UNIT: Cyber-Reality

We're back to the style of single 4-hour stories with this release, albeit with clear shifts in the narrative at the end of each hour-long episode. The identity of the threat that UNIT is facing this time is also obvious from both the title and the cover. The twist, however, is that here the Cybermen are using something that didn't exist when Kit Pedler created and named them in 1966: cyberspace.

The story starts off where the previous collection ended, following up on what happened to Sam Bishop - who, unusually, is present in all four episodes of this story, rather than just the one as is usual. To begin with, there is no initial connection with the Cybermen, who don't turn up until the halfway mark, and instead, it's a story about VR equipment and video games that features the arc villains from the previous release. The second half, however, is mainly set in ‘reality', while making heavy use of modern technology in a way that's reminiscent of The Bells of Saint John.

This part is heavy on action, and didn't feel as effective to me as the lead up did, it being difficult to work out at times exactly what was going on. Still, there were some nice references to past Cyberman stories, some character background for Sam, and good use of Osgood as an antagonist for the other heroes. Her usual role is instead taken by the Master, who perhaps doesn't quite have the scope here that he does in his own stories, but is nonetheless well-written and (of course) acted.

It's not one of the strongest UNIT stories, in part because everything's wrapped up a bit too easily at the end and the Master rather tends to overshadow things when the story should be more about Kate, Osgood, and the rest of the team. But it's certainly entertaining and making the Cybermen “cyber” in the more modern sense is a fun idea.