Carnival of Monsters is described on the liner notes as "a quaint little story", and such a description wouldn't be so far for the truth. Written once again by Robert Holmes, Carnival seems to be as much a showcase for the then-new CSO (Colour Separation Overlay) filming techniques as it does a serious Doctor Who story.
Like all Holmes scripts, the story is filled with well-written characters who help to liven up events, from the witlessly beaureaucratic Inter Minor officials to the roguish Vorg and the utterly British ship's Lieutenant John Andrews (Ian Marter, who would later play the part of Fourth Doctor companion Harry Sullivan), but at the end of the day no amount of witty dialogue can entirely overcome the story's essential limitations - it's just plain surreal, and neither especially action-packed nor particularly thought-provoking.
On the other hand, the Drashigs (horrific alien inmates of the Scope) make for surprisingly good monsters, better than many rubber Who creatures of the day, aided by some neat sound effects. Given the age and budget of the story, some of the CSO is also surprisingly seamless (although some, such as the episode one cliff-hanger, is utterly chronic).
Carnival remains worth buying as a piece of true Who from the archives, and of course for the extras. Whilst there are no exclusive documentary features this time round, this is made up for to some extent by the quantity of stuff on offer: there are on-screen production notes and an audio commentary from Katy Manning and producer Barry Letts, extended and deleted scenes, behind the scenes footage, original model sequences, a 1970s BBC information film on the use of CSO presented by Barry Letts, a rare opportunity to see the title sequence accompanied by the (awful) scrapped Delaware version of the theme tune, and one or two other bits and bobs. Overall a decent selection of stuff.

One of the best episodes ever
Review date: 2005-05-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

Definately not one of the scariest, but one of the best. The Doctor and Jo land on the miniaturised SS Bernice, where a plesiosaur lurks in the water, and they must encounter the carnivorous Drashigs. It is great, with a strange fascination to it. You are intrigued, and want to see what happens next. The cliff hangers are most unusual, and you are never expecting what happens next, like when the plesiosaur appears, and when a Drashig comes out of the water. It has a bit of humor to it, and the Drashigs have a chilling scream and are surprisingly scary. Worth buying. Flawless.

Good old Robert Holmes does it again!
Review date: 2004-11-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

Robert Holmes is reckoned to be Who's best writer, and it was stuff like this, Time Warrior and his scary Auton stories which paved the way for the great work he would do in the early Tom Baker seasons before deliverng his masterpiece, Caves of Androzani in the early 80s.
Carnival of Monsters is not exactly a terrifying thriller by any means, but shows off Holmes imaginaton, humor, and story telling prowess, as well as his gift for extremely well rounded and colorful characters.
The plot about the Doctor and Jo arriving on a small ship which is stuck in a time loop and menaced by various sea monsters is straight out of the Twilight Zone and well worth a look. The sub plot about colorful space showman and girl assistant, lends the whole thing some truly whacky and way out comedy touches. And Pertwee's use of the good old Sonic Screwdriver to fight off an attack by the terrible Drashigs in their prehistoric home is a classic scene.
All in all, vintage Who and a real gem of the Pertwee era, cheesy perhaps, but well matured and worth your time and money.

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