Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping wrote favourably of the serial in "The Discontinuity Guide" (1995), despite some criticism, "The first two episodes are wonderful, a well directed and expensive looking restating of the series' basics, but once the Cybermen are released from the Tombs, they go back in again." In "The Television Companion" (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker stated that the serial was similar to the previous Cybermen stories, but it "manages to develop the idea to greater advantage and, as a result, achieves a considerable success" and was "well-paced, gripping and, in places, genuinely frightening". They praised the Cybermen, but said the noise they made while being attacked was "silly", and also criticised some of the direction and Deborah Watling's Victoria, whom they felt was an inconsistent character.