If you're a regular buyer of the classic 'Doctor Who' DVD range, 'Bred for War' is unlikely to have much to offer you - this is a simple repackaging of four earlier releases, comprising every story from the classic series featuring the Sontarans, one of the Doctor's most fondly remembered enemies.
'The Time Warrior' stars Jon Pertwee, with Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane Smith, in an adventure that sees the Time Lord propelled back through time to the Middle Ages, where robber-baron Irongron has struck an uneasy alliance with a powerful Sontaran warrior named Linx, who is kidnapping scientists from the future in order to repair his damaged spacecraft. Although not one of Pertwee's best stories, this is a hugely enjoyable romp nonetheless, with some fantastic location filming and a good eye for period detail. Meanwhile, 1975's 'The Sontaran Experiment' is a two-part adventure from Tom Baker's first season as the Doctor, set on a barren future Earth after humanity has fled to the stars. A survey team is being menaced by a mysterious assailant, who is conducting terrible experiments to assess the feasibility of an invasion. This is a particular favourite of mine - it's an exciting adventure, with a small cast of characters and a memorable performance from Kevin Lindsay as the Doctor's Sontaran nemesis, Styre.
'The Invasion of Time' from 1977 also stars Tom Baker, with Louise Jameson as Leela. The Doctor has apparently abused his position as President of the Time Lords to enable an invasion, but all is not as it seems. The Sontarans are absent until the final third of this six-part epic, but despite that, it's still an entertaining tale, and one that's notable for building on Time Lord mythology. Finally, Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton team up for 1985's 'The Two Doctors', in which the Sontarans are embroiled in a plot to steal the secrets of time travel. Again, their appearance is overshadowed somewhat by other elements, specifically the meeting of the two Doctors, but it's good to see them back one final time.
In common with all the 'Doctor Who' range, all four stories are accompanied by a wealth of bonus features, including the usual commentaries, documentaries, snippets from the archives and suchlike. In addition, 'The Time Warrior' and 'The Invasion of Time' feature the option to view the episodes with new CGI special effects, which help to enhance both stories, particularly the latter which suffered more than usual with budgetary restrictions. Also of note is the inclusion on 'The Two Doctors' of 'In A Fix With Sontarans', a special 'mini episode' from BBC TV's 'Jim'll Fix It', in which young 'Doctor Who' fan Gareth Jenkins gets to beam aboard the TARDIS and help Colin Baker's Doctor fight off some unwelcome Sontaran intruders. It has to be seen to be believed.
Although there's nothing extra to recommend the box set above the individual releases of these stories, and they're not exactly 'Doctor Who's finest hour, this set represents good value for money, and an opportunity to collect every classic Sontaran story in one go. Definitely worth it if you don't own any (or even most) of these stories already.