The Simpsons, Season Two (DVD,PG) If you haven't heard of Homer, Bart, Lisa and Marge Simpson then you really need to learn about popular culture.

The family based cartoon antics of The Simpsons may be part of the furniture these days, but in the mid-eighties, they were huge. By the time the show had reached it's second season, a Bart Simpson album was in the charts, Homer was endorsing chocolate bars and you could buy practically anything with a Simpsons logo on it.

As well as all 22 episodes of the second season, the DVD contains features charting the rise of the lovable yellow skinned freaks. Everything from the 'Bartman' music video to the 'Butterfingers candy' adverts is there.

The DVD's interface is quite annoying. In order to get to the main menu, you need to press the play button four times. Though this is probably part of a hidden feature (called an Easter egg) I'd rather have access to what's on the disc without having to fiddle with the remote control.

The episodes more than make up for it though. Highlights include 'The Simpsons Halloween Special' which has James Earl Jones narrating Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven', with Bart as the bird in question, the self-explanatory 'Bart Gets an F', and the darkly funny 'Blood Feud', which has the villainous Mr Burns utter the classic line "I tried every tincture and poultice and tonic and patent medicine there is, and all I really needed was the blood of a young boy."

The collection is a blast from the past for the casual Simpsons fan, and well worth a watch.

July 11, 2002 17:00