"One of the hippest cartoons ever made."

This is a quote that could just as easily, however misguidedly, be attributed to a voice actor working on the Care Bears, so when Gary Owen says it of his character Roger Ramjet, we can allow him a moment of enthusiasm as we take it with a measure of caution. After all, he might be right (unlike anyone working on the Care Bears series)!! The five minute episodes are full of simple colours and sounds, and delivered in a carnival type atmosphere. Rapid fire delivery means you never have to get too committed to watching, making it easy to pull the little’uns away when bedtime rolls around. The short, sharp format may or may not appeal to kids with a taste for the more elaborate cartoonery of today but the absurdity of the leading man helps it fit in. As an adult, Roger Ramjet is still funny and there is much to appreciate in these quirky little tales.

There are many moments of lateral bizarreness to fill between the more typically absurd. Set amongst jet fighters screeching to a halt and the insistent screen high lettering that blasts across the action, enemies such as Noddles Romanoff and the Solenoid Robots are unlucky to lose out to this flawed, incompetent, stupid superhero who would be lost and oblivious without Yank, Doodle, Dan, Dee and the strength of 20 atoms bombs for 20 seconds.

A friend who was raised as a communist in Latin America, grew up believing that the red, white and blue of the American Eagle Squadron was a patriotic front but Ramjet is really a slight against the perfect American hero, with a sense of irony rare in cartoons of the cold war era. Your kids might not get it yet but they are sure to have picked up on the theme by the time they watch it again as a 35 year old man who should get out more.

The picture and sound is a very good reproduction of what was never a brilliant quality picture. It is not perfect but it is as rough and ready as it always was. The blending of episodes is messy with a strange frame breaking the continuity but this is barely noticeable.

There is only one special feature, a quaint commentary on the 4th disc from Gary Owen, the voice of Roger Ramjet. It is a slightly interesting trip down memory lane with a man famed for little other than the work on this omnibus. It is like sitting down for anecdotes and a nice cup of tea with the voice of Roger Ramjet. "No more proton pills please Roger, I couldn’t possibly fit another one in."

Quirky and clever, this well presented box set is a must for those who once aspired to membership of the American Eagle Squadron and a nice little distraction for their kids. The best part is that Roger Ramjet appeals across age groups, so this is one kiddies show that will not drive the parents crazy or bored. The truth is they may enjoy it more, unless that grating theme tune eventually drives them mad.