Lassie joins a city family en route to a new home in the country and quickly proves its saviour.

This isn't surprising, as their new livelihood involves sheep ranching and the dog proves just about the best sheep-herder this side of Babe.

Frederick Forrest tries hard to be bullying as the rival sheep farmer who makes up most of what there is in the plot and Helen Slater makes a bit more of the family stepmother's role than is really there.

But, hell, this is the dog's show, as usual, backed up by some fine colour photography of the Virginia countryside by Kenneth MacMillan.