'It was a real old-fashioned adventure and one of the best films I've seen for a while.'

Judging by the footage I was shown, one thing was clear: this Tintin doesn't stint on old-fashioned adventure.

But this was no old-fashioned adventure.

Personally, I think it a rather wonderful story of international co-operation, modern technology and old-fashioned adventure.

Reflected Dirda: "For a long period also I sought out the work of Howard Pease, old-fashioned nautical adventures teeming with frequent and arcane allusions to bilge, Lascars and fo'csles."

But luckily, "Return to Snowy River," which opens today at the Sutton and other theaters, doesn't claim to be anything more than a big, old-fashioned melodramatic adventure.

This robust old-fashioned adventure should appeal to older children, but beware of a few needlessly grisly touches (Maslin).

The days of Doc Savage and Alan Quartermain were long past, yet I found it interesting that almost no authors were writing pure, old-fashioned adventure.

Like his countryman Peter Carey, Gilling isn't shy about applying a fun-house mirror to an old-fashioned adventure, playing sly modern games with appearance and reality.

The salty, old-fashioned adventure responds well to John Huston's limber direction - Thursday at 8 P.M. on Channel 55.