Much better than the official review makes it out to be. An improvement over Star Wolves 2.
Anyway, I'm having good fun with Star Wolves 3. Some of the annoyances from 2 are gone, such as the ship getting stuck on the stations and destroying itself. There are new lighting effects and a large number of new items you can buy. The fact that generation 1 fighters are still sold at this point in the game timeline is actually rather surprising, but they serve a purpose as the only fighters that rookie pilots are able to fly. There are a also a number of new fighters. Over the course of the game, there are a few missions that offer you a chance to upgrade your mothership. The first one is mandatory but after that you are given the option of turning it down.
Oddly you do not play as the "Star Wolves" mercenary group in this game, despite the title. You play as one of the wandering Traders that carries cargo from one place to another. Your character quickly realizes that it's wise to carry a big gun, or several in this case, as well as to bring friends.
Your mothership operates more like Star Wolves 1, where it's controlled by the computer AI, and not like Star Wolves 2, where the ship was controlled by a 2-person crew. As such, it doesn't have a skill tree. Fortunately, fighters nearby still seem to get some experience for the mothership's kills.
If you enjoyed either or both of the previous Star Wolves games, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well. It offers more items, more fighters, and opportunities to upgrade your mothership along the way (although you can't just purchase a ship whenever you have enough money the way you can with fighters). In addition, the ships can now be upgraded with fixed cannons for ship-to-ship combat in addition to the turrets.