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The updating of Flash Gordon saw the surprisingly unaged superhero joined by three others: Mandrake The Magician, Lothar (the strongest man in the world - not Geoff Capes or that funny Icelandic geezer!), The Phantom, who "has the strength of ten tigers at his command". Not to forget their faithful pet mascot, Zuffy - the usual sort of stupid cutesy character featured in this type of cartoon.

Of course, Flash's arch enemy is still Ming The Merciless. The dastardly emperor with the Billy Connolly beard (but alas, no sense of humour) has abducted the Defenders' children and secreted them in the dungeons of his fortress. To minimise the risk of setting off the fortress's sophisticated intruder alarm, Flash volunteers to rescue the kids single-handedly, only summoning the other Defenders when in need of their special powers (e.g. to open doors, cross chasms).

Armed only with a handgun (though weapon upgrades can be found), Flash must venture through the flick-screen fortress, fending off Ming's attacking cronies. If Flash stays too long on any one screen he'll be detected by the alarm system, and even more security guards will rush on.

The game's fairly early re-release is probably due to its lack of quality: it received a mere 43% is Issue 63. Robin found the colourful backdrops attractive, but the game "frustratingly tough and very limited in ideas". The Scorelord though, "Running around a maze, leaping chasms and shooting thousands of heavily armed villains is a dated idea overused by unimaginative budget games".

Even now that it is a budget game, Defenders Of The Earth remains frustrating and repetitive. Talk about "Flash in the pan"!