By William Gallagher BBC News Online

Star Wars has a huge global following

Admit it, you were burnt by The Phantom Menace: you went in excited, you felt that rush of nostalgia, and then you were a bit bored.

It wasn't you. It wasn't that you're older than you were when Star Wars first came out. And this is proved by the new DVD release, which will whisk you back to 1977.

More than the 1997 cinema re-release and more than the lacklustre VHS, this DVD set will make you a Star Wars fan again.

The films look nothing short of fantastic: vastly better than you can have ever seen them before.

At least as much as the visuals, it's the sound that grabs you: from the opening boom of John Williams's score to all the background detail, the soundtrack is alive.

George Lucas can't stop fiddling with these films and in some ways it's a shame we can't see them the way they were, but the new updates are subtle and worth it.

Almost. Han Solo still shoots second - if you remember the scene you've just groaned and if you haven't seen it, you'll slap your forehead when you do.

Picture and sound

But things are genuinely improved and you could believe they were always there, they are so seamless.

You can still fault the story, the acting and the dialogue, but somehow Star Wars is overwhelmingly good.

The films are astonishing - though Return of the Jedi is still weak - and the DVD picture and sound quality will have you in raptures.

All three movies get extremely well-made audio commentaries that interweave points from Lucas, a very funny Carrie Fisher, and many more.

But the primary extra is a 150-minute documentary that's quite fascinating about Lucas and the first film.

It's just a shame there's not so much about the other two films. And where are all the deleted scenes?

So there are quibbles about the set but it's a bargain - especially as you will struggle to pay anywhere near the full �44.99 recommended price.