PyCmd improves the Windows command line with some useful extras.

There's no installation required, just unzip it, launch PyCmd.exe and what seems a regular command line appears, where you can work as usual (almost, anyway).

The program offers much smarter autocompletion, though. Type CD \F, press Tab, and you won't have to cycle through every option. Instead PyCmd displays every matching folder, far better if you're not quite sure where you're going.

If a file or folder name includes spaces, you won't have to remember to add quotes any more (CD "\Folder One"), because PyCmd inserts them as required.

This doesn't just work with the file system, either: PyCmd autocompletes internal CMD commands and environment variables, and includes support for wildcards.

The program remembers your recently-visited folders. If you were previously at E:\Inconveniently\Long\Folder\Name - even in your last PyCmd session - then there's no need to retype it manually, just use the Alt+left or right keys to navigate your history and you'll be back there in seconds.

The PyCmd prompt itself is better designed. The current folder is intelligently abbreviated to save screen space, and it's also highlighted for easier reading.

You also get a command history which persists across PyCmd sessions, Ctrl C/X/V support for copy and pasting, emacs-style key bindings and a little more.

There are also some compatibility issues. We noticed immediately that PyCmd doesn't recognise cd\ as a "change to the root folder" command, for example (you must enter "cd \"), instead displaying the name of the current folder. And the regular function keys - F1, F3, F7 - didn't do anything at all, at least on our test system.