The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Volume 1 [DVD](1992)

Let's admit it. If you're looking for the Indy of "Raiders", you might get sorely disappointed. This one's intended for the whole family and a lot more kid-friendly than Harrison Ford's outings. If you cringed at seeing the young Anakin Skywalker, chance is you might not like the 9-year old Indy.

However, there's plenty of thrills, chills and action in this show, though on a subtler scale than with previous versions of Indiana Jones. This Indy engages in adventures with an emphasis on and appreciation of history, culture and the arts. It's clear that these episodes are meant to be educational, but this is not a bad thing, on the contrary. Following Indy as he travels the world with his parents, and then later - on his own, gives young Indy an exciting and cross-cultural backdrop.

Each installment comes with a truckload of excellent documentaries about the people and places Indy encounters in the adventure you've just seen. These aren't dumbed down for kids docus, but more along the lines of what you'd see on National Geographic or Discovery, and they're all very engaging and informative. I tend to watch the documentaries for each episode first, to get a full appreciation of the ensuing adventure. And I have to say - I've learned a lot.

The production values and attention to detail is a sight to behold, and sometimes you wonder how they did it all on a mere tv budget. The acting is decent, and Lloyd Owen does a pretty spot-on incarnation of a younger Henry Jones Sr. (Indy's father). Every time he says "Junior", I'm sure I'm hearing Sean Connery.

Most of the episodes in this volume revolves around Indy aged 9 or thereabouts. In the last three shows, Flanery takes over the reins and portrays a 20-year old Indy. From here on, the action, pace and tenseness picks up and becomes more adult.

For those who saw the original broadcast versions of the show, you'll probably notice that all the scenes with old Indy (George Hall) has been cut. Initially I was saddened to see these go, but as these dvd's present Indy's adventures in a chronological order, it makes sense the way they've done it. As a result of the new edit however, some episodes, notably the first "My first Adventure", ends somewhat abruptly and unresolved. Hopefully the conclusion to this adventure is presented in volume 2 or 3, as the original version had Flanery completing this storyline.

Although this is quite an expensive set, at least at the moment, I have to say it is still the best value for money I have ever spent on a dvd. The packaging itself is very nice and made to look like Indy's own diary, as featured in the series. Though there doesn't seem to be any extras chronicling the production of the actual show or commentaries, the hours of great documentaries coupled with Indiana Jones' adventures, albeit a young Indiana Jones, fills me with glee everytime I put it on, even as an adult.

If you don't like the idea of Indy as a kid, skip this one and wait for Indy IV.

I won't bother reviewing the series, as this has already been done. What I will say is that having spent so much time and effort on restoration and filming the 90 odd documentaries that accompany the series, it's a great pity they didn't include booklets with comprehensive disc contents, and cast/director commentaries etc. I'm also not terribly happy that George Lucas has tinkered with the episodes (god can't he leave anything alone!!!) and completely edited out all the wonderful scenes featuring George Hall as the 90 year old Indiana. George Hall's scenes were amongst the most poignant in each episode - so big mistake Mr Lucas, and I know I'm not alone in thinking that. However, £100 for 22 feature length adventures and 90+ documentaries spread over 31 discs is a real bargain.

I had been waiting for the DVD set of this for years to replace my vastly incomplete recordings from the TV as well as fill in some gaps. I fought the temptation to fire off a review after watching one disc and have instead waded my through it all.

Initially I was a little dismayed by the composite nature of the episodes: the conjoining of two episodes to make one 'film'. Coupled with that is the removal of Old Indy, it did not bode well. Previously I had thought either a strict chronological ordering of the individual episodes would have worked best. However, I can see Mr Lucas' reasons - it does cut down on the volume of opening/closing credits. The other way might have been to simply order the episodes as they had been aired. This might have ironed out the `Curse of the Jackal' gripe that other reviewers have noticed. As to Old Indy, for this first volume, I haven't missed him. But, I'm not sure how volume two will pan out: I remember, for example, in 'Petrograd July 1917' Old Indy's part is exceptionally good and if not crucial, certainly adds some tremendous gravitas.

As to the production, I do not find the inconsistencies in the actors' ages in the intermediate spliced sections that connect the original pairs of episodes annoying. To my mind, there is a charming ingenuousness here that leaves me feeling "well, good for you for trying to do this". It also helps indentify which sections have been added.

Volume one was always going to be the weaker draw compared to the second. Let's face it, Indy the Youth is far more interesting than Indy the Kid, who I had always found annoying. But I retract that having watched these volumes. Corey Carrier and S.P. Flanery do a fair job of consistency in mannerism - they both have the same shrug and puzzled, doubtful air. I sometimes do find the whole Scottish thing for Indy's father bizarre, though marvel at how the choice of Sean Connery in one feature film has dictated the whole direction of the series. In 'London, May 1917' Indy and Elizabeth Hurley vie with each other in a linguistic competition which Hurley wins with Welsh, saying how can someone with the name of `Jones' not know Welsh. How indeed? And how many Scotsmen have the surname Jones? However, Lloyd Owen is fine in this role, and for me the most enjoyable episode is the Greek one, where we get to see more of Owen as well as indulging a picaresque adventure in the sultry Greek countryside. The acting is a bit hammy, but it doesn't detract; even the clothes-eating goats which look suspiciously like sheep are acceptable if one suspends one's disbelief.

With regards to the extras, these have been done fairly well; that was until I got to 'Black Jack Pershing' - selective history to say the least. I appreciate that time is short, but why not mention his role with leading Afro-American troops (the bowdlerized origin of his nickname) and his participation in two of the U.S. Army's less worthy 'victories' of Wounded Knee (1890) and the Moro Crater Massacre (1906)? A bit more balance is needed. Likewise with the Irish Rebellion: looking at the list of contributors we doubt that we are in for an impartial account of what was a fascinating and important historical incident. Watch the extras but keep a pinch of salt near at hand.

Overall, a delightful series whose weaknesses are far outweighed by the positive things. I look forward to showing these to my sons (when they're a little older). The value of the educational aspect is that it gives viewers enough information to go off and do their own research if they wish. It deserves to endure and finally get the recognition that has so far eluded it.