The Doctor (William Hartnell) and Dodo (Jackie Lane) materialise on a London street in the mid-1960s (necessitating extra camouflage on the TARDIS, as it could be mistaken for an actual police box) just as WOTAN, a sophisticated new super-computer is to be linked with other computers world-wide and put in charge of England's military defence. This serial, the first to take place on a contemporaneous Earth, is an early spin on the sci-fi staple: 'malevolent AI'. Although not the first time that a rogue computer posed an existential threat to humanity after being put in charge of our safety (for example: 1957's 'The Invisible Boy'), the Doctor's adventure predates 'Colossus: The Forbin Project' by a few years and 'The Terminator' by almost two decades. Given the old show's limited resources, the plot overly relies on 'hypnotic mind control', a common work-around to move things along frugally, and the titular 'war machines' are a bit slow-moving and clunky-looking considering the fear they evoke (conveniently, they seem to be able to inactivate firearms at a distance, making them somewhat more formidable than they look). Despite the interesting opening, the storyline is weak, the resolution is anticlimactic, and the decision to have WOTAN address his hypnotised minions in a stereotypical 'sinister' voice misguided. The serial introduces Ben and Polly (Michael Craze and Anneke Wills), who, at the end of 1966's 'The Tenth Planet', become the first companions to bridge a regeneration. Supposedly the resourceful 20-something pair from swinging London were added for market-appeal (although Dodo was presented as a 'mod' '60s girl, she was younger and less capable than Polly and came across simply as a continuation her young distaff predecessors Susan and Vicki). Sadly, while companions usually get a sentimental send-off, Dodo is simply packed off mid-serial to the countryside to recuperate after being hypnotised and never seen again (the Doctor does briefly acknowledge her departure before closing the TARDIS's door in the final reel). The scenario, which finds the Doctor teaming up with an over-matched British military to battle enemies in contemporary England very much foreshadows Jon Pertwee's stint as the Third Doctor (1970-1974). *Score and comments pertain to the complete serial.