The Apocalypse Element has a decidedly mixed reputation in the fandom. And, listening to it in preparation for this, I can understand why. Certainly, there's a lot going on. And that might be the problem: Steve Cole's script has so much going on, so much incident that it's hard to focus upon any one thing at once. The whole thing ends up feeling decidedly muddled as a result.

The main thrust of the story involves the Daleks harnessing some supposedly volatile element in order to hold the universe to ransom. Now, while I like the idea of the Daleks holding the universe to ransom, this plan feels illogical and ill-thought out. The Daleks discover they can't control the element - surely they did tests? And even if they wanted to let it run out of control the way they did, their plan hinges on the Time Lords even letting them onto Gallifrey, which may not have happened in the first place. And all of this - to build a power base? The whole thing feels flimsy at best, and barely connected to The Genocide Machine, as the story's promotion seems to suggest. Other than that, it's a Time War story before the fact - and featuring Colin Baker as opposed to Paul McGann or John Hurt. Colin puts in a wonderfully impassioned performance. You really feel like everything's at stake, and that's thanks to him. He's equally matched by Lalla Ward, who's broken, damaged Romana is actually quite interesting. It's just a shame there's so much else going on for us to care.

While The Apocalypse Element's heart(s) are definitely in the right place, the whole thing crumbles under the weight of the events it's trying to tell, and some of the plot logic is erratic at best. That said, it's still a decent story that sets up some tension for the Time War, and features one of Colin's best ever performances. It's worth it if only for that.

While Winter For The Adept has a good central premise, I feel that it's a heavily visual one that, while just about working here, feels clunky and underdeveloped. This is precisely the kind of story that, were Big Finish to release it tomorrow, it would be a great hit. Here, it just falls slightly flat.

The story employs some highly descriptive dialogue in order to convey the idea of a haunting, more so than sound effects (the soundscape of this story sounds particularly barren), but goes too far with it at points. Rather than allowing us to just get the general gist of what's going on, writer Andrew Cartmel gives us some rather more prosaic descriptions, leaving the whole thing devoid of any naturalism or realism. It's jarring and irritating, which is a shame considering how atmospheric the story is. Sure, that's sacrificed in the final episode when the Spillagers are revealed (who may be strong contenders for most generic Doctor Who monsters ever), but the first three episodes feature some wonderful build-up.

To be honest, Winter For The Adept is kind of forgettable. Sure, their ideas are great, but the execution of them leaves a lot to be desired. There's some strong acting from Peter Davison, India Fisher and Sarah Sutton (even if I feel like her role was written more for Peri or Tegan), and some lovely music, but I feel like the best phrase I can use to describe this audio is 'missed opportunity'.

Out of the first three Doctors to join Big Finish, Colin had, up to this point, the best stories. And The Spectre Of Lanyon Moor continues that run with a good, old-fashioned Doctor Who adventure that, while still maintaining a flavour of those classic Saturday tea-time serials like The Daemons and Terror Of The Zygons, manages to keep itself interesting and fresh.

The plot is textbook Who. An alien has lain dormant beneath a bit of Cornwall, and things are starting to go awry, just as the Doctor turns up. If you asked anyone to craft a Doctor Who story, chances are that they may come up with something a little like this. Into that, however, writer Nicholas Pegg has weaved some fantastic characters, each of whom is full-fleshed out and motivated. Sure, it isn't anything we haven't seen before, but they, at least, hold the interest, and are quirky enough to be interesting. And putting the Brigadier into this story is a masterstroke: it's lovely to hear Nick Courtney alongside the Sixth Doctor in a full-length tale. The cast in this are to die for: Baker, Stables, the aforementioned Courtney, Jameson, Longworth, Bolam, Edwards, they're all fantastic. It brings to this story a real touch of class and glamour that such a script deserves.

Topped off with some fantastic sound design and some cinematic music that I wouldn't expect of a tale like this, The Spectre Of Lanyon Moor is a terrific Doctor Who story that is simply focused on telling a good Doctor Who story, and nothing more. And the end product is delightful, and very much a personal favourite. A very strong release.

While Red Dawn has a few interesting concepts and ideas, and I see the appeal in the initial pitch, it's a story that, sadly, doesn't quite match the potential that it could have had. For the most part, it's a slow moving tale, where most of the characters just talk at each other, with little in the way of reward.

The plot sounds exciting: NASA land humans on Mars, where they find an Ice Warrior artefact, left behind when they evacuated the planet. Inside is, you guessed it, Ice Warriors! Sure, it's a bit Tomb Of The Cybermen-y, but it could be interesting, especially considering the Ice Warriors are much more morally complex than the Cybermen. However, after a fairly promising part one, the story gets far too bogged down in meaningless conversations about honour and intentions, and they never really amount to anything in the end. And the story is resolved in the least interesting way: with a pointless sacrifice and a big explosion.

The production on this is as great as most of the early Big Finish's: the actors are fantastic, particularly Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and Georgia Moffatt, and the sound design and music are great. It's just a pity that the material they are given is so pointless and dull. Still, at least it's fairly short.