ED HUNTER

100 plus minutes of classic Iron maiden. Irrisistible? Well, almost. The problem is most Maidenheads would already have the albums these tracks are from because they are the best the band has to offer. However, for newbies to Maiden this is a great compilation of what must surely be the best stuff they have ever produced.

But if you are looking for prog classics 'Rime of The Ancient Mariner' or 'Alexander the Great' you are looking in the wrong place unfortunately, yet I rate those as the best the band has done in terms of prog at least. Instead we have the pedestrian Maiden such as the excellent The Trooper, Number of the Beast, Fear of the Dark, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Aces High, The Evil That Men Do, Powerslave and Hallowed Be Thy Name.

This is quintessential Maiden no questions asked and its great that the band have produced a second CD with some of their longer gems such as The Clansman and Phantom of the Opera. Of course Run to the Hills is here in all its bombastic glory. And there is enough to span the chronology of each album to please even the most stringent fan who loves the early days to the latest to this point.

If this is not enough you get to play a rather weird computer game of Ed Hunter - and perhaps it is worth forking out for this in itself. But in terms of the music, I am positive every true fan has the lot and that is the main problem. There should always be something enticing for those who have everything on these compilations, such as an unreleased track or an alternative version or a demo or... something... However, instead the only thing new is the bizarre computer game and is that worth the rather expensive price tag? You will soon tire of zapping zombies and blasting things to bits and you will probably not even play the music disks if you already have the albums. So in essence this is really a cash in for those who are interested in Maiden but not enough to buy their original material. It would be a crime if people opted for this instead of 'Powerslave' or '7th Son of a 7th Son' - the best Maiden albums ever.

In conclusion, an excellent introduction to the band for those who have not yet been initiated. For the rest of us, you are better off with the original albums as here there is really nothing new under the sun.