BitZipper will let you extract and create almost any type of compressed file with superior ease of use. It has built-in support for ACE, ARC, ARJ, BH, BZ2, CAB, ENC, GZ, JAR, LHA, LZH, RAR, TAR, TBZ, TGZ, UUE, WAR, XXE, Z, ZIP and ZOO files; no third-party products are needed. You can access almost every compressed file with just this one tool. Another one of BitZipper's strengths is that it comes with four user interfaces to provide solutions for new and power-users: A very friendly Wizard interface for new users, a Windows Explorer-style tabbed interface for experts, a batch (bulk) processing interface for power downloaders and an interface accessible directly from Windows Explorer's right-click menu. BitZipper supports strong AES encryption, which NSA announced is secure enough to protect classified information up to the Top Secret level.

Version 5 introduces support for BZIP2 compression. BZIP2 is supported as stand-alone BZ2 and TBZ files and as a WinZip compatible extension to the existing ZIP file format; adds Unicode support, which enables BitZipper to compress and extract files with e.g. Japanese and other Asian and eastern languages.

Editor's review of BitZipper

BitZipper may not have a well-known name, but it has everything else an archiving utility should. Like similar programs, it integrates with Windows Explorer and can operate in a wizard or classic mode (we recommend the latter, which allows you to circumvent the demo's nag screen).

It splits files, creates self-extracting archives, and supports popular formats, including ZIP and RAR. Its innovative interface includes a tabbed application window and a folder tree for quick navigation. However, BitZipper really one-ups the competition with its wealth of helpful features, most of which help you extract and convert multiple archives in one operation. The program helps perform file backups, too.

At $$24.95, it costs more than the competition, but the extra features sweeten the deal. If you're traveling the road less taken, BitZipper is well worth the test drive.