diff --git a/c_level_db.go b/c_level_db.go
index 638be41b..6c87c294 100644
--- a/c_level_db.go
+++ b/c_level_db.go
@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func init() {
-	registerDBCreator(CLevelDBBackendStr, func(name string, dir string) (DB, error) {
+	dbCreator := func(name string, dir string) (DB, error) {
 		return NewCLevelDB(name, dir)
-	}, false)
+	}
+	registerDBCreator(LevelDBBackendStr, dbCreator, true)
+	registerDBCreator(CLevelDBBackendStr, dbCreator, false)
 }
 
 type CLevelDB struct {
diff --git a/c_level_db_test.go b/c_level_db_test.go
index dbebcd90..3baa8ba4 100644
--- a/c_level_db_test.go
+++ b/c_level_db_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func BenchmarkRandomReadsWrites2(b *testing.B) {
 	for i := 0; i < int(numItems); i++ {
 		internal[int64(i)] = int64(0)
 	}
-	db, err := NewGoLevelDB(Fmt("test_%x", RandStr(12)))
+	db, err := NewGoLevelDB(Fmt("test_%x", RandStr(12)), "")
 	if err != nil {
 		b.Fatal(err.Error())
 		return
diff --git a/db.go b/db.go
index dac6df0c..0649c2fd 100644
--- a/db.go
+++ b/db.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ type Batch interface {
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 const (
+	LevelDBBackendStr   = "leveldb" // legacy, defaults to goleveldb.
 	CLevelDBBackendStr  = "goleveldb"
 	GoLevelDBBackendStr = "cleveldb"
 	MemDBBackendStr     = "memdb"
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ const (
 
 type dbCreator func(name string, dir string) (DB, error)
 
-var backends map[string]dbCreator
+var backends = map[string]dbCreator{}
 
 func registerDBCreator(backend string, creator dbCreator, force bool) {
 	_, ok := backends[backend]
diff --git a/go_level_db.go b/go_level_db.go
index 73c307b2..a16c5d9e 100644
--- a/go_level_db.go
+++ b/go_level_db.go
@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func init() {
-	registerDBCreator(GoLevelDBBackendStr, func(name string, dir string) (DB, error) {
+	dbCreator := func(name string, dir string) (DB, error) {
 		return NewGoLevelDB(name, dir)
-	}, false)
+	}
+	registerDBCreator(LevelDBBackendStr, dbCreator, false)
+	registerDBCreator(GoLevelDBBackendStr, dbCreator, false)
 }
 
 type GoLevelDB struct {
diff --git a/go_level_db_test.go b/go_level_db_test.go
index b7fe07bd..b5dad116 100644
--- a/go_level_db_test.go
+++ b/go_level_db_test.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ func BenchmarkRandomReadsWrites(b *testing.B) {
 	for i := 0; i < int(numItems); i++ {
 		internal[int64(i)] = int64(0)
 	}
-	db, err := NewCLevelDB(Fmt("test_%x", RandStr(12)))
+	db, err := NewCLevelDB(Fmt("test_%x", RandStr(12)), "")
 	if err != nil {
 		b.Fatal(err.Error())
 		return