Star Trek: Klingon Academy

A fierce space-battle scene immerses the player in the chaotic period of Klingon history two and a half years before the Camp Khitomer peace accords, and reveals the events that led to Star Trek VI. These are the Klingons we know and love from the original Star Trek series: violent, sworn enemies of the Federation, wracked by devastating civil wars. Into this political cauldron you are thrown, playing as an ambitious student in an academy famous for ordering attacks on Federation starbases for homework.

It is clear the designers are die-hard Trekkers; the interface, music, graphics, and acting exude Klingon attitude. You command your ship much as a real Klingon captain would. You personally control the weapons and navigation of your ship, and bark orders to your weapons officer, science officer, chief engineer, and other officers through a keyboard interface. Each order is accompanied by a verbal confirmation, and your officers also report to you verbally. The interface takes getting used to, but it really gets across the feeling that you are a commander of a starship crew instead of a lone pilot. There's nothing like hearing your officers yell "Sensors indicate incoming Starfleet vessels," and answering them with a growl of your own: "Arm all weapons!"

And my, what nice weapons you have. Klingon Academy's brilliant graphics let you obliterate the Empire's many foes in the most satisfying way. Think of the bit-by-bit starship destruction in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: warp nacelles belch plasma after a fierce disrupter barrage, flaming decks are revealed after your torpedoes blast a Federation ship's disc in half. And as in Khan, you can lure your foes into a variety of exotic combat environments, from icy planetary rings to charged nebulae, and even to the fiery corona of a star or the space-time bending horizon of a black hole.

All the action is tied together by a devious plot that threatens the honor and survival of the Empire. The game is a vast improvement over its predecessor, Starfleet Academy, and truly captures the look and feel of Star Trek's most popular warrior race. --Mike Fehlauer

Pros:

• Great music, graphics, and Klingon atmosphere
• Beautiful starship destruction
• Classic Klingon politics drive the missions, linked by entertaining filmed sequences
• Command interface makes it feel like you're commanding an entire crew

• Long load times when warping between systems