Secret War does have its fair share of action, suspense and intrigue, which isn't always the case with historical documentaries. Here's the problem, though: some portions of the documentary are paired with overly dramatic music and occasionally heavy-handed narration, both of which distract from the subject matter at hand. The material on its own is often entertaining enough, but Secret War's presentation style habitually drifts into sensationalistic territory. To its credit, this 13-part series does more right than it does wrong, but it's hard to ignore such faults when viewing the material in larger doses. In any case, highlights include episode 3's profile on mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano, a number of segments on foreign double and triple agents, episode 7's detailed synopsis of British Intelligence disasters, the nuclear arms race, a five-year focus on fated Polish spy Christine Granville and much more.

Secret War arrives exclusively on DVD just a few short months after its debut on Discovery's Military Channel in January...but in more ways than one, this four-disc set doesn't improve upon its broadcast counterpart. The A/V presentation isn't a bad effort, but a lack of bonus features makes Secret War's $80 price tag seem a bit excessive. So while this 13-part series definitely has its moments, the niche subject matter and overcooked presentation style don't make it universally required viewing.

Presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for 16x9 displays, Secret War looks good with a few mild reservations and general nitpicks. For starters, the ample WWII footage looks understandably rough...but it's also been cropped, which certainly doesn't help matters. Mild amounts of interlacing and edge enhancement can also be spotted at times, though the vintage still photos and newly-recorded interview segments are generally crisp and clear. So while it's no surprise that documentaries can vary wildly in regards to image quality, some of Secret War's shortcomings could have been avoided.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix isn't ambitious but still gets the job done. Secret War's bad habit of using overly dramatic music may be irritating on a subjective level, but at least it sounds robust and dynamic. Dialogue, narration and occasional added sound effects exhibit no obvious flaws either, rounding out the audio presentation nicely. Optional English SDH captions are included during each and every episode, while occasional burnt-in subtitles are already provided for translation purposes.

Strictly for WWII history buffs, Secret War is a bit too prickly to be considered accessible entertainment for casual viewers. This proves to be a mixed blessing: the raw information presented here is two steps forward, but the somewhat heavy-handed presentation style doesn't do it any favors. Acorn Media's four-disc DVD package doesn't hit all the marks, pairing a decent technical presentation with no real bonus features. Considering this boxed set's inflated price tag, Secret War isn't necessarily recommended as a blind buy...but there's still more than enough here to warrant a closer look. Rent It first.