It is pretty tough but, if you drag a cooker or washing machine etc over it then it will scratch. (I did this in my livingroom floor before I replaced with carpet)
Amtico and karndean are used on commercial premises so it is a pretty tough solution. I installed it throughout the lower floor of my home and had it down for anumber of years. My two year old decided to plug in the iron one day and left it on the middle of the hall floor and it began to melt.
It is a good option for floating floors when tiling is not an option in my opinion especialy the likes of bathroom floors that wont get the same abuse as kitchens and hallways.
If installing over a chipboard floor it is common practice to sheet the floor with 6mm ply and feather finishing all the joints on the ply. A good floor layer will work cleanly and clean the floor with white spirit to ensure that there is no glue seeping through the joins as this will grab lots of dirt over time and reduce the effect of the floor. If you choose a wood effect vinyl tile I would suggest choosing one with the bevel edge as this is more realistc than the square edge ranges. Polyflor do a slightly cheaper option called Camaro.
Amtico and karndean will last for years if installed properly, I have had my floor down in the hall for 6 years.