Star Trek computer games have had a rockier reception than a Tribble at a Klingon Rite of Ascension. Interplay and Quicksilver's Starfleet Command, though, may just go over like a plate of fine gagh. This real-time strategy game combines stories true to Trek mythos, a game system that's been around longer than the PC, and a top-notch 3D graphics engine to create a game that may please Trekkies and gamers alike.

What makes Starfleet Command a potential standout is its use of Starfleet Battles, the 20-year-old board/paper-based tactical starship combat game. This game system includes over 400 pages of documentation, much of it detailed technical information on the capabilities of dozens of starships. And because the game has been around so long, the play balance between ships is far beyond what most computer games manage.

Of course, a straight port of Starfleet Battles to the computer would appeal only to a niche audience and would do little to take advantage of the PC's strength. So Starfleet Command's developers are bringing in Starfleet Battles' ship data, combat system, and universe background and are wrapping a game system optimized for computer play around them.

If the version we played is any indication, this hybrid works very well, with no obvious signs of its original nature. For instance, the recharge rates of various weapons come from the turn-based paper game. While there aren't turns per se here - Starfleet Command is a real-time game - the game simply handles weapon charge rates proportionally. A phaser type that requires two turns to recharge in the paper game will take twice as long to charge as a weapon that requires only one turn.

If the game system is being changed to a real-time one, you may wonder just how much of Starfleet Battles remains. Try these for some of the major elements brought over: high-energy turns, erratic maneuvers, emergency deceleration, ECM/ECCM, probes, scatterpacks, suicide shuttles, wild weasels, tractor anchors, marines and hit/run raids, and defensive tractor beams. The last of these allows a truly enjoyable tactic: locking your tractor beam on an enemy and dragging him into an asteroid.

In the weapons department, carryovers include t-bombs and mines, shield and weapon arcs, breakdowns, phaser types (1, 2, 3, 4, and G), disruptors, photon torpedoes (including proximity), plasma torpedoes (R, S, G, and F), drones (called missiles here: type I and IV, slow, medium, and fast speeds), fusion beams, hellbore cannons, and overloaded weapons. Ship batteries, cloaking devices, move costs, turn rates, and damage control will work in ways familiar to Starfleet Battles players. In addition, more than 50 ship types (broken down into over 300 variants) have been brought over, as well as some space monsters and other items from the Starfleet Battles universe.

Next: Overseeing battles