First they were at the office, then in your study and now they are trying to sneak into your living room or bedroom and even your kitchen. As computers colonise our homes, they are evolving from bulky beige desktop boxes into slim, unassuming, even attractive, accessories.

Some – known as all-in-one models – have shed the traditional tower unit: the components, memory, drives and sockets are built into a flat panel monitor with a separate keyboard and mouse. Smaller still are tiny, whisper-quiet computers designed to be neither seen nor heard. Often remote controlled, these “bookshelf” computers connect to your entertainment system, bringing digital music files, photographs and films to the living room, but rarely come with monitors.A number of lifestyle systems are sold on their “media centre” credentials, boasting TV tuners, speakers and movie playback. All the computers on test can play DVDs and the Sony has a Blu-ray player for high definition playback. These are great if you want something to double as a secondary home entertainment system in the study, but be realistic: are you really going to watch movies on a 20in monitor, rather than the 40in plasma TV in the lounge?

All the models on test feature wireless networking to share files, music, internet radio and more throughout your home. All but the Sony and HP also have Bluetooth, for moving photos and files wirelessly to or from a mobile phone. Card readers are handy for transferring digital snaps, and the more USB and FireWire ports you have, the more peripherals (such as printers and scanners) you can connect.

The Apple iMac, Sony, HP and Dell systems have built-in webcams, making internet video chat almost as easy as e-mail. Except the Apples, all the computers tested come with Windows Vista Home Premium.

All have enough computing power to surf the web and enjoy your media, but those with at least 2GB of Ram memory will be smoother and faster. Pay attention to the size of the hard drive: a few hours of digital video will make a noticeable dent in the smaller 120GB hard drives here, and even the largest 500GB drives are not excessive.

The most obvious competitor to this type of computer is the laptop, especially now prices are tumbling. However, lifestyle systems have one big advantage over laptops: comfort. Anyone spending an evening hunched over a laptop can tell you that they are the chiropractor’s new best friend. All-in-one systems have large, easy-on-the-eye screens and full-size keyboards, while bookself units usually give you the choice of using a flatscreen TV as a computer monitor.

There are some disadvantages. Although much quieter than normal systems, few lifestyle computers are completely silent. Good design also comes at a premium, with all costing several hundred pounds more than traditional equivalents. You are also limited in your upgrade options: you may be able to add memory, but that’s often as far as it goes. And though some lifestyle systems boast advanced 3D graphics, forget about playing the latest blockbuster action games.

Still, a bit of style is worth the extra – and if you want stunning games, buy a console. These easy-to-use computers are more chic than geek, letting you digitise your home without sacrificing your design principles.