Planet 14 - Doctor Who

I've never really been a fan of the Cybermen. I can't really remember watching REVENGE, and although EARTHSHOCK is exciting if you're 12, but the time their final televised adventures came round, they'd become an embarrassment. Transferred to audio, the Cybermen have one obvious advantage - they're not hindered by looking like a bunch of men in silver suits.

SWORD OF ORION follows on from Big Finish's previous Eighth Doctor adventure, STORM WARNING , with Charley fussing over Ramsey the Vortisor. Although these early scenes aren't particularly great it's still a lot better than having the Doctor talk to himself as we had last time out, although I would have liked to have seen her more amazed at what's going around her - after all, she is supposed to be from 1930.

Set against the backdrop of a war between humans and the androids of the Orion System (although why their creators didn't build in some sort of failsafe as they did in BLADERUNNER is beyond me), SWORD OF ORION features some familiar elements from previous Cyber stories.

As is almost traditional, the silver giants - who are well portrayed with some impressive voices and loud footsteps - are kept in the background early on. This allows the other characters to shine, with Bruce Montague's cockney space scavenger Grash and Michelle Livingstone's ice-cool Deeva Jansen the most memorable.

As with Big Finish's previous audio adventures, the production is impressive. The Cybermen are well done and Nick Briggs' music suitably atmospheric. The ending is perhaps a little too easy, hinging on a promise that seemed a bit unbeliveable as well as a bit of a cop out, but on the whole SWORD OF ORION is another solid entry into the Eighth Doctor canon. BACK TO THE TOP

SWORD OF ORION

Written and directed by
NICHOLAS BRIGGS

Starring PAUL McGANN,
INDIA FISHER
and BRUCE MONTAGUE

BIG FINISH PRODUCTIONS

£13.99

RATING: 7/10

NEXT RELEASE:
THE STONES OF VENICE

PREVIOUS RELEAS:
STORM WARNING