At least browse through the old standard, AC61-98A, the FAA's guidance on the flight review:
AC 61-98A - Currency and Additional Qualification Requirements for Certificated Pilots - Document Information

For something more current from the FAA, check out http://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/m...ght_review.pdf

Unfortunately, some excellent recommendations may go beyond the typical 1-2 hours. So what most (including me) end up doing is a mini-checkride - a sampling of PTS maneuvers that show command of the aircraft (or lack thereof) and that pilots don't generally do unless they are disciplined enough to set up periodic practice sessions - stalls, slow flight, steep turns and an engine out are musts. I also like to get in some hoodwork, if only to remind the pilot of how dangerous he can be to himself.

If I have a pilot who mostly just burns holes in the sky locally, I want to to a least a short hop to an unfamiliar airport - setting up and landing at that narrow runway with the perpetual crosswind that the pilot generally avoids will tell you more about the pilot's skill set than almost anything.

The key is to sit down (or email) and discuss. And if you think that it's going to take more than the hour that everyone seems to expect, bring it up right at the beginning and explain why. The pilot may want to do it "on the cheap." You might feel that more is necessary.