When someone wants to download an old software title from the 80's, the first impulse might be to go with a program that they assume will be the most compatible with the hardware they are currently running. For PC users running a Microsoft OS, this would mean downloading an old MS-DOS game and running it in a popular emulation program called
DOSBox . A site like
Abandonia can provide the game files, and the program itself, while no longer compatible with Microsoft's modern operating systems, can be enjoyed via emulation.
There are quite a few examples, however, of how running the Commodore 64 version simply makes more sense. Why not go with the "PC" version when you're running a game on PC, you ask?
Well, besides the fact that you are running an "emulator" via DOSBox anyway, first and foremost the IBM PC, at launch, was a computer for serious business or other productivity use. The first examples were all-in-one systems that could cost up to $20,000, a huge leap up from the offerings from Commodore and Apple for the home PC market. The PC was not designed for running games or playing music out of the box. At least not to the degree that a Commodore 64 or a Coleco Adam was.
The colors of the PC back in the early 80's were poor, resulting in the nickname I like "IBM Purple Cyan", where three main colors: purple, cyan and white, dominated the typical PC game screen in CGA graphics mode. Sound was generally a very poor "PC speaker" sound of harsh bleeps and bloops. This criticism applies to early MS-DOS games, and expansion cards such as sound cards and later graphics modes eventually dealt with these shortcomings. But for much of the 1980's it was common to see PC games played in CGA graphics mode and with no decent sound. It wasn't until the early 1990's that PC gaming really started to shine.
The Commodore 64, on the other hand, had many more colors available and a sophisticated sound chip for its time. This, along with the low price of the computer itself made the C64 a much better choice for gaming back then, and also makes it the better choice when going back to enjoy an old title from the 80's.
One more reason the C64 shines for emulation of old games today is the ease of emulation. DOSBox games can require frustrating settings and manipulation of a DOSBox.conf file, putting off casual gamers. C64 games generally run straightaway in VICE in Windows with little more than the "Autoattach and Load" command - or even easier if you associate all .D64 and .T64 files with VICE - just click and go!
There are other systems, such Commodore's own Amiga, that might offer a better graphical or sound experience for a given game, but the ease of loading and running C64 programs is still hard to beat. An example I've run across of a good comparison to the C64 are the 8-bit Atari systems. They are worth checking out. Namely the Atari 400/800, and versions of games such as Hellfire Warrior, a Dunjonquest game and sequel to Temple of Apshai that was never released for the C64. The Atari 8-bit computers also have easy-to-run emulation available.
Atari 800 Win Plus is a great emulator, though initially you may encounter the pain of having to search out proper BIOS ROMs before you can run the emulator, something that you don't have to deal with on VICE for Windows.
The Ultima series is a great example of how C64 emulation is superior to the MS-DOS/DOSBox experience, at least for the first five games in the series. You get more colors than the PC's Purple-White-Cyan, and great music for Ultima III and Ultima IV. For Ultima V, start up VICE in Commodore 128 mode and you'll even get music for that game.
Here is an example from 1986 of the same game (Epyx's "Rad Warrior", AKA Sacred Armor of Antiriad) on the the IBM Purple Cyan side-by-side with the Commodore 64 version. It's hardly the best example of graphics on either computer, but a good comparison of the CGA graphics on the IBM vs. the C64's colors. Keep in mind that the C64 version has some great music, too!
There are still many reasons why someone might choose to play an old 1980's MS-DOS game in DOSBox. Mainly, you'd want to do so for examples of games designed only for the IBM PC. Or for a late 1980's title where better options for sound and video were available. But as the screenshots above prove, you'd have to really like purple, white and cyan, enjoy messing with configuration files for DOSBox, and dislike the sound of the Commodore's SID music chip to want to subject yourself to the IBM PC versions of many games that were available on both platforms.