Abstract: A software update system is disclosed, together with a corresponding method. These comprise a server holding a database, a client software, and a communications medium to allow the client and server to communicate, the database including, for a plurality of software titles, a title identifier, a version identifier for that title, and a patch location, the client being adapted to use the title identifier to locate a software title resident on a computer system hosting the client, to use the version identifier to identify the present update level of that title, and to use the patch location to allow the download of a patch for that title. It is preferred that the title identifier includes the file name of an executable file associated with the software title, and also that the version identifier includes at least one of the version number, the byte size of an executable file associated with the software title, and the version details encoded in the file properties of the executable file.