A good gaming mouse is like a finding the right person to love. They have to look right, they have to feel right, and most importantly there needs to be more to them than just superficial features. Depth of use is what separates a normal mouse from a top-of-the-line peripheral, so does Mad Catz Bluetooth mouse the R.A.T. M leave you feeling dirty and used or is it worthy of becoming your lady love?

Straight out of the (rather gorgeous) Perspex box the R.A.T. M makes it obvious it is made for mobile use. The small sleek design barely expands a few extra inches to accommodate larger palms and the “5-d” nubbin barely extrudes from the main body. It is rather off that it appears to be the M.O.U.S. 9’s little brother, even though the R.A.T. M is the one designed for the tech savvy user. Going with the theme that good things come from small packages, the R.A.T. M is still comfortable for short bursts. Using it for prolonged sessions though it may be better to look at a larger mouse unless you have small hands.

Well built and visually pleasing, it is just a little disappointing that the material feels a bit cheap. The plastic used to comprise the surface of the R.A.T. M seems to have come from a Hasbro toy line that acts like a magnet to any dirt on your hands. The rest of the material that makes up the R.A.T. M are more course, heavier plastics and smooth metal that makes the base. This adds up to make a mouse that is surprisingly weighty given its small stature.

Getting the most out of the R.A.T. M is easy and intuitive. After downloading a small program from the Mad Catz website, the ten customizable inputs open up. Additional profiles can also be dropped in for when specific games and programs are fired up. These can be downloaded from the Mad Catz site with the software and drivers too.

The program also comes with an assortment of features you would expect from any gaming mouse. Including two interchangeable DPI levels that can range from 25 to 6400, the R.A.T. M is a versatile piece of equipment.

This ease of use is aided by the plug-and-play nature of the R.A.T. M. Designed for mobile use, the Bluetooth and general wireless performance is much better than the M.O.U.S. 9. With minimal delay and no spotty patches to speak off, the USB dongle that fits into the mouse really makes the R.A.T. M an easy to use portable device.

Mad Catz R.A.T. M is a great piece of kit that looks great and works fantastically despite a few niggling hiccups. If you can overlook the small size and the relatively high price (£85) then the R.A.T. M is a mouse well worth your time and money.