The SCI FI Channel has announced that in March it will begin to air the new series of Doctor Who. U.S. viewers will be able to see last year's 13 episodes, and they will be dealt a special treat. In episode six of Series One, a familiar foe will appear who at one point was more popular than the Beatles—the Dalek!

Character Options, a U.K.-based company, has secured the rights to create merchandise based on this new series, and so far it has been knocking out home runs with the Sonic Screwdriver, the TARDIS Cel Phone Flasher and other great toys and gadgets. Best of the bunch is the Radio-Controlled Dalek, based on the newly redesigned archfoe of the Doctor. Standing about 12.5 inches in height, this is a rugged toy, molded in copper-colored plastic, and it has some very nice play features, including Dalek voice clips from the show, flashing lights and positionable weapon arms.

The remote control's design is consistent with the look of the Dalek, molded in the same colors. It features two toggle controls, each allowing for a forward and backward position, and five push-buttons. The remote has an on/off switch for saving batteries. The Dalek comes packaged in a nicely printed square box that allows you to demo the audio samples. This is a switched setting that you can turn on at will after unpacking. Push one of the Dalek's globes and a random speech segment plays.

This Dalek also features convenient auto-shut-off, which shuts the Dalek down after a few minutes of inoperation. The Dalek takes 4 AA batteries, and the remote takes one 9-volt battery.

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This is a new, cooler Dalek, with more nuts and bolts and a modern take on a classic design. Using standard tank or tractor controls, the two toggles operate two separate motors in the Dalek's base. This allows the Dalek to move forward or backward, turn right or left, or spin on the spot. Excellent control. The motion is slow but solid, and the rubberized driving wheels allow for operation on various surfaces.

Meanwhile, the head rotates automatically while the Dalek is in motion. With the head rotation, the Dalek's eyestalk rises and falls. The eyestalk has an intense blue light that is so bright that it hurts to look directly at it, and it shines a nice glow on nearby walls. The two "ear" lamps light up white in sync with the voice samples, which are very accurate.

The remote control has five buttons, each of which signals a sound bite. Three of the buttons alternate between two phrases, meaning that you actually get eight phrases in total. The manual features include the Dalek's famous "whisk"-like energy beam weapon and the toilet plunger arm, each of which is ball-jointed for rotation to any position.

And this is the only model of a Dalek that shows off a new feature seen for the first time in the Dalek episode—Combat Mode. The midsection can be hand-rotated to any angle around the Dalek, even to aim the weapons backward. About the only thing this Dalek doesn't do is hover on repulsor jets.

The one minor complaint I had was a quality control issue—when I first attempted to operate my Dalek, nothing happened. After wiggling the remote's power switch a few times, it came to life. This model has a flaky switch that works about 50 percent of the time—which may or may not be a widespread issue.

If you're a fan of Doctor Who, you will want this Dalek. And if you're not a fan yet, start watching it on the SCI FI Channel in March. If you don't want one then, check your pulse.

Product Enterprise made a Dalek of almost exactly the same dimensions a couple of years ago, and while it was quite good (I gave it a B) this one blows it away in looks, features and price. Besides some amazing similiarities in build and operation, there is no comparison between the two. This one is the superior race.