DVD review (region 1 & 2)
Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, George Hall, Corey Carrier, Ronny Coutteure, Margaret Tyzack
Release date Out now

A young Henry Jones Jr. travels the world...

As the prelude to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade proved, Indy was a hero from a very early age, with a clear sense of right and wrong and a keen interest in history. As this TV series from the 1990s fleshes out, he was exposed to all the right people to indulge that interest.

The original TV episodes were topped and tailed by segments showing a very elderly Indy recounting tales of his youth, which sadly were lost when the episodes were re-edited into the 22 movies contained in the box sets. Luckily Harrison Ford's fourth screen appearance as Indy is still there at the start of The Mystery of the Blues, complete with trademark music and action.

As long as you don't start watching these episodes expecting the narrative pace and mystical elements of the big screen adventures, then you're in for a treat. As befits the historical era they're chronicling, each story differs in tone, from the serious wartime adventures to the comedic tale set during the silent era. Both young Corey Carrier and future Dead Zone nemesis Sean Patrick Flannery excel as Indy, and while using the latter gave the producers more scope for action sequences, it's a shame that Carrier didn't feature more heavily.

The DVD box sets are crammed with extra historical information. Lucas' purpose in making the Chronicles was always educational and the Lucasfilm team have spent five years pulling together an incredible range of documentaries. Whether your interests tend towards the military, the political or the archaeological, there's something for you here. There's the occasional duplication of material (or a complete documentary in the case of T.E. Lawrence) but overall these manage to be both comprehensible and comprehensive. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 8/10
Well worth the wait.

Click here to read about the Indiana Jones magazine!