After fighting their way through their teacher's personal tests, the paper exam and the Forest of Death, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke - the members of Squad Seven - find themselves in the preliminary rounds of the actual Chunin exam.

This volume brings the expanding cast of the series into their own for the first time, with many previously inactive characters getting at least one good fight to win over a few fans of their own.

The assorted mysteries of the Sound village continue to further their own agenda, while they and Orochimaru plague the exam. Gaara, who managed to carry his team through the Forest of Death in record time, also hangs over the exams - a potent menace and a potentially dangerous enemy, if that is what he is. Equally, former opponents from within the leaf village also show their true colours as well, from the benign Rock Lee, to the more ambivalent Neiji Hyuuga.

Despite the lack of general story progression (not helped by the trademark filler, flashbacks and sometimes needlessly explanatory dialogue), action and character development nonetheless continues apace.

Having been shown on Jetix already, most readers will probably already know whether they're interested in this thirteen episode collection. The intricately detailed world of espionage and perpetual conflict, characteristic of the series, holds together as well as ever - making it a joy to lose one's self in. Highlights in this volume also include the arena-based duels between Sakura and Ino, Hinata and Neiji Hyuuga, Rock Lee and Gaara, and the introduction of Naruto's future trainer, the toad sage Jiraiya.

As ever, this is an important volume for collectors, but may be slightly less so for those weary of parting with their cash. There are some good fights, but not too much else, and to a degree, they pale in comparison with the series own standards - or at least the majority do, for there are moments of greatness. By and large, however, this is a solid, if unremarkable, entry into the series, getting the necessary fights out of the way to give room for the ever growing cast and greater story to be developed in later episodes.

In Summary:

It all hinges on whether you're a fan of the conventions (good and bad) of Naruto and its storytelling, or even it as a whole, because previous volumes have given better reasons to follow the series, but if you're looking for action, then the reverse is true.