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In the land of the rising sun, the man with the longest sword is king. At least, that's the theory that the four heirs to the Han Dynasty are about to test. The year is 184 AD and their clan is locked in a desperate blood feud with their long-standing rivals - the evil, ruthless and utterly abhorrent Kai. Day after the day the armies dwindle but not an inch of ground is gained.

It's not the sort of thing a self-respecting Samurai takes well, so the Han resolve to sort out the deadlock themselves. In ones and twos, they set out on horseback to tackle the enemy lines...

Not that US Gold's conversion of Capcom's unusual coin-op really needs a plot. On-screen, all that exotic tale-spinning and oriental romance translates into eight levels of no-nonsense hack and slash action, waves of kamikaze foot soldiers and a series of top-notch generals on horseback to slice up.

A slash-'em-up on horseback is an oddity - an oddity that Dynasty Wars doesn't do much to exploit. Despite the visual elegance of their equestrian mounts, the Han fighters might as well be on foot for all the difference their four-legged friends make - no galloping, or jumping, not even the odd whinny or neigh. Still, Tiertex has put together a fast and competent conversion which scores high in presentation points, a slick introductory sequence, choice of heroes, appropriately oriental music and a wealth of information on-screen. Graphics too, despite some fairly jerky scrolling, are intricately drawn and well-defined.

The gameplay, on the other hand, though amusing enough in the short term, doesn't offer the kind of flexibility you expect from a top class slash-'em-up - there's no wide choice of moves, the action has a tendency to become repetitive, and the end-of-level generals don't present too impressive a challenge. A decent, no-nonsense hack-'em-up which just lacks that extra punch.

Sporting improved graphics and bursting at the seams with sampled sound, the Amiga version of this equestrian extravaganza plays just the same.

Currently in development, PC Dynasty Wars sports CGA, EGA and VGA graphics, plus Roland, AdLib and CMS compatibility. There's even a sampled sound driver for aurally unadorned PCs which should, depending on your machine, create sounds resembling an Amiga.

Depending on how brave you feel, you can take on the impossible on your own or with a friend. There aren't any significant differences between the two modes, though as a gruesome twosome you do get the added spice of having to fight over weapon upgrades.

Slick presentation is seldom seen in computer games and yet it's something no self-respecting coin-op does without. Thankfully, these conversions of Dynasty Wars are no exception. An introductory sequence sets the scene and creates an appropriately eastern flavour.

Each hero comes complete with individual fighting statistics and a personalised selection of weapon upgrades. It's not worth worrying too much about who you pick, though - in practice, all four brothers' skills work out pretty much the same.

The strength of each lunge with your sword or lance is determined by the boost bar at the bottom of the screen. The longer you press the fire button, the more effective your final thrust. Weapon upgrades some in the form of prominent icons like the one above - get them and watch those Kai fly!

A line isn't scattered until you zap the big fish as well as all the small-fry. A confrontation with the General, a skilled cavalry-man like yourself, marks the end of each level. A few well-placed slashes on maximum boost send him straight to paradise.

The Kai stop at nothing in their desperate bid to gain control of the eastern world. Enemy defences include arrows, bullet-belching war machines and fire bombs which burst into energy-sapping flames the moment they hit the ground.