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The point of having organisations set up to run things is so that things can be more efficient. The problem is, when there's head organisation, rebellious forces have something to aim an attack towards.

Galactic High Command has run things in the Galaxy for a good number of years, but now they're facing a problem in the shape of an organisation known as "The Federation". This band of heavily armed outlaws has spread across the Soa system, consisting of the planets Cleemalt, Lagto and Cleedos, leaving fortresses laden with troops.

You play the part of Xain d'Sleena (which, backwards, says Aneels'd Niax - interesting, eh?) - a crack stormtrooper, more adept with the use of firearms and the Exo-skeleton armour than any other warrior in his fleet. You must fly out to the invaded planets and destroy the Federation's forces; but on all of the planets you will find a number of pods containing additional weaponry to fit onto your Exo-skeleton, which have been left due to a malfunction by the computer at Central Control.

Once all the planets have been cleared, you must return and check them again, just in case an invasion force has managed to reach the planet.

When you consider what makes games like Soldier Of Light popular in the arcades, it usually boils down to a few basic elements - the graphics, the sound and the mindless action.

Naturally, the C64 can't hope to achieve the quality of audio and video that the coin-op offered, but when a horrendous control system plagues you then things begin to look a bit grim.

Now the Amiga has the power to produce the sound and graphics of the arcade original, but for some reason the programmers have got the game to be 'similar' and left it at that.

As a game it's not too bad (the control actually works!), but like the C64 version it's not up to much in the conversion stakes.

Well this has been "in the making" for long enough, hasn't it? Soldier Of Light is one of my favourite arcade games (although I played it in its Xain d'Sleena incarnation), so I naturally looked forward to the home version.

The early C64 demos I saw gave the impression that it was going to be really good, but now that both C64 and Amiga versions have arrived in their entirety, the C64 version has deteriorated into a sloppy game with a horrible control method and little resemblance to the arcade original, and the Amiga version has grabbed the wrong end of the stick, with lost presentation and missing levels all over the shop.

Fans of the original beware! This may not be the game you expected when you saw the name Soldier Of Light.

When Maff raved about how great this arcade game was, I expected a bit more than a simple horizontally scrolling run-shoot-collect game.

He assures me that the home versions aren't much like the original, but the games themselves aren't much cop on their own, either. Neither version is that brilliant - the C64 version suffers from an appalling control method and annoying quirks, whereas the Amiga version has lost a load of presentation and levels - when a game's multi-load anyway you'd expect them to be included.

Soldier Of Light isn't *too* bad, but it shouldn't have been a lot better.

Presentation 41% Neither version lives up to its potential, with missing presentation and levels and the C64's terrible control.

Graphics 62% The C64 version has small, blocky and badly coloured sprites and the Amiga version - although nicely drawn - has everything a bit squashed on the small playing area.

Sound 71% Woobly soundtracks and effects that hardly capture the feel of the original.

Hookability 70% The Amiga version is fun to play for a while, but the C64 version is rather infuriating to get used to.

Lastability 49% Few levels and little lasting appeal, but the Amiga version fares better due to its greater playability.

Overall 61% An average C64 shoot-'em-up and a disappointing Amiga arcade conversion which may appeal to blast fans.

Presentation 53% Neither version lives up to its potential, with missing presentation and levels and the C64's terrible control.

Graphics 80% The C64 version has small, blocky and badly coloured sprites and the Amiga version - although nicely drawn - has everything a bit squashed on the small playing area.

Sound 75% Woobly soundtracks and effects that hardly capture the feel of the original.

Hookability 83% The Amiga version is fun to play for a while, but the C64 version is rather infuriating to get used to.

Lastability 66% Few levels and little lasting appeal, but the Amiga version fares better due to its greater playability.

Overall 79% An average C64 shoot-'em-up and a disappointing Amiga arcade conversion which may appeal to blast fans.