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As seasoned DVD buyers know, Paramount can usually be trusted to put out technically excellent discs. What they're rather more reluctant to do is endow them with any extra features. Unless of course it's a Tom Hanks movie and then all the bells and whistles come out. Just look at the "Saving Private Ryan" DVD, and now the two disc extravaganza for "Forrest Gump".

It's the disc with the movie on it, and you'll be pleased to know it gets a fine transfer that leaves it looking as good as the day it was released.

The 5.1 sound mix handles both subtle atmospherics, like rear speaker countryside effects, every bit as well as it delivers powerful bass during the 'Nam scenes.

If there's a criticism for this release it's to be found in the main commentary. There's nothing wrong with it in terms of marginally interesting comments, but there's no vocal or on-screen title introduction for who's speaking. On commentary track two there's only producer Wendy Finerman, but bless her, she runs out of things to say before she's even got going.

• 'The Magic of Makeup': Dan Striepeke has worked on Hank's make-up for many of his previous films, and here provides us with a guide to Tom's complexion. We had to agree with him, it is sallow.
• 'Through the Ears of Forrest Gump': Sound design featurette.
• 'Building the world of Forrest Gump': Production design featurette that concentrates on the Gump house and where to put it.
• 'Seeing is Believing': Eleven scenes of visual effects including two excellent deleted parts. These are Gump meeting Martin Luther King and batting a ping-pong ball into the crotch of George Bush Senior.
• Screen Tests: A series of short tests for the younger stars of the movie including a five year old Haley Joel Osment, who was clearly born a star.
• Other features: Photo gallery and trailers. The main trailer uses the music from "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". It's a popular choice and can be heard again in the TV teasers for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".

Region: 2
Chapters: 19
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Technical Features: Scene selection, animated menus, and multiple languages and subtitles, and English for the hearing impaired.