Maybe I could ultimatly use the lm3916.... does anyone know where i can get spec sheets for the U2067?
You probably want the LM3915 instead, as its 3db steps are closer to the original 2db steps of the U2067B. The LM3916 sports steps for a VU meter (-20, 10, 7, 5, 3, 1, 0, +1, 2, 3db).
Display brightness may be an issue, as AG states, because you're cycling through ten rows, hence 1/10 the brightness. But, the original Velleman kit does the same thing.
EDIT: With the values they're using it looks like the LEDs are being driven with about 45-50mA, so it may be okay (4.5-5mA average current). You could drop the 270R resistor a bit to get more brightness, say to 120R/2W. That would give you 10mA average. Also, you'll likely have to dork with the input level at the LM3915 some to get it to work properly. Who knows what the original U2067B did.
In terms of a datasheet, all I could find was this, which basically shows that an LM39xx may get you there. Also, there's a German site that appears to have the datasheet, but it's a pay-per-use or subscription service:
data sheet information for U2067B from www.ecadata.de).