A team of warriors from a noble half-feline, half-human race are stranded on Third Earth. Already they have been forced to battle an ancient daemon priest and his posse of hideous mutants. From beyond any known galaxy, bringing with them the laws and ideals of their doomed planet, Thundera come the Thundercats...

The cult-hit '80s cartoon series Thundercats concludes in this four disc DVD box set - with episodes that have never been shown on British television. This collection includes another 22 episodes.

In Season 2 - Volume 2, Lion-O and his team continue to build a civilisation on Third Earth, to the disdain of Mumm-Ra the vile daemon priest who relentlessly tries to destroy them. Mumm-Ra has learnt of the immense power stored in the Thundercats' home world of Thundera, so he travels back though time and space to visit the planet before it is destroyed. The Thundercats are in hot pursuit but arrive too late. Circumstances turn for the worse when Cheetara, Tygra and Panthro are turned into carefree children - the Thundercubs - and are unable to fight Mumm-Ra and his gang of mutant bodyguards.

Disc one contains episodes 1-6. Highlights include:

Key to Thundera: In an attempt to read the Book of Omens, Lion-O is drawn into the book. Snarf witnesses Lion-O's disappearance and tries to explain to Cheetara what happened - but that results in him being sucked into the book too. Mumm-Ra also witnessed Lion-O's disappearance and decides to destroy the book - destroying Lion-O in the process. Can Lion-O escape the book's clutches before he is destroyed?

Return of the Thundercubs: Panthro, Tygra, and Cheetara are returning to New Thundera, when Mumm-Ra shoots their ship out of the sky. The Thundercats find themselves in the Canyons of Youth, which changes them back into Thundercubs. Lion-O and Snarf set off to rescue their friends.

Bracelet of Power: Snarf comes into the possession of a bracelet that makes everyone obey him. Mumm-Ra discovers the bracelet's power and takes it for himself. His first act is to turn Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra, and Panthro into slaves. Snarf and the Thunderkittens team up to go on a rescue mission.

Disc two includes episodes 7-11. Highlights include:

The Thunderscope: Lion-O and Snarf unearth the Thunderscope, a legendary telescope that is capable of finding lost Thunderians and their possessions. Not surprisingly Mumm-Ra is also interested in acquiring the Thunderscope so he can track down the treasure of Thundera.

The Last Day: Mumm-Ra has been given a mission to destroy the Thundercats before sunset - a mission he seems to be on course to accomplish.

Disc three contains the five part story Return to Thundera. In this story arc, Mumm-Ra attempts to shift Thundera's gravity by changing the rotation of the planet's gyroscope. Also the Sword of Omens is shattered and a two-headed robot capture the Thundercats.

Disc four contains episodes 17-22. Highlights include:

Screwloose: Jaguara isn't sure how to work the new gyroscope, so a robot is brought in to help. The robot, Screwloose, goes on the rampage after Mumm-Raa interferes.

Helpless Laughter: When a drought hits Thundera, Panthro and Snarf set off to find water. But, they plunge into a swamp - which makes them laugh uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the other other Thundercats try various things to make rain and ice, until Mumm-Ra causes a flood.

While there aren't any extras in this box set, I can't really think of anything about the background to this show I'd want to watch. And I can think of nothing more boring than audio commentaries. I think most fans would rather have the box set as it is, rather than pay more money for a bunch of pointless extras.

This is a pretty good value for money collection which will appeal to both fans who grew up on the show, as well as a new generation who are discovering the series for the first time.

8

Nick Smithson