5/5 "All these evils I have fought, while you have done nothing but observe!"
  by Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA)
As the last Doctor Who story of the 1960's, "The War Games" seems to be encapsulating and then enlarging on all that was unique and wonderful about the series during its black & white decade, and it succeeds with flying colors. The story hits the ground running and draws the viewer in as it goes, disguising itself first as a good solid historical story for which the show was known but set in the midst of the First World War, then quietly introducing curiously anomalous elements leading the attentive observer to gradually assume that this is a pseudo-historical of a sort the show had innovated and developed, finally frustrating this expectation for something in a way even stranger yet--and much more sinister. Patrick Troughton's portrayal of the Doctor as clownishly bungling if only to disarm his opponents amuses here as always, but also serves to accentuate the bleak and grim fact that now for once the situation spins more out of his control with his every move, until his palpable panic when he's forced to involve his own people (the Time Lords, as revealed here for the first time) is positively electrifying. In the end, he is punished for saving the day, but not before articulating his reasons for doing so with classic eloquence indelibly defining this character forevermore.

At ten episodes long and in a pivotal position in the show's history, this rare masterpiece has so much that could be noted about it, and different things will stand out to different folks. Something that strikes me first is that here is a science fiction storyline that only the BBC could get away with without looking shoddy or half-baked; their experience and expertise in historical dramas, their attention to accurate detail in sets and costumes, allows "The War Games" to manage not just one realistically believable war zone but many, each one quite distinct. And the ragtag collection of renegades assembled from all different historical eras is a weird sight you'll only ever see in Doctor Who. Just as intriguing in a way is the story's attitude to war as a whole, touching on its horrors and absurdities in a responsible manner appropriate to the show's format and audience, generally taking a dim view of it but not in a gratingly preachy manner. On a different note, there is something clearly archetypal going on in the battle of wits between the Doctor and the War Chief, another renegade Time Lord who, like the Doctor, does "tend to get involved in things" but out of aggressive self-interest. Retrospectively speaking, it's hard not to see this one-off character as a prototype of the Master, but merely within the space of this story alone his rather bombastic mood swings nicely contrast with the smoothly calculating cruelty of the War Lord: a fine balance of complementary villainy, indeed.

Speaking of complementary pairs, Jamie with his brawn and Zoe with her brains really shine here as the Doctor's companions, and the chemistry and friendship between these three characters seems so natural that the nature of their separation at the end is all the more poignant. The bad guys are defeated, and yet the tale ends on a plaintive note of heartbreaking loss. Few shows have the guts to do this, and of those few can manage it with such a sure touch of subtlety. To be honest, Doctor Who itself has kind of dropped the ball on this score more than once, making it all the more precious that "The War Games" aims true and on target as it does. Still, it's odd that four incarnations later the Doctor was put on trial again on the same charges--perhaps Time Lord jurisprudence has no concept of double jeopardy?

5/5 DOCTOR WHO GOES TO EPIC-LENGTHS WITH "THE WAR GAMES!"
  by Steven Hancock (Winston Salem, NC United States)
Epic-length stories were nothing new to Doctor Who by the end of the sixties. William Hartnell faced his most famous foe in "The Daleks' Master Plan," a twelve-part story that ran from November of 1965 to December of 1966, and would be the longest Doctor Who serial ever, until 1986 when the fourteen-part adventure "The Trial of a Time Lord" featured Colin Baker's last performance as the Time Lord. When the sixth season of the series came, there were two reasons to create another epic Who adventure. For one, it would see the show's 50th Serial. For the other, it would see the end of Patrick Troughton's three-year run as the Second incarnation of the Doctor. For this task, writers Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke created a behemoth adventure: the ten-part odyssey of war, aptly-titled "The War Games."
The epic story tells of the Doctor and his companions, Jamie and Zoe, arriving on a planet where soldiers from different eras of world history have been plucked from their time periods, and forced to fight in deadly war games against their knowledge or wish. It's all the plans of the War Lord and the War Chief, who plan to create a massive army to conquer the galaxy. Although the Doctor does his best, he alone cannot thwart their plans, and has no choice but to call upon his own people, the Time Lords, for help. In so doing, he knows that he will have to face them for breaking the Time Lords' rule of non-interference.
Overall, "The War Game" delivers on it's epic length. Recreations of epic periods of history, such as the Roman Period, the American Civil War and World War I, are done very accurately. Where the story starts to drag is when the Doctor begins to face the War Lord and War Chief, who is also a Time Lord, in their base of operations. But towards the end, the show picks up steam yet again. The serial ends with one of the most historical episodes in the show's history: the revelation of the Doctor's race, and the first trip to Gallifrey (though the planet's name is not mentioned). And finally, after three years in the role, we say goodbye to the Second Doctor, as well as his companions, as they are returned to their homes. The Doctor is then exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, and forced to regenerate yet again, ushering the end of the Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who, and also ending the show's run in Black and White. When the show returned in 1970, it would see the beginning of the Jon Pertwee era, and the show's change to Color.
The DVD presentation of "The War Games" is fantastic, sporting a terrific picture restoration, and crisp and clear sound. The extras are plentiful, and fascinating. Fans of Doctor Who will not want to miss this chance to own an epic-length adventure from the classic era of the series. Highly recommended!
Program Grade: A
DVD Grade: A+
Overall Grade: A+

5/5 The last days of the renegade
  by D. A. Sherman (KY USA)
Got the three-disc set a couple of days ago and am very happy with the results. The last time I had seen this was on a snowy bootleg copy on a Beta videotape some 20+ years ago, so it was excitting to see it again (and really for the first time). Troughton and the cast obviously know going in that their time is ending and they put a lot of effort into showcasing their characters and the family atmosphere they shared together over the years. Of course, we expect that from Hines and Troughton, but - as stated in one of the commentaries -Padbury shows why she's so fondly remembered, even if she really isn't given that much to do here.

The third and final disc contains all of the documentaries and they make for excellent viewing; including at least one (about working for the BBC before it went to color) could be enjoyed by anyone interested in the early days of television and not just Doctor Who fans. Fans from all eras of the program will also enjoy the 20+min. documentary on the various regenerations as well (albeit with some repeated interview footage from other DVDs in the series).One thing stated in those documentaries really stands out - that after Troughton left, the show would be changed forever. No longer would the Doctor be a stranger; tightlipped for six years about where he came from, he would soon be dropping his title as a Time Lord left and right like a namedropper at a party. He would never again be quite as seat-of-the-pants as he was in his first two incarnations, while the show would slowly morph away from the being for "all kids and the family" to being for "older kids and some of the family." Not to say that the show didn't have heights even higher than that of the first six years, but with THE WAR GAMES, the Renegade has become no more.

Well worth the time for longtime fans and the pace is remarkably better for ten episodes than certainly I remember it being. Newer fans may not be too keen on the ten-episode stretch (they'll want to get to the good stuff with the Time Lords at the end), but the documentaries will certainly make up for that.

5/5 An epic action-packed story that introduces the Time Lords!
  by Jero Briggs
"The War Games" was an epic ten-part story that introduces the Time Lords, and was Patrick Troughton's (the Doctor) final story as well as Frazer Hines' (Jamie) and Wendy Padbury's (Zoe).

The story could have been an episode or two shorter, but I still think it holds up quite well. Especially for a ten-parter. Most of the episodes are action-packed, the story is filled with mystery, all of the cliffhangers are truly great, the acting and directing is wonderfully played, the charaters are very engaging, the special effects aren't that bad, and the war settings and battle scenes are very realistic.

The TARDIS has materialized in what appears to be a World War I battlefield. Immediately upon their arrival, the Doctor and his companions are bombarded with artillery shells. But when they are picked up by a British ambulance and taken to headquarters, they are charged as spies and sentenced to death. As the Doctor and his companions try to escape, they find some very odd things: a tele-communicator in the General's office and an 18th century Redcoat. Is this really the First World War? Why is the General so keen to get rid of the Doctor? Who are these mysterious aliens observing the war? And what connections does their War Chief have with the Doctor?

As the Doctor finds himself fighting the most powerful enemy he has ever faced, the only solution left to him is to call for help from the very people he fears - his own people, the Time Lords.

A great adventure that would be a shame to miss. Highly recommended!

5/5 A few remarks.
  by Benjamin Pavsner
1. Barring "Tenth Planet" resurfacing, "War Games" has to be the Holy Grail of at least the early Who stories. Can't wait to add this to my collection.

2. Well, this isn't EXACTLY Troughton's swan song as the Doctor. He DOES end up doing a few stories before nodding out. Of course, this is his last story as the star of the show.

3. I agree with the length of the story. They could have cut it down to at least half as long. Over doing the stories seemed to be a bad habit for both Hartnell's and Troughton's tenure. "Unearthly Child" and "The Daleks" could have been half as long as they were.