Ours is a good era for jaded news junkies, and the Web now promises the ultimate fix. Online news sites blend TV immediacy with print-media depth, and can offer unique advantages like chat rooms and searchable archives. But the successful proliferation of news on the Web also poses a dilemma: How can a reader possibly wade through it all?

Personal newspage filters - a widespread but still evolving trend - look like the best solution so far. Just visit the site of your choice, fill out a form detailing your interests, and voila: the straight dope on the fast-breaking subjects you crave, filtered for your reading comfort. In theory, at least, it's as simple as plucking your favorite section out the Sunday paper.

But are these news filters a genuine solution, or just the gimmick du jour? Scott Woelfel, editor-in-chief of CNN Interactive, is sold on the concept: "It's tremendously exciting to be able to cut through the clutter," he says of his site's Custom News filter.

Other industry figures are a little more realistic. Dan Woods, director of editorial technology at Time Inc.'s Pathfinder.com - and a subscriber to a half-dozen personalized news services - dryly states: "These are the first cars."

With that in mind, let's take a few news-jalopies for a spin:

CNN Custom News
No subscription. Probably the best choice for personalized news with cable TV flavor. The quality and breadth of CNN's constantly updated news is world class, and - despite the graphics - won't tax your modem too heavily. The word "trustworthy" comes to mind. Grade: A

InfoSeek News Center
No subscription. Simple interface, but decidedly spotty results. Other sites sort the same basic Reuters feeds with considerably more success. Consolation prize: Carries local TV listings. Grade: D

MSNBC
No subscription. This glossy, newly made-over site is a behemoth: expect an annoying wait as it loads its sophisticated (and sometimes irrelevant) graphics. Ultimately, though, you'll end up with top-flight news, sculpted specially for the web and updated constantly. Looks like the face of the future. Grade: B+

My Excite Channel
No subscription. Modest is the operative term here. With a quick dip into the Reuters news pond, this search engine/news page provides basic headlines painlessly from a single screen. Honorable mention for its search feature, which sends readers offsite in pursuit of relevant stories. Grade: B

My Yahoo
No subscription. For its unpretentious interface (simple to configure and quick to load), My Yahoo earns a big gold star. Comprehensible? Definitely. Comprehensive? Sure, if you're satisfied with news from standard-brand wire services like Reuters and UPI. Grade: A-

NewsHound
Subscription: $7.95/month. This pay service employs cutesy "hound" filters to sniff out news from the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain. It's a snappy product, with quick access to regional news from second-rank cities - but the fee is a turnoff. Grade: C+

Pathfinder Personal Edition
Subscription: $4.95/month. Brand-name appeal - in the form of Time Inc.'s pantheon of magazines - is the distinguishing characteristic of this pay site. Despite a very effective news filter, however, Personal Edition's interface is unwieldy, and even the process of subscribing can be an ordeal. Grade: B

Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition - Personal Journal
Subscription: $49.00/year. The last word in business and finance (with a dash of sports) sifted through the most complex filter imaginable. Definitely worth the trouble for readers who rely on such information - and don't mind the business-class subscription fee. Grade: A-