This week's new DVD & Blu-ray

Game Of Thrones This show is often called fantasy for people who don't like fantasy. That isn't quite right, as it suggests that it somehow waters down the fantasy elements – if anything it amps them up. Put simply however, it's just great TV. It comes with the HBO stamp of quality, which generally means the people who make the show are given enough time and resources to do a decent job, then left alone to get on with it. Sounds simple, and indeed it is. Set in the seven mythical kingdoms of Westeros, the epic tale concerns a struggle for the throne by several families and factions. Go any more in depth and we'll soon be lost in muddle of strange names and places, and there isn't room here to give the intricacies and details any justice. But there is on weekly television, where the tale is stretched over 10 episodes and delivered with clarity and verve. Characters are regularly introduced in their dozens but it's always clear who they are and, more importantly, what they're after. It's the television equivalent of unputdownable, helped by a cast that contains no weak links (Sean Bean and Lena Headey take top billing with Peter Dinklage stealing any scene he's in) and sets, costumes and FX that are never less than movie quality. The Blu-ray includes plenty of optional onscreen background detail, giving information on characters and locations from any given scene, plus plenty of in-character input from the cast. Blu-ray/DVD, Warner Dracula: Prince Of Darkness Not the greatest of Christopher Lee's Dracula films, but decent enough. DVD & Blu-ray, StudioCanal Ripping Yarns: The Complete Series Michael Palin's pitch-perfect spoofing of such Boy's Own concerns as exploring, soldiering, investigating and football. DVD, Network Contagion Steven Soderberg delivers a realistic, downbeat take on the deadly virus movie. DVD & Blu-ray, Warner The Ides Of March George Clooney directs and stars in a cynical tale of politicians and ideals. DVD & Blu-ray, Entertainment One