Actually, it does check from the outside. The hack attempt part of the program requires an internet connection.
Overall, I don't know if it's worth it or not. It is interesting, though, and might give some indication of how well your computer is protected. As I said, it lit up my firewall, process guard, and winpatrol, as well as AVAST. It was doing something.
I'm not as certain about the antivirus. AVAST caught one and missed one, which might be by design. When the program showed the results, although not recommending it, it said I should obtain antivirus software "like VirusKeeper." That might be a very softsell attempt to promote a product they offer. I've never heard of VirusKeeper.