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Often regarded as one of the Amiga's “killer apps", the gaming world was left amazed when Reflections unleashed its technical tour de force on the gaming world in 1989.

DMA Design was given the unenviable task of porting the game to the technically inferior, yet still-popular C64, and despite appearing something of a fool's errand, the Scotland-based developer defied the odds to create something rather special.

Coder Richard Swinfen was able to reproduce much of the parallax scrolling that had made its 16-bit cousin so revolutionary, and the fidelity of Steve Hammond's artwork, particularly the oversized boss sprites - is genuinely impressive.

The devs also took the opportunity to tweak some of the gameplay mechanics, boosting the player's life energy from a miserly 12 hit points to a more acceptable 25. A more liberal distribution of restorative health potions throughout the game's various levels also helps to dull the pain of the game's overbearing difficulty, resulting in something that gamers actually had a chance of completing!

The decision to release the game exclusively on cartridge also played a significant role in the game's success, providing nearinstantaneous loading times and easier data access. For C64 owners with pockets deep enough to afford the exorbitant £19.99 price tag (£45 after inflation), the game provided a brief glimpse into a world long enjoyed by console owners.