Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown

The story starts with you as Robin Hood in Sherwood forest. You have to defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham in a similar style of play that made the original Defender so great. It's a territorial battle, where the number of men that you recruit and have stationed in a province will determine your ability to protect that province against attack. This part of the game is rather quick and thrown together. They would've done better to extend it, since it is the primary difference between this updated version and the original release.

From here you enter into the original storyline. England is in disarray and it's up to you to save it. Several other nobles are vying for the same properties as you are, and you must choose your properties and fortify them with castles and men, all the while watching your back against attack. The ultimate goal is to defeat other nobles and claim their territories, and essentially be the last one standing when it's over.

As a standalone game it's hard to recommend very highly. It's relatively simple compared to the monolithic games of today, and doesn't have a lot of "sparkle" to it. But as a fan of the original it's like being reacquainted with an old friend. They pay homage to the original scenes, even lifting some of the actual text and cut scenes directly from it. One of the almost humorous additions is the animated princesses after you rescue them. Instead of the simple silhouettes in the window, you now see a scantily clad vixen straight from a Victoria's Secret add. That probably wouldn't have fit in too well back in the 80s. On the most part the scenes are great, especially in the swordfighting sequences. They now take place in 3D castle settings and utilize unique camera angles and perspectives to show some amazing animated scenery.

Overall it's a simple but still great game. On this review page, the major complaint was that the game is "hard." Even if this were true it doesn't mean it's a bad game. And with a little practice you can easily master the elements of the game, from catapult launching to swordfighting to basic strategy. If you're a fan of the original, buy it without hesitation. But if you're new to the game, I'd suggest renting first to see if you like it, since it's so different than what's currently popular in the market.

Although it's an interesting and original game it has some serious shortcoming. It's almost impossible to hit the men on horseback with your bow. When you raid a castle, it's the same level over and over again. No matter which castle you do! The play control is extremely bad.
The military campaign has some good strategy but the battle scenes themselves are horrendously bad. First off, it's extremely difficult and Prince John inevitably defeats all of the other nobles and becomes almost impossible to defeat.
I don't think the original ATARI would boast such poor graphics during the battles. The graphics during the battles are like Intellivison or Odyssey quality (how many old-school gamers remember those) graphics. You have to see it to believe it that PS2 is capable of such poor graphics that were bad even by 1985's standards.
It's still a fun story and the non-linear nature can be refreshing for orthodox RPG/adventure fans. The archery raids are fun if you have superb aim. Castle sieges are fun addition as well. You get a certain satisfaction watching your enemies walls crumble before your catapults.
This game is worth renting but definetely DO NOT BUY IT!