If there is one sport on the Web that just about everyone likes taking part it it is “Smacking Windows”. Some sites relish the game so much that Microsoft could come out with a version of the operating system that would make the Greek Gods of old weep with joy but it would save it from snarky and biased reviews.

Of course there are the fanboi Windows sites who still think that that Vista was a great version and only got bad press because it tried to change the interface game too much – too quickly. Never mind that video driver manufacturers treated anything to do with Vista as some unwanted step child, in the eyes of the fanbois Vista could do no wrong.

Now we have Windows 7 getting primed for the retail market and already in the MSDN and TechNet pipeline enjoying all kinds of downloads. Which means it’s time for the reviews to start hitting high gear – the good and the bad. Interestingly enough though Windows 7 is seeing far better reviews than negative ones – and from some popular tech sites that you might not expect to read positive reviews.

Such is the case with Engadget, one of the leading tech and gadget blogs on the web. While they aren’t known for being overly positive with anything Microsoft does Engadget writer Paul Miller has posted one of the best and fairest reviews I have read yet about the new operating system, especially from a blog not known for its love of all things Microsoft.

Covering everything from boot-up to shutdown and everything in between Paul has some nice things to say about the Start Menu

Mac OS X might have Spotlight, but Windows now has great instant search as well, and the Windows key has a new lease on life. Merely pop open the Start Menu and start typing and search results start populating. It’s not nearly as comprehensive as Spotlight, but it also doesn’t seem to be faced with the same slowdowns of its Mac OS X counterpart, and typically tracks down what we’re looking for (apps, usually).

And the other often talked about feature – the Taskbar which he did find some fault with

The default functionality is fine, which keeps everything "stacked" in its respective icon, but the real money is in the "combine when taskbar is full" view, which can be accessed from the taskbar properties. This brings the benefits of verbose item names — always a big win for Windows over Mac OS’s icons-only approach — without sacrificing the fancy Aero Peek features or the pretty icons. What’s not so elegant is how hidden icons in the far-right system tray are now housed in an ugly little pop-up menu.

Like I said – it is a fair and well thought out review and worth spending some time reading.