A client recently asked me which websites I find useful. I can think of plenty that I like looking at, but the ones that actually serve a purpose I could count on the fingers of one hand - a reminder that building a website is not the solution to all of the world's unanswered questions. Something to bear in mind as we surf through the latest collection of cyberspace-wasters.

Best designed site this month is EMI/Chrysalis - a tasteful (honest) combination of those geometric-pattern colouring books and MFI fake-wood finish. I was surprised to be greeted by a photo of the former Cardiacs guitarist (and fellow Richmond College attendee), Bic Hayes, on the home page, but a little disappointed when the linked news article on his band Dark Star was "not found" (to be fair, all of the sites reviewed here except for J&B Scotch suffered from occasional broken links).

Within the site were pages for all of the label's artists, usually linking to official and unofficial websites. Most of the official websites were created some time ago - Kraftwerk's site, for example, has been around almost as long as the web. So in effect, the EMI/Chrysalis site acts as a portal, aggregating content from all of its artists. But the question remains - who is it for? Fans will most likely enter an artist's site directly from a search engine or a broader music portal. That leaves this site for the weirdos whose music collection spans Cliff Richard, Chumbawamba and Iron Maiden. Also lacking: links to international EMI sites, and anything on MP3 music downloads.

Wasted effort of the month goes to J&B Scotch. A lovely site, beautiful graphics and multimedia (except the constant irritating sound-loops), but why? I won't rehash the debate over brands on the web, but it's tempting. Even if there were a compelling reason for me to use this site (no, whisky history isn't my glass of absinthe), the pages took so long to download, even over ISDN, that I'd be unlikely to stick around. Mind you, I did enjoy the exclusivity of visiting a website that's barred to people who are below legal drinking age or (heaven forbid) French.

Redeeming factor: table football - so true to life that my 6-0 victory was entirely due to the computer opponent's skill at scoring own goals.

Interesting fact of the month comes from Stewart-Ford - did you know that "a modern Grand Prix car can theoretically drive along the ceiling at approximately 100 miles per hour"? Theoretically? Approximately? Go on then, prove it. In fact, it would make the races a lot more interesting. Again I'm left wondering whether anyone visits these sites when they're not reviewing them for Campaign or F1 magazine. Unnecessary annoyance: très-1997 home page and unnecessary Flash intro. Otherwise the site was good, if unexceptional, design-wise.

"Why-oh-why" of the month is reserved for Voyager Magazine. You know how irritating it is when you're on a plane and haven't taken enough or any reading material with you - the only option is to put up with the mind-numbing platitudes of the in-flight magazine. Well, now aviophobics can experience the levels of tedium previously reserved for frequent-flyers by browsing British Midland's in-flight magazine on the web. Assess potential destinations from your desktop ("In the heart of England, Brimingham (sic) is a major player in the tourist industry"), even subscribe to the magazine so you'll never have to fly again. I could go on, but to do so would be cruel.

Site with a purpose goes to The Army. "Welcome to the British Army" proclaims the home page somewhat sinisterly, but once inside you are encouraged rather than press-ganged into signing up. From a simple but effective - and award-winning - recruitment tool set up in 1996, the site has grown to provide huge amounts of information on all aspects of army life. And it works apparently - the site now generates 20-30 per cent of all media career enquires. Design could be a little more inspired, but at least it is intuitive and fits in with the advertising.