The 1995 Collector's CD-ROM is still considered the best version of TIE Fighter.

There have actually been several versions of TIE Fighter that have been published over the years. There's the original 1994 release, which shipped on 3.5-inch floppy disks. Then there was the 1995 Collector's CD-ROM version, which many consider to be the most definitive and best version of the game. The Collector's CD-ROM packs the original game with the two expansions, and it doubles the resolution to 640x480, which improved the graphics immensely. Sadly, the Collector's CD-ROM is all but impossible to run on Windows XP.

The Collector's CD-ROM should not be confused with the version of TIE Fighter that shipped with the X-Wing Collector Series in 1998. That version actually retrofitted the game to use the 3D-accelerated graphics engine built for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Unfortunately, the 1998 version loses something in the translation, including the excellent iMuse music system. But if you have Windows XP, the 1998 version is the only version of TIE Fighter you can play, though you'll need to do a little tinkering to make it run properly.

The 1998 version improves the graphics, but it's not as great as the Collector's CD-ROM.

TIE Fighter is one of those rare sequels that not only outshines its illustrious predecessor, it obliterates it. When LucasArts released X-Wing in 1992, it finally delivered the dream of flying the fabled X-Wing fighter to a generation of fans weaned on George Lucas' epic movie trilogy. Forget about the classic Star Wars arcade game, which was essentially a rail shooter; X-Wing was the first game to let you fly around the Star Wars universe, battling waves of TIE Fighters as you attempted to help the Rebel Alliance defeat the evil Galactic Empire. However, X-Wing did have its flaws; most notably, it was a notoriously difficult game. If you could beat X-Wing, you practically deserved a medal ceremony like that in the original Star Wars. Enter TIE Fighter, the 1994 sequel to X-Wing. It goes without saying that the development team listened to the feedback from X-Wing, but what happened next was almost magical, as the team subtlety and cleverly reworked the gameplay to make what many still rank as one of the greatest PC games of all time.

As its name suggests, TIE Fighter lets you participate in the galactic civil war as a pilot, but this time from the perspective of the Galactic Empire. In most games where you start off playing for the "bad guys," there's usually a point midway in the plot when you realize that you've been on the "evil" side all along, so then you switch to the "good guys." Not so with TIE Fighter. In a smart move, the game doesn't flinch from portraying the Empire as a force for peace and order and the Rebel Alliance as malcontents who would let anarchy and chaos reign throughout the galaxy. The story is nothing short of inspired as it weaves together elements from the movies and Timothy Zahn's acclaimed novels. Moreover, the designers were able to use the story in a way that lessens the difficulty curve; most missions have a primary, secondary, and secret objective. In order to advance to the next mission, all you have to do is accomplish the primary objective. Meanwhile, accomplishing the secondary objectives will help build an impressive medal case. But most players were motivated by the secret objectives, which open up an intriguing subplot regarding a secret imperial society. Star Wars fans will recall that Mara Jade once served as the Emperor's Hand, or his personal assassin and agent. In TIE Fighter, you can become the Emperor's Reach, or his finest fighter pilot, if you're good enough. And what self-respecting gamer would reject that challenge?

Of course, this brilliant storyline would go to waste if it wasn't tied to an equally brilliant gameplay. Most console space action games are heavily scripted affairs; you just "fly" around and enemy fighters mindlessly appear in front of you at close range for you to blast them. There's hardly any skill required, and you never really have to think about tactics or maneuvers or where everything else is in relation to each other (an important ability that real fighter pilots call situation awareness.) In TIE Fighter, you have to worry about all those things, as it's as much a simulator as it is an action game. As you dart toward a battle, you must quickly analyze the primary threats and get one or two missile shots off. After that, there's no choice but to dive wholeheartedly into the fray, which is often an insane dogfight consisting of fighters and capital ships everywhere. More importantly, there's a real sense that there is a full-fledged battle going on regardless of your presence. You still have an important role as a catalyst of events, but the beauty of TIE Fighter is that you can replay a mission five times and it can unfold five different ways, depending on the chain reaction of events.

Everything else about TIE Fighter is top notch, including the mission design, which is paced to perfection. By the end of the game, you find yourself hurtling toward your destiny, fighting to survive in ever-larger battle after battle, and wondering where it will all lead. The game feels driven by the superb iMuse interactive music system, which is still one of the best we've ever heard. Put it all together and TIE Fighter is a game that has no real weaknesses. TIE Fighter isn't just the pinnacle of LucasArts' golden age, when the company could seemingly do no wrong; it is also the best space sim ever. TIE Fighter is also a game screaming for a sequel, and despite the fall from grace of the space sim genre, we hope that someday LucasArts will agree that the time is long past for a TIE Fighter II.

Some gamers fondly remember Doom and Quake levels. I like to remember TIE Fighter levels. Battle 2, Mission 5, is one of my favorite missions. You fly a basic TIE Fighter in a mission to escort TIE Avenger fighters being delivered to a carrier by technicians. Of course, those pesky rebels show up, and what was an orderly delivery becomes a desperate fight to protect the TIE Avengers while simultaneously trying to stay alive. And staying alive is not a particularly easy thing to do in a TIE Fighter, as the things are veritable death traps with no shields. But that's what makes it all the more exciting, and this mission is a blast to play over and over again.