Conclusion
The Razer Tarantula is an exceptional keyboard. Competitive play demands a lot out of the player and his or her hardware, and with our extended testing period we found the keyboard to stand up to the rigors of transportation and daily heavy use without a flinch. The features, for the most part, are useful, but that coupled with the fact that the keyboard doesn't offer any perceptible increase in transmission speed to the average gamer; what is the point in spending this much money for a keyboard? I'm aware of the steps taken by Razer to make sure all the under-the-hood engineering is the best money can buy. Unfortunately the Razer Tarantula is prone to the same problems Microsoft's Windows Vista has currently. No one can perceive any difference, but it sure looks pretty. That is exactly how I feel about this Razer Keyboard. I absolutely love the looks, but would I personally spend this much money on a keyboard? The simple answer is no. Regardless of how well the macro buttons work, the Logitech G15 still does it better, so MMO players would be better suited to that keyboard instead of this one. Heck, that keyboard has been out forever and it still has a backlit keytop and an auxiliary LCD display. Even though you may not need all that, you'll find at least one function you particularly love about it. The Razer Tarantula by itself is something you're going to really, really want in order to justify your purchase.

Pros

+ Extremely attractive and stylish keyboard (subjective)
+ Grips any desk surface extremely well
+ Headphone and Microphone jacks a nice touch
+ Switching profiles a snap
+ Great durability, survived plenty of drops
+ Macro buttons function as-advertised
+ Excellent non-gaming performance and neat picture and media controls
+ Friendly customer service

Cons
- Price! Terrible value keyboard.
- Initial learning curve
- Gets dirty instantly
- No back-lighting on all keys
- USB hub useless with flash drives
- BattleDock™ is a complete gimmick
- Configuration software needs work
- Layout semi-prone to typing mistakes
- Play button doesn't function as a Pause button in Winamp
- Macro buttons aren't as good as the competition

Rating
7.5 out of 10

The Razer Tarantula is an excellent keyboard...just like any other keyboard. Besides the Razer Tarantula's stunning aesthetics there really isn't much else it offers. Just like any other keyboard out there it was able to handle the most intense and grueling gaming sessions very well. The inherent design of the Razer Profile system will alienate some, but the most glaring aspect of this keyboard is the poor value gamers are presented with. I tried my damn hardest to try and feel if the keyboard really offered any enhanced response over other keyboards I've used, and honestly I couldn't tell a difference. Simply put, the Razer Tarantula functions like a 10 out of 10 but the cost is way too high for too little features. It is a controversial stance to take since the product itself performs well, but I feel strongly that for $99 I haven't received the value for my money.