By Brad Cook

Attention recruits: hostilities have broken out along the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. We need your help fighting this war.

You’ll be at the helm of a ship from one of five classes of starcraft, each of which can be upgraded with better weapons by snaring power-ups scattered around the battlefield. Other types of power-ups grant you special abilities you can use just once, such as invulnerability, deadly quantum torpedoes, or a temporal shift that briefly slows down time.

When destruction is imminent, eject in an escape pod; if you survive, you’ll bring nearly all your weapon strength to your new ship. Destroyed ships and escape pods drop weapon upgrades, so keep your eyes open for them.

• Fighter: Quick and nimble, fighters let you swoop in, fire at the enemy in any direction, and zip away from danger. Upgrades unleash spread shots and launch missiles. The downside: little in the way of shields, so don’t get caught in a crossfire.
• Bomber: This ship is similar to the fighter, but its forte is dropping explosives in its wake. Upgrades bring more powerful blasts, as well as the ability to release fragments that offer secondary detonations.
• Flagship: The slowest ship you’ll control, the flagship is also the most powerful and heavily-shielded of the five classes. Its weapons include photon torpedoes that lock onto their targets and auto-firing phasers that are perfect for close-range attacks. Upgrades make both even more devastating.
• Support Frigate: You’ll need to stick close to your fellow captains if you choose this ship. Your mission is to lock onto friendly craft with your primary weapon and heal its shields. The same technique will allow you to destroy asteroids and enemy escape pods.
• Missile Cruiser: This ship’s shields and speed are average, and its rate of fire is the slowest of all the classes, but its missiles pack a powerful punch. When upgraded, they lay waste to enemy ships.

D-A-C

Your combat missions will take you to six different battlefields. You will encounter three types of fights:

• Team Deathmatch: This is an all-out slugfest between Federation and Romulan forces. You’ll need to kill as many of the enemy as you can; when a predetermined number of deaths is reached, that side wins. I expect it to be ours.
• Assault: You’ll need to work with your fellow captains if you want to succeed here. The side on offense must capture three control points in sequence and then destroy the final one to win that round. If you fail, the defensive side wins. After the round, the offense goes on defense and vice-versa. After two rounds, the winner is the side that captured and destroyed the most control points and did so the fastest. Need I say who I expect that to be?
• Conquest: Two neutral control points are up for grabs; capture them and unlock the other side’s base control point. Capture that and our side wins. Losing a neutral control point relocks the enemy’s base control point; don’t let that happen. If time runs out, the neutral control points disappear and both base control points permanently unlock. If that occurs, I expect a coordinated effort to capture the enemy’s base control point and end the battle.

If you need some practice before heading into live combat, I recommend fighting with and against AI captains.

Parting Words

None of us asked for this war. The enemy is ruthless and diabolical. They will do everything they can to disrupt your attacks. Don’t let them. Coordinate your efforts. Learn each ship’s strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage on the battlefield. Plan a strategy and stick to it.

We’re counting on you. Make us proud. Don’t let your people down.

Conquest. The Federation fights to keep a control point in its possession.

Federation vs. Empire. A team deathmatch gets underway.

Live Long and Shoot Lots of Stuff. Yes, the Federation flagship is the Enterprise. Or a ship that looks just like it.

If you liked this game, check out:

• Battlefield 2142
• EVE Online: EVE Online: Dominion
• Homeworld 2
• Star Trek: Elite Force II
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Star Wars: Empire at War
• X3: Reunion
• X3: Terran Conflict
• Vendetta Online

System Requirements:

• Mac OS X version 10.5.8
• Intel Core Duo processor
• 2GB of RAM
• Video Card: ATI X1600, Nvidia 8600GT, or later
• 450MB hard disk space