It's the hottest night of the year. A barmaid steps out into the back alley for a breath of fresh air, when a man with a gun faces her and tells her to start stripping. When she's totally naked, he approaches her and…

I'm not going to spoil it for you, but it's one of the best done intros to an adult tape I've seen in quite a spell, and while the rest of Meltdown doesn't quite live up to the opening shots, this is a steamy night's viewing that will raise a few temperatures.

With the plethora of talented newcomers to make the scene last year, it's great to see scenes that sizzle with the audience-pleasing performances that established stars like Rachel Ryan and Tiffany Storm are capable of giving. Cheri Taylor and Bridgett Monroe are no slouches, either. On the male side, ever-reliable Jamie Gillis only gets one scene (the feature's set in his bar – how's that for justice?), but acquits himself nicely. Cop Randy West has his way with Taylor and Ryan in his search for the gunman.

We never do learn if the gunman is caught, but like everyone else in the show, we don't care. Meltdown is just the hot item for a cold evening alone… or with someone.