The Dresden Files is a Sci-Fi Channel original show that follows a character who's kind of like Harry Potter meets Philip Marlowe. (No owls or falcons, though.) You see, Harry Dresden (Paul Blackthorne) is a detective who not only rights wrongs of a supernatural nature, he's a magic man himself.

Thanks to a connection at the local Chicago P.D. (and an ad in the phone book), Harry gets caught up in crimes that involve everything from werewolves, to ghosts, to dragons, to vampires. Harry gets help from Bob (Terrence Mann), a wisecracking wraith who resides inside a skull-shaped knickknack, and his buddy at the Dept., Connie (Valerie Cruz), but really the whole show is his.

The first episode on the DVD is a bit weak, suffering from those "getting to know you" jitters; but the second story, The Boone Identity, is a treat for fans of ancient Egyptian mythology and ghost stories. The eerie action begins when a dealer of exotic antiquities hires Harry to contact the restless spirit of his daughter, who was murdered during a robbery.

The thief, Boone, was later killed himself during the commission of a crime, and Harry believes that somehow these two spirits are still connected. As he digs deeper into the crime, he uncovers some live accomplices; a relic connected with Egyptian God of the Dead, Anubis; tattooed ciphers, and much more than he bargained for.

The Dresden Files is definitely a lightweight affair — it's not hardboiled detectivery by any means — but if you enjoyed series TV like Kolchak, The Hardy Boys, or Charmed, then you're sure to want to give these disks a spin.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson