DESCRIPTION

"Beam me to the surface of the M-class planet, Scotty, preferably in the vicinity of an Arcade. I want to brush up on my captaining skills by playing a few rounds of Sega's Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator."

Captain Kirk entered the darkened room, eagerly pulled a 20th century quarter from his boot and carefully placed it in the machine. Two security guards (outfitted in red shirts) stayed near the entrance, their phasers set on stun.

Kirk grinned at the primitive (by 23rd century standards) but colorful vector graphics and the mimicked voices of his crew members. He grasped the rotary control with his left hand and took the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. His right hand hovered over a couple of buttons, which were used for photon torpedoes, phasers, warp and impulse...

Suddenly, you feel a tapping at your shoulder. You turn around, hoping it is an alien chick-of-the-week who is wearing nothing but a few pieces of strategically-placed cloth. Unfortunately, it is a longhaired freak with terrible garlic breath. He is wearing a flannel shirt and faded blue jeans. "Hurry up, man," he says as he begins stacking quarters on your machine. "What are you waitin' for?"

Your daydream spoiled by a Neanderthal, all you can do is turn around and begin the game.

The screen for Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator is split into three sections. The upper left displays energy readings for the shields, the ship's warp status, your score and the number of photon torpedoes on hand. The upper right section shows the entire sector, with starbases represented by squares and Klingons by triangles. The Klingon ships destroy starbases and will try to ram your ship. The bottom first-person point-of-view screen is where you engage the enemy in combat.

In addition to battling Klingons, you will face anti-matter saucers which rob the Enterprise of warp drive if they touch the ship. If you survive the early attack waves, you will face Nomad, the mad superdroid, and its defensive minefield.

Every time the Enterprise is hit, it loses one shield unit. To fix a weakened ship or to refuel, you can dock with any starbase in the area. A man with a Scottish accent (Scotty, I presume?) will notify you when the damage has been repaired.

"Beam me up, Scotty," you whisper after the game ends. "I'm out of quarters, and a strange alien being is breathing down my neck." ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide