Over three decades since it was first broadcast, the evergreen Columbo 's fifth season finds Peter Falk's infamous detective in very fine form. In fact, this is one of the seasons for which Falk walked away with a prestigious Emmy award for his portrayal of the title role. There are half-a-dozen episodes included across the discs in this Columbo set, and they attract a healthy selection of guest stars. Among the faces who turn up in the assorted mysteries are Patrick McGoohan, Janet Leigh and Robert Vaughn, while at one point a certain Steven Spielberg steps behind the camera to direct an episode. But make no mistake, this always was, and continues to be here, Peter Falk's show. He fits the role of Columbo like a proverbial glove, and some of the episodes featured in this fifth season are among the finest the show produced throughout its run. "Now You See Him", for instance, is a clever, intriguing piece of drama, involved a more mysterious than usual magician. And "Identity Crisis"--which also features Airplane 's Leslie Nielsen--is a lovely, twisty, spy-based episode. It's a pity that the extras on the Columbo DVDs are pretty much non-existent, because there's a real and genuine joy in being reunited with the episodes themselves. Season five isn't perfect, granted, but there's nonetheless far more in the positive corner than the negative. Very warmly recommended. -- Jon Foster