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Defender Of The Crown looks great on the Amiga, nobody will argue with that. But there was a lot of scepticism surrounding Cinemaware putting out a C64 version of the game.

So how did they do? The answer is...great! Not only are the graphics and music faithful to the original version, but gameplay has been significantly improved. But first a bit about the game itself.

It's 1491. The King of England has been assassinated and all the real-estate is now up for grabs. It falls on you to become one of four Saxon Knights, with the computer taking on the roles of all the other characters.

Each knight has attributes that dictate his life, as well as a castle and small army to start.

Through boldness and strategy, you must increase your holdings, defeat the other Knights, and take on the Norman conquerors as well.

This takes a lot of cash, but there are a number of ways to build a fortune. The easiest is to raid a castle, wipe everybody out and run back home. Of course, others might take a dim view on this, so be sure to take plenty of troops and knights, and leave a good force to defend your home castle when you go "stepping out".

You can also participate in jousts, which add to your prestige as well. Use the money to build more castles, consoidate your territory, and take over.

A "map" feature helps you check out what all the other boys are doing, and rescuing a fair damsel will make you a better, stronger leader - everybody likes a family man.

Your ally, Robin Hood, will also come to your aid three times, but success or failure will still be on your shoulders.

Defender runs quick and clean on the C64, with an excellent soundtrack - thanks to sound compression techniques.

Packed with data on both sides, the program has been improved in a number of important ways. First off, it is possible to move through neutral territories - providing that the landowner has no reason to hate you.

Swordplay is now indicated with a strength bar at the bottom of the screen, making it a lot easier to decide whether to fight or flee.

The interior castle sword-fighting scene is intact, complete with the shadows of the combatants flickering from the torches.

Battling your opponents' armies is now done with swordplay, rather than just watching a screen indicate whether you've won or lost.

Other elements remain the same, such as assaulting a castle with a catapult, and manoeuvring your armies around the landscape. My favourite, going head to head at the tournament, hasn't been trashed either. In fact, the animation here actually seems quite a bit smoother than that of its predecessor.

Plus, your opponent isn't a perfect shot anymore, so two or three passes are now the norm.

Of course, the C64 can't duplicate the digitised sounds, or highly visual graphics of the Amiga, but you get a whole lot of game with this version of Defender Of The Crown.