It's a messy program in some ways, as our three vets James, Tristan and Siegfried sort out the troubles of the English country-side.

Those who read my review of All Creatures Great and Small - Series One will know what to expect of this good-natured, totally nostalgic look at the Britain of 70 years ago, through the eyes of a country veterenarian practice.

It's lovely nostalgic soft-centred stuff, if a trifle gooey at times. On this three-disc set are the first six episodes in Series Two; the final eight episodes are on a second separate three-disc set.

The only drawback is the absolutely wet, soppy and profoundly irritating casting of the limp, lame Christopher Timothy in the lead-role of James Herriott, who wrote the books on which the series is based.

That drawback is more than amply compensated for in the strong casting of his fellow-vets -- the always reliable Robert Hardy as senior vet Siegfried Farnon, and Peter Davison (a former Dr Who) as his younger brother Tristan. And this second series seems better scripted and acted than the first -- the production team has really hit its straps this time around.

The transfer from the 1970s original is very ordinary. It's not bad enough to totally distract, but colours are often muddy, the image soft and the entire image seems somehow to be projected onto a static moire screen displaying quite a deal of pixillation. However, the eye gets used to this, and it doesn't interfere with enjoyment of the show.

The mono sound of the period is however quite sound, with good speech definitions.

Inside the case, we read that "to access special features, press the MENU key on your DVD player remote control".

I did just that, and found that we've been presented with a fantastic collection of extras, in the shape of optional subtitles and an astonishing chapter selection. Someone should get a medal.....