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When the history of video games is finally and definitively written, one of the all-time greats must surely be Eugene Jarvis' classic shoot-'em-up - Defender.

Defender has survived that acid test which is the barometer by which all things are ultimately judged - the test of time.

Go into any arcade anywhere and I'll bet you anything you like that there'll be a Defender machine.

It'll probably be a bit battered and its cabinet will look as if it could use a coat of paint, but you can also bet that there is a group of regular gamers who keep it well fed with ten pence pieces.

Now you can take Defender home and play it on your Vic 20, thanks to this lastest cartridge from Atarisoft.

Of course, previous attempts have been made to convert this classic of the arcades to home use on the Vic. But it must be said that this is the only version which comes anywhere near reproducing the game's elusive speed and addictiveness.

It's the speed that foiled previous conversions and even this cartridge-based Defender would benefit from a little extra pace.

Having said that, all the game's challenging features are faithfully reproduced.

They are all here waiting to be blasted: Landers, Bombers, Baiters, Mutants, Pods and Swarmers. Even the start bombs and hyperspace functions are incorporated with the aid of the keys and space bar.

Furthermore, the graphics have that same colourful glow that characterised the arcade game - a considerable programming achievement on the Vic.

If you're a Vic-owning Defender fanatic then this cartridge is compulsory silicon.