By 1982, writers John Wagner and Alan Grant felt that Mega-City One (MC-1) had grown too unwieldy and needed to be reduced to manageable levels - the Apocalypse War was their way of doing that. This third volume in the Hachette / Rebellion series presents the full 26 episodes of "The Apocalypse War" and the 10 episodes of the lead-in strip "Block Mania". The lead-in saw agents of East Meg One introducing a bio-weapon into the water supply of MC-1 which sparks city wide blocks war, where citizens of individual housing blocks declare all-out war on neighbouring blocks. With MC-1 in chaos the Sovs launch a tactical nuclear strike and invasion of Dredd's city. Due to rampant Block Mania the Sov's invade virtually unopposed, Dredd organises a group of judges to wage a vicious guerrilla war before taking the fight directly to East Meg One. Drawn by Carlos Ezquerra, "The Apocalypse War" is a widescreen masterpiece, of visceral, brutal destruction that still has the power to shock. Dredd's field execution of so-called collaborators and his genocidal strike against East Meg One are horrific episodes that resonant to this day in the pages of 2000AD. Grim, gritty, grisly but with a an equally grim line of black humour and cutting satirical subtext running through it, "The Apocalypse War" is perhaps the greatest ever Judge Dredd story. The presentation in the Mega Collection is clean, clear and sharp, with the special features limited to a cover gallery from the relevant issues of 2000AD. ( )