AUDIO DRAMA
Dalek Empire II: Dalek War
Chapter Three

Starring: Gareth Thomas, Sarah Mowat and Mark McDonnell
Big Finish Productions
RRP £9.99
ISBN 1 84435 020 7, BFPDECD07
Available now


Kalendorf's forces run into trouble on the surface of the terraformed Jupiter. Meanwhile, Alby Brook, Susan Mendes and Morli are still being held captive by the enemy Dalek forces. But can Alby trust the Emperor-possessed Suz...?

Thankfully, the pace of the story picks up here following the rather sluggish second chapter. Events in this instalment take full advantage of the newfound availability of the William Hartnell Doctor Who epic The Daleks' Master Plan, thanks to the BBC's audio CD release in 2001 and its even more recent release in the MP3-CD format in 2003. Listen out for the menace that awaits Kalendorf's troops on the planet Jupiter - I cheered when I found out!

The existence of a habitable Jupiter also takes the listener back in time to the more innocent days of Dan Dare in The Eagle, when every single planet in our solar system was envisaged as possessing a solid surface and being capable of supporting human life.

Elsewhere in this episode, we witness a vivid demonstration of the so-called Alliance Daleks' "you're either with us or you're against us" doctrine, which bears a chilling similarity to the attitude of George W. Bush. It's war all right.

Richard McGinlay