A lot can be said or written about the Hit Box series in general, but let's concentrate in this release. As i have stated before Hit Box 5 and 9 share the title of the best Hit Boxes ever. I will agree with VelktronDJ, (in another review of his), that no5 is more techno orientated and 9 is more rave. As a raver i tend to no9, but this review isn't about my musical tastes so.......Let's begin with the double case. Oh yes, this oldschool bulk double case, not the sophisticated digipack or the later single case opening in two sides. And if some of you may consider this observation childish, notice that there are still guys that pay attention to these minor details in a release.Continuing with the artisting elements, the typical flower as a trademark in the Hit Box series does not need introduction. But what about the tracklist? What about a tracklist containing the "tremendous" amount for the Greek data of that era of 32 tracks !!!!!! The tempo of the songs seems to be well divided in the 2 cds, but the first cd is slightly dancier than the 2nd. This of course doesn't mean that the 2nd lucks quality. It's just less bouncy and noisy :-)And as usual for the cd releases of Hit Box we have some extra tracks, 8 in particular. Tracks that may exist in their maxi single formats, but not in other compilations.The presence of these extra tracks make the cd format a collector's crusade. Overall, the largest Hit Box compilation ever and one of the most complete. Find it, buy it, love it, respect it.

Hit Box 5 is an emblematic compilation for several reasons. First of all, it represents the pinnacle in quality for its publishing record label, FM Records, which dominated the "foreign music" compilation market in Greece during the 80s and 90s. Very few of its previous and subsequent compilations came close to this level of quality, in being so representative of the Euro Dance scene at time and yet managing to set themselves apart from other local and even internationally made compilations of the time thanks to their song choices.Secondly, Hit Box 5 is easily one of the largest compilations ever released by FM Records and the largest of the "Hit Box" series, filling up not only two entire LPs with 24 tracks in the more common 2xLP release (FM 242-1), but adding 8 entire bonus tracks in the rare 2xCD and 2xMC versions (FM 242-2, FM 242-4), adding up to a staggering 32 tracks. The Euro House/Dance tracks that are common across releases (tracks 1-12 of LP, CD and MC 1) are an excellent medley of contemporary Euro Dance music, with an emphasis on North European releases. Disk/CD/MC One is the more energetic and "dancey" of the two and is consistently upbeat, cheerful and culminating in a much more atmospheric and somehow dreamy experience with F.A.X.E.'s "I Wanna Jazz", Datura's "7th Hallucination" and the wonderful "I'm needin' you" by Fun Fun. But that's not all; if you are lucky enough to have one of the rare 2xCD or 2xMC versions in your possession, you will be further treated to some real rare gems which also add a darker techno/rave overtone: Outhere Brother's "Don't Stop" (Ramirez Techno Remix), N.U.K.E.'s "Up + Down", plus the extremely rare Single Mix of Cream & Candy's "Break Dreams", a haunting progressive trance track. All tracks which are exceedingly rare if not nearly impossible to find in other compilations. The inclusion of these tracks alone makes the CD/MC editions of Hit Box 5 a real treasure.The second LP/CD/MC of the collection is meant to be more downtempo/pop-oriented and is clearly more toned down in style but still includes several pure dance tracks and a decent choice of pop tracks, along with its own selection of "surprise" bonus tracks (again, only for the 2xCD or 2xMC release). Unlike many other compilations with a similar "split" in theme, Hit Box 5 manages not to disappoint by keeping the quality level even throughout, something exceedingly rare in this type of compilations.Overall, Hit Box 5, especially in its rare 2xCD and 2xMC versions is a "must have" item for any serious collector of Euro Dance compilations.