😄71% = Good! = Light recommendation!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

NOTES & COMMENTS:

We continue to follow the adventures of the Fourth Doctor, Harry, and Naomi as they land on Earth in the early 20th century, where we encounter a toy inventor and his playful daughter. These are the Pearsons, who are very sympathetic characters.

The story enters play mode immediately, with the Doctor and his companions involved in solving the manor's puzzles and mysteries, only to slowly work out what is going on. The Toymaker is revealed towards the end of Part 1, after which the story puts great focus on the face-off between the Doctor and the Toymaker.

The scenes with the Toymaker are so intriguing that the stuff with the Pearsons pales in comparison. That being said, the tail end of Part 1 carries a nice tension to it as Harry, Naomi, and Pearson are stuck in the Toymaker’s traps and forced to follow riddles presented by a Ouija board to make it out. This is almost like a remake of The Celestial Toymaker; the games and traps are somewhat confusing to follow in an audio format, though.

The French Madame Bisset has an eerie presence from the start, with the outstanding Annette Badland injecting plenty of personality into her. And once she is revealed as the Toymaker, she turns even more sinister and unruly, clearly having great fun playing the character.

The constant influx of traps and games, as well as Badland and Tom Baker's magnetic acting, keep this story flowing effectively, and at two parts, it is exactly the right length. Part 2 is very action-packed, and there is also quite an effective death scene. I like how the Doctor and the companions have obstacles to overcome and need to use their wits and skills to overcome the deadly traps set out for them.