Chronicling the work of the Miami-Dade crime investigators, CSI: Miami is set against the sun, fun and tropics of the Florida tourist haven. Leading the team is Horatio Caine, an ex-bomb squad detective who is no stranger to confrontations with criminals and the underworld...

Season 6 - Part 1 of CSI: Miami includes the first 11 episodes of Season 6 spread over three discs.

Thankfully once again Horatio Caine takes more of a back seat during these episodes. It's hardly a secret that I'm not a fan of his character. It's not that David Caruso is a bad actor, it's just that the writers will insist on having him say the most ridiculously cheesy lines while constantly taking off and putting back on his sunglasses. Of course, this still happens, but not on the same scale as in earlier seasons.

There are a couple of ridiculous scenarios here. Firstly we discover that Caine has a son he knew nothing about - however, it's never actually explained how a) Caine had any idea he was his son and b) how he knew he'd want a chase with the coastguard. Then there's the ridiculous string of jobs and excuses that Ryan gets involved with in order to still appear in the episodes. Thankfully, after this starts to wear thin, the writers allow him back in the building.

Highlights in this collection include:

Bang, Bang, Your Debt, sees the team investigate a rather dull crime. However, what is interesting is that Delko thinks he sees his old, dead workmate Tim Speedle at the crime scene. As the episode progresses, Delko sees him a few more times and believes that, somehow, he must still be alive - especially when he discovers that someone has recently started using his credit card.

Sunblock, sees the CSIs trying to work out who killed a man during an eclipse of the sun. Over the next couple of days a number of other victims are found killed in a similar fashion. Darkness seems to be the common thread.

Permanent Vacation: When a young man is shot and killed in a hotel lift, while on holiday, it looks like the work of a gang initiation. But as the investigation progresses slowly the man's family all attempt to take things into their own hands in order to get their revenge. This episode also stars Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) as the dead teenager's father.

Stand Your Ground, sees an off-duty Calleigh having to defend her actions when she shoots and kills the driver of a car, the passenger of which had tried to rob her moments earlier. It looks like she may have been over the alcohol limit and the race is on to prove her innocence.

Guerillas in the Mist: When a gang of gun smugglers are killed by a high tech, and illegal, weapon known as the "The Vaporiser" (due to the fact it vaporises a target in seconds) the CSI team are called in to find out what on earth is going on. With the company behind the operation having diplomatic immunity, bringing the killer/s to justice looks almost impossible.

Extras include an audio commentary on Permanent Vacation; and Four-sight: Directing CSI: Miami (16 min, 46 sec look at a handful of the directors and how they work).

As I've stated previously, £35 is quite a lot of money for half a season. However, money issues aside, this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection.

8

Amber Leigh