Defender Of The Crown Master Designer Software, Inc. / Mirrorsoft, Mindscape 1987

Defender of the Crown puts you in the role of one of four Saxon knights in medieval England, in a time where the land is in turmoil as the King is dead and his crown was stolen. The Saxons and the Normans blame each other and fight for control of England. After a short introduction by Robin of Locksley himself, you start the game with a single castle and 10 soldiers at your command. From there, you have to build your army, take control of additional territories and fight the three Norman lords - and sometimes your Saxon friends as well. The game has several different styles: You may either engage in a jousting contest where you have to knock your opponent off his horse using a lance, you can go raid a castle for loot or you can attack another territory/castle. The game was originally created on the Amiga platform in 1986 by Cinemaware with wonderful graphics by James D. Sachs and great music by Jim Cuomo, then ported to the PC whilst keeping its original appeal and quality. It's unquestionably Cinemaware's best game, and one of the best Amiga games ever released (although the PC version offers no less gameplay, it pales in comparison to the vibrant graphics and amazing soundtrack of the Amiga version). What makes this game a classic is the masterful blend of action, adventure, and strategy game elements. The basic object is to take over all of medieval Britain by capturing the home castle of each leader. You do this with a campaign army made up of soldiers, knights, and catapults. Besides fighting other armies and taking over their castles, you can also conduct raids and participate in jousts, which can be played either for fame or for land. In a raid, you can raid a rivals castle for gold, or if the chance arrives, rescue a saxon maiden who will become your wife. Jousting experienced opponents can be a chore, as can the side-scrolling sword fights that take place during the raid or maiden rescue. But it still is one of the most atmospheric and truly cinematic games you'll likely find. As with all other Cinemaware games, beautifully drawn intermissions and cutscenes are included. A rarer EGA version of the game was released by Mirrorsoft which puts it on par with the Commodore 64 version, with vibrant graphics and the same gameplay that we all know and love. In 1989, a CD-Rom Version was released by Mirrorsoft in Europe with CD-quality music and voice dubbing. In 2002, a Digitally Remastered Collector's Edition was released which featured enhanced graphics and sounds effects that take advantage of modern technology. It also had never-before-seen screens and material that was cut from the original titles.
Screenshots
CGA & EGA Full Demos 223+665kb (uploaded by XTC Abandonware)
 1  2 
2002 remastered version
Full Demo CGA Version 219kb (@ Juego Viejo)
CD-Rom Version Video
Floppy Image ISO Demo (provided by basseta & upped by Scaryfun) 620kb
2002 Remastered Edition ISO Demo 572MB (uploaded by Abandoned Witch XI)
1989 CD-Rom ISO Demo 149MB (uploaded by Old-Games.ru)


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