Good mail program, Netcom settings

I just switched ISP's to Netcom, and I HATE their web browser and REALLY hate their mail program. Can anyone direct me to a good mail program that will allow me to download my mail and read/reply to it offline, as well as the NETCOM compatibility settings necessary to make it work? Even Netscape would be preferable to the status quo, if I had the proper settings (DNS IP address, mail server address, etc). Please respond by email to avoid further list noise. Jonathan Wienke