Dead on Target

Following the Nancy Drew series, the Hardy Boys are now receiving their own updating. This first adventure opens explosively as Joe's girlfriend Iola is killed by a car bomb. The Bayport police suspect Joe and Frank, but the brothers get a secret government tip that the real culprit is a 1000-year-old terrorist organization. Their deadliest operative, ""The Bullet,'' has been after the boys' father, Fenton Hardy, who's chief of security for an anti-terrorist Presidential candidate. Not surprisingly, the anonymous writers never even come close to fitting the '80s terrorist into the traditional villain's role demanded by the '20s pulp plot. This should still go over big with young boys, thanks to its Ramboesque ethos delivered with music-video pacing and imagery. Parents, however, may question the positive presentation of ordinary teenagers hotheadedly seeking personal and bloody revenge. Ages 12-15. (April)