentations or for home theatre projections and provides a custom Display Settings applet supporting more than 10 monitors. It allows users to quickly configure even large numbers of monitors.

Now in version 3.0, UltraMon supports Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000 in both 32- and 64-bit versions. A full-featured trial version is available for download.