Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Starfleet Academy splits time between 3-D starship battle action and 220 minutes of full-motion video sequences--particularly crisp in the Starfleet Academy DVD-ROM version--to drive the often-engaging storyline. During combat situations, you must tediously maintain ship systems such as energy allocation while using the limited controls to battle a graphically unimpressive series of hostile starships. The mix of starship simulation and battle action never does come together. If you're hoping to watch William Shatner squeeze into the Starfleet uniform one more time, you might enjoy Starfleet Academy as more of a movie experience than a game. However, if you're gunning for intense space combat action, look elsewhere. --Doug Radcliffe