Parents' Guide to C.H.O.M.P.S.

Part Charlie's Angels, part Wonder Woman, part Six Million Dollar Man, with a suspiciously obvious dose of Benji thrown in, C.H.O.M.P.S. is a relic of late 1970's comedy cheese. It comes complete with grab-bag bionic/sci-fi sound effects, wacky hijinks, and high-speed car chases. It's a short-lived Hanna Barbera foray into live action, for good reason: The movie shows all its cards in the first half hour, but bafflingly goes on for another 60 minutes anyway. By film's end, you've seen more than enough slow-mo dog gallops, busted robberies, and plots to kidnap this high-tech home security wonder dog to last a lifetime.

That said, kids will enjoy the crime-fighting dog and his improbable repertoire of intimidating sounds, which include a lion's growl, the sound of firing gunshots, and his own built-in police siren. He also pulls a van by a chain with his teeth. Parents -- especially those old enough to remember the 1970s -- will love the leisure suits, feathered hair, and sideburns. Plus, there's the nostalgia of a slew of staple actors of the decade all joined together: the dad from Diff'rent Strokes, Valerie Bertinelli, that guy from Land of the Lost, and the rich guy from Gilligan's Island -- all on dog-sitting detail. If you can handle the repetitiveness of the romp, you might be entertained long enough to realize you can teach a dog new tricks, but not if that dog is a robot.