I must admit - I don’t like this game. It uses a very complicated interface, the missions/campaigns do not merge together to form a coherent storyline. Controlling your ship in a mock 3D environment (it's basically 2D), is frustrating to say the least.

Even with the patch installed, the game is still sluggish, crashes at random intervals and quite frankly, doesn't live up to the standards that I expect from Interplay.

There is a sequel to this game, called Starfleet Command 2.

Starfleet Command, created by Interplay's 14 Degrees East division and Quicksilver Software, boldly goes where no Star Trek game has gone before.

Based loosely on the incredibly deep cult-favourite Starfleet Battles tabletop game, Starfleet Command models ship-to-ship combat Star Trek-style. The ships are huge, slow moving, and powerful; combat is a delicate and complicated mix of energy management, tactics, and real-time strategy. And everything comes together seamlessly to provide not only the best Star Trek game ever, but probably the best naval simulation I've ever played.

Starfleet Battles fans will be pleased to see many of their favourite rules and tactics implemented so well. High-energy turns, missiles, and other popular tricks are balanced well here. Sure, it isn't a direct translation, but the development teams are obviously fans of the work.

Given the complexity of Starfleet Battles, it should be clear that this game is not for the casual. There is a lot to absorb here and jumping into a skirmish or into one of the six campaigns is not advised until you play through at least the Federation tutorial. There, Star Trek, alumnus George Takei (Sulu) will use his bass voice to guide you through the plethora of combat, repair, and energy options available. The learning curve is very steep, but you'll appreciate all the complications once you begin to master them. This game has legs, more than enough single-player gameplay to keep you going for months,...and multiplayer action that will truly test your skills.

Once you get the hang of the game, you'll find a lot to keep you busy. There are six different races, all with their own ships, weapons, and campaigns. The races run from the familiar -- Federation, Klingon, and Romulan -- to the more exotic -- Gorn, Hydran, and Lyran. A few non-playable races are thrown in as well to make the campaigns more interesting. The campaign mode is dynamic and generates random missions on the fly. Unfortunately, one failing here is that you always know what to expect; since Starfleet Command primarily employs a tactical combat engine, all encounters generally are of the "kill that guy" nature. The Hydrans may be developing a new weapon, prompting a swift Lyran attack. The Federation may be searching for a disabled vessel caught in Klingon territory. Or, my favourite thus far, the Klingons may be hell-bent on attacking the home planet of their hated enemy, the Tribbles.

The campaign lets you rise in the ranks of your chosen government, acquire new craft, spend prestige points you gain from successful missions, and even chart a course into enemy territory for more demanding missions. As previously noted, the campaign is dynamic and you'll find that politics do change. Since the game takes place around the time line of the original Star Trek series films (though, technology-wise you can play in the "Early", "Middle," or "Late" period), you'll find politics happening... all around you. In one Klingon campaign, we were at war with the Romulans and Hydrans; in another, it was the Federation who was the enemy.

One element that will keep you riveted to your monitor is the graphics engine. The ships are sleek, weapons effects are stunning and, later, when you participate in massive fleet battles, the eye-candy is delightfully overwhelming.

Starfleet Command's main strength -- something that Interplay's Starfleet Academy lacked -- is the Trek realism. These ships fight the way they do on celluloid -- slowly and deliberately, tactically and deadly.

There is only one major technical gripe worth mentioning, but it is something that we hope will soon be fixed with a patch -- the opening load time is insane. On my high-end computer (Pentium 2 450, 128 MB of RAM, full install), it took around one minute to load the game; but once in, the load times are manageable.

Starfleet Command is a tour de force of war gaming. With a full multiplayer suite, customisable skirmish encounters, six playable races, dynamic campaigns, and sweet graphics, the game will stay on my hard drive for a long, long time. Above all, Starfleet Command shows the venerable Trek license can live long and prosper, if put into the right hands.

Cheats

 Patch

Additional Missions:

Game Manual For Addon Missions

Klingon Federation Gorn Romulan Hydran

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