​It’s interesting what you come to realize when you reflect upon just about anything, and since I’ve spent the past five, now six, weeks pondering upon my own journey through Star Trek Online, many new things have come to light for me when it comes to this majestic game. First and foremost, I’ve come to understand that I really, really, love this game through and through and second to that, it’s also become apparent that STO really moves you through the ranks quickly and packs in some serious storylines in the process because my crew and I saw a lot of combat and plowed through a lot of storylines during our early days in space.
 
To some, that may seem like the game is more or less rushing the player to the finish line, but this reflection time has also helped me to understand that there is a rhyme and reason for that kind of mad dashed game play, and it all relates to the spirit of the game. Because a Starfleet officer must be ready for anything at any level, and surprises will find their way to your hailing frequencies at any given moment and honestly, I’m glad the game more or less prepares skippers for that kind of dynamic change because now that I had reached Admiral, the stories were only going to get bolder and bigger from this point on and well, I felt ready for any challenge that STO was going to throw my way.
 
Thankfully though, the game did find a way to give me an anchor mentally, because the Galactica-A was going to be my home for the foreseeable future and well, she was coming along on some of those incredible journeys and the first one of note involved Deep Space Nine. Because the crew had been sent there to have a grand discussion with the other superpowers of the Alpha Quadrant in regard to a growing Borg threat and during this meeting, it became clear that while the game was going to up the ante storytelling wise, it was never going to stop with the fan service because holy crap, I was sitting in the conference room aboard Deep Space freakin’ Nine and to top it off, in the midst of our meeting, a throwback to the series came our way.
 
Because if you recall, in the DS9 episode, ‘Sacrifice of Angels’, the Prophets were kind enough to throw the Federation a bone by removing Dominion reinforcements from the wormhole. We never quite knew what happened to that fleet, just that they were sent away and well, it turns out that they were propelled into the future, to the exact moment where I was sitting in that Borg meeting and just like that we were plunged into a new and unexpected conflict where the station was once again under siege and my goodness, what a treat this turned out to be. Because this mission arc took me just about everywhere when it comes to the Deep Space Nine universe and this massive and sprawling story ended in explosive and magnificent fashion. 
 
For in the finale, ‘Boldly They Rode’, allied forces work to re-take the station with the help of Weyoun and the Founder who was captured at the end of the war and while it was awesome to navigate the station’s hull in an EV suit, and battle Jem’Hadar inside the station. Nothing compares to the cinematic space battle that took place outside the station. Because there were moments worthy of the silver screen in this sequence since I remember the Galactica swooping in from above (or as above as one can get in zero gravity) to save ships in peril in the midst of the battle and while that was cool in its own right, nothing that happened in this fight compared to the arrival of reinforcements, since that fleet was led by the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-F and just like that, my crew and I were suddenly fighting alongside a living legend namesake wise and that…will remain as one of the coolest moments I’ve ever enjoyed in this game.
 
Yet, what’s really incredible, is that this entire mission arc, was nothing more than an appetizer for the feast to come. Because even bigger stories were waiting on the horizon for me, something I didn’t think was possible. But our next big journey would take us to a region of space that I never thought I would explore in this game, the Delta Quadrant, and our arrival in this fascinating part of space meant that my crew and I would be working alongside more Star Trek legends and that particular tale is precisely where we will pick up next time. Until then. 

​There comes a point where you can determine exactly when a franchise is heading into decline. There’s just a particular entry in said saga that doesn’t feel quite right, as if the powers that be simply didn’t put their hearts into it and every single entry past that point is going to be the same bland malaise that bores instead of exciting the audience and well, when it comes to the Police Quest saga, that moment arrived in 1995 with the release of the incredibly disappointing fifth entry in the series, Police Quest: SWAT.
 
Now, when this came out, I have to admit that I was extremely excited to try something new when it comes to this franchise. After all, SWAT officers and what they do is rarely explored outside of action films and considering the incredible job the other games did in taking us inside the mind and career of a Detective, I was expecting this particular game to just blow me away. Because the possibilities were endless storytelling wise and I couldn’t wait to see what wonders would unfold when I popped the first CD into my computer and well, that’s where my wonder with this game comes to an end.
 
Because quite frankly, the biggest issue I have with this game, is the sheer fact that is completely and utterly devoid of an actual story, and that hurts this game something fierce. Because quality storytelling, in combination with police procedure is what made this franchise so great, but here…we are treated to three little vignettes wherein SWAT is needed to diffuse the situation and that’s basically it. You go in, work with your team to bring an offender to justice and then just pitter around headquarters and the shooting range as you wait for a variant of those vignettes to cycle around again and that’s just plain boring.
 
Which quite frankly is a shame because this game has a lot of cool elements going for it. For starters, the full motion video was top notch at the time, providing the player with an immersive and interactive experience and the gameplay was unique as well since you had to learn how to learn properly use SWAT gestures and radio chatter to complete your mission and man, those awesome improvements to the game are simply wasted thanks to the weak calls that SWAT is sent to, and the sheer lack of a cohesive storyline and well, this truly did signal the end of the franchise.
 
Because past this point, the Police Quest saga evolved into something far more by the numbers since the next sequel was a real time strategy game and the third entry was nothing more than a first person shooter where procedure was merely an echo and I am aware that a SWAT 4 came out as well, one that was tied to the franchise’s illustrious past by featuring Sonny Bonds, but I didn’t even bother playing it. Because my love of this saga ended here, simply because it was obvious the franchise had nothing special left to give and that’s okay. Because nothing lasts forever, and I can always go back and play those first four fantastic games when I’m in need of a little trip down memory lane.    

​When a particularly dark and powerful entry arrives in a franchise that we know and love, I think it’s safe to assume that we often wonder as to whether or not said franchise will take that darkness to the next level. Because to do so risks alienating the fan base and the future of the series since people do tend to gravitate away from heavy storyline after heavy storyline. But when it comes to the next entry in the Police Quest saga, Sierra On-Line saw the opportunity to tell a powerful story and went for broke when they released the supremely bleak fourth entry in the saga, Police Quest: Open Season.
 
Now I suppose in many ways, we should have seen this coming. Because a new gamerunner had taken over the series by way of former L.A.P.D. Police Chief Daryl F. Gates and with his arrival, came his many years of experience and a far more sprawling urban affair for the series. The location was moved from the fictional Lytton, California to the massive megalopolis that is Los Angeles and rather than see further adventures with Detective Sergeant Sonny Bonds we were instead introduced to Homicide Detective John Carey and well, the case that we join Detective Carey upon is quite a doozy to say the least.
 
Because this time around, there’s a serial killer prowling the streets of the City of Angels and it’s up to Carey to bring them down after Carey discovers that this murderer took down his best friend and former partner and well, that ugly setup, is merely the beginning for a gritty and powerful game that has the look and feel of an R-rated movie when all is said and done. In fact, this particular game holds nothing back when it comes to Carey’s job, going so far as to involve gang violence, Neo-Nazis and gore into the story, taking this franchise to a new level when it comes to realism and it doesn’t end with the story.
 
For the graphics in this game also improved to a whole new level, since it featured photographic backgrounds of Los Angeles, immersing the player into this grand and sprawling city and the experience was only further enhanced by the fact that close ups of the crime scenes in question are on display in high resolution and while staged, seeing the corpse of a bullet riddled child definitely gives the player a moment of pause, and there are some other surprises along the way that only add to the immersion factor that I won’t spoil here.
 
Because quite frankly, this game served as the apex for the series. It was bold, and brutal and I commend it for holding nothing back because it makes for one wild ride. But despite the fact that the series had discovered the perfect blend of storytelling and procedure, the gaming world was already evolving, and this style of adventure game was coming to an end, meaning that the series would need to evolve as well to stay viable and what came next was quite the radical, but entertaining departure…

Taboo is a word that gets thrown around the creative sector a lot, and with good reason. Because some topics truly disturb and unsettle and outright offend an audience, and if a filmmaker, writer or game designer goes too far, they risk their story becoming an outright failure, despite how brilliant their taboo themed tale may turn out to be. But sometimes, you run into a particular story that figures out the perfect balance of taboo and storytelling to provide the audience with an incredible and stunning tale, and one that meets that criteria that still stands out to me, is Police Quest III: The Kindred.
 
Now before we get too deep into the darker aspects of this story let’s take a moment and talk about the leaps and bounds this particular game makes graphically because PQ3 was quite the technical marvel when it was released. For starters, it featured a massive revamp visually since this adventure abandoned the bright and neon EGA graphics that served as a trademark for the original games, instead embracing the beauty of VGA and video capture for its characters, adding a whole new level of realism to this particular series and that’s important to the story, because it makes the taboo portion of this game a tad more disturbing in its own right.
 
Because this particular tale takes Sonny Bonds’ struggle with the Bains family to a whole new level since (SPOILERS) Jessie’s little brother takes the center stage in this story and he wants blood for his brother’s death and the first real dark element of this game is the sheer fact that he outright brutally attacks Sonny’s wife, which is something you just don’t see in gaming that often, and while murder is present in the other chapters of this game, it’s handled in traditional and accessible fashion and well, the surprises in this game don’t end there because dear Michael took his criminal career to a whole new level by dabbling in the dark arts.
 
In fact, I am still surprised over the fact that this game bothered to explore the whole notion of human sacrifice for Satanic purposes because that’s usually only a place the horror genre goes but it’s front and center in this story, and it is central to Michael Bains’ plans and well, it takes this game to a whole new level storytelling wise and well, credit is due to the writers of this story simply because they handle it just right. While it’s chilling enough to make your skin crawl, it’s handled in tasteful enough fashion to motivate you to finish the case and put an end to Michael’s madness.
 
But, wild and ugly storytelling aside, this game also signaled the end of an era for the series as well. Because the creator of this series, Jim Walls, would bid farewell to the Police Quest universe and well, he went out with a bang. Because this one, was a damn fine game through and through, and its foray into twisted places would set quite the precedent for this franchise as well. Because another law enforcement official would soon step in and provide his own dark vision for the series and it would serve as the most powerful game in the franchise to date…

​It seems that at this point in time, Hollywood and the gaming world have started to blend together nicely since we are seeing game companies release cinematic feasts for the eyes that are complete with layered and powerful scripts that unfold like a magnificent summer blockbuster as you plug ahead with your controller. But what’s truly amazing, is that what we are seeing now, is the direct result of years of trial and error in the gaming world, since many a title back in the day tried their best to suck us into an interactive movie.
 
But for every game that actually pulled off this impressive feat, there were plenty more waiting in the wings that simply stunk to high heaven thanks to poor acting and writing and everything in between. But of the many games that tried to create that perfect hybrid, several great ones came out of the Sierra On-Line lineup and one that continues to stick in my mind was the second chapter in the Police Quest saga, Police Quest II: The Vengeance, simply because this was a game that found a way to create that Hollywood magic despite its graphical limitations.
 
Now it accomplished such a feat, by working incredibly hard to create a story that completely and utterly drew you in and well, what better way to make that happen than by resurrecting some classic crime story tropes, like having the bad guy live up to the game’s namesake by bringing vengeance down upon those who helped lock him up and that works like a charm here. If anything, it’s the characters and the story that carry this sequel because this time around, we truly get to know Sonny Bonds, and our villain, Jessie Bains and the depth that comes with the people populating this tale adds gravity to the story and you quickly find yourself hungry to see Bains be brought to justice.
 
But, while the story blows me away to this day, the game never strays from the fundamentals that were established in the original. Which means that police work is still a big focus of this game, and it’s quite cool to see procedure work hand in hand with a Hollywood style script because the investigation that takes place after a shootout in the park simply feels like an extended scene in a movie, and of course, the clues one finds from the investigation are paramount to the plot and cutting corners will likely mean disaster for you down the line, forcing you head back and do things right.
 
All of these elements simply make for one fun ride. Because this game is fast paced and damn entertaining and oddly enough, the ‘enhanced’ EGA graphics that this game was designed with, almost serve as a throwback to the police films of the 1970’s and early 1980’s and I don’t know why, but I dig that retro feel when I play this one. Either way, for a long time this was one my favorite games to play for all the reasons I made mention of a moment ago, but this franchise wasn’t done pushing the proverbial envelope when it comes to gaming, and the next entry in this saga was about to take Sonny’s story to some supremely taboo and dark places…   

​Of the many wise words that Captain James T. Kirk offered up over the course of his illustrious Starfleet career, some of his final ones are on my mind today. I’m paraphrasing horribly, but in essence, I will never forget when Kirk told Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Generations that Picard should do everything and anything to stay in the Captain’s Chair, even going as far as to decline a promotion if one was offered to him because it could potentially keep him from making a difference and well, Kirk’s advice makes sense to this day. After all, we saw how he struggled with the role of Admiral, and how it took a demotion to bring true happiness his way again and well, that sage advice is on my mind today because when it comes to my fictional career in Starfleet in Star Trek Online, I was at a crossroads.
 
Because my time as Captain of the Challenger was coming to a close for one reason and one reason alone, it was time for another promotion and there was only one rank awaiting me at this point, Admiral, and that made me nervous. Because at this point in time, I did not have a clue if that promotion meant that I was going to be offered a desk job at Starfleet Command and somehow live vicariously through my crew from afar and as we warped back to Earth Space Dock, my mind was racing at what the potential succession plan was going to look for like for my crew and how on earth this game was going to remain fun from the confines of a desk.
 
But as soon as I put on my new Rear Admiral pips (which now allows for the title of this blog to fit perfectly), and slightly modified my uniform to look a touch more regal, because I wasn’t shedding that white top just yet, I waited too long to earn it, I came to discover, that with a war on, and other threats growing against the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet didn’t have the luxury of putting me behind a desk. I was going to be a field Admiral, and handle important matters on the frontlines and well, I was over the moon over the fact that I was still going to be in that chair and calling the shots, so after promoting my longest tenured officers to Commander as a reward for sticking with me, the time came at last to select my new vessel and once again, another boyhood dream came true.
 
For there is only one other class of starship that I admire, and that’s the Sovereign class, because I fell in love with the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E when she first appeared in First Contact and with my new rank came the ability to fly that class of vessel, and I didn’t even think twice in selecting that one, but this time around, I figured it was high time to exercise a little Admiral’s prerogative with this particular ship, and build my own vessel-centric legacy. So, the originally named U.S.S. Lexington received a quick name change to become the U.S.S. Galactica NCC-1775-A, because why not? It only seemed right to resurrect the namesake of the first vessel I ever commanded as a Lieutenant for my first posting as Admiral and I won’t lie, there was something supremely cool about taking the Galactica-A out of Space Dock for her first missions because well, to quote/paraphrase Captain Kirk once again, it felt like my crew had come home. 
 
But what mattered more, is that some incredible adventures came forth during my time as the skipper of this vessel, I mean come on, I got to fight the Borg while sitting in that chair, which was both cool and terrifying and of all the ships I had commanded to date, she was the scrappiest of them all, living up the tough nature this class of ship displayed on film and well, I grew quite fond of this vessel, and since Admiralty was where I was staying from here on out, she was with me as I went from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral, wherein I changed the uniform once again to all black with red and gold trim since I was one rank away from the top rank available in the game, Fleet Admiral and well, the arrival of the 1775-A in my own personal storyline, means that the Admiral’s Log is going to shift in design and tone going forward.
 
Because by being attached to one ship for so long, I won’t be able to fan boy over a new vessel in the foreseeable future, instead I can only discuss the awe of what I encountered out there in the void and that’s what we are going to dive into next as I reflect upon some of the magnificent missions the crew and I took part in and the wonder we found during said missions, like when I got my first real taste of the majesty of Deep Space Nine, or the sprawling story that came about when we ventured to the Delta Quadrant and most importantly, the power and wonder of the Iconian War, which featured some damn fine writing and some stunning episodes, and first up, is a look back at all of the surprises that came my way when I ventured to an out of the way space station, named Deep Space Nine. Until next time. 

​It doesn’t matter what particular medium a franchise is created within, if it has a great story to tell, I’ll be there to gobble it up. I’ll watch every single movie in the saga before buying them on Blu Ray. I’ll watch every single episode of a TV series before picking up the complete series collection on disc and if there’s a book collection available as well, you know that’s going to be on my bookshelf because great stories need to be celebrated and while I didn’t mention it at first because the market has changed, if there’s a particular collection available for a game series that features an engrossing story, well I will download that too.
 
But, as I said before, the market has changed when it comes to gaming, simply because now it’s about the graphics and the multiplayer experience over all else and while that’s not a terrible thing since people clearly enjoy it, I’ve just come to find this particular shift has made it harder to find a single player game that sucks you in with a powerhouse story, which has motivated me to dig around the web and find some of those classic games where the writing and the respective story outright blew me away and recently, I re-purchased the Police Quest Collection, a saga that truly captivated me when I was younger and man, what a joy it was to return to this series and re-play the supremely dark and powerful first entry in the series, Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel.
 
Now for those unfamiliar with this series and this particular entry in said series, it was originally released in 1987 by Sierra On-Line and well, it was truly the first of its kind. It was written by a former police officer and in order to solve the case in this game, you had to follow police procedure and hit the streets as a detective to uncover clues and leads and while that may sound boring to some, I ate it up. There was something supremely cool about stepping behind the badge and actually digging into police work to make the story to unfold and the sheer fact that it was the only way to properly accomplish the game, forced me to follow procedure to a tee.
 
But, I made mention of a quality story mattering over anything else and all the wonder of police work was grossly overshadowed in a good way by the wonderful story present in this game. Because the specter that ‘The Death Angel’ casts over the fictional city of Lytton is large and dark and that adds a sense of urgency to Sonny Bonds’ work on the case and every little wrinkle that unfolds in this mystery is just delightful and it leads to an awesome climax that leaves you hungry for more. 
 
If anything, this is a franchise that I make a point to revisit as often as possible, simply because I remember this one just drawing me in back in the day, to the point where I would simply lose track of time as I worked to solve the case and it still holds up to this day story wise and it’s one that I highly recommend if you’re into good police stories and love classic adventure games because this one, was a true gem through and through and in all honesty, it’s quite the shame that game companies don’t make them like this anymore.  

If there’s one thing I’ve always loved about writing, it’s the excitement that comes about in the writer’s mind when they reach a particular part of the story they’ve been dying to tell and well my fellow geeks and nerds, this is a part of my nerdy Star Trek: Online story that I’ve been itching to tell all of you. Because we’ve reached the moment where my journey through the stars reached an important milestone, one that satisfied a boyhood dream and kicked the game’s storylines into overdrive, because in today’s edition of The Admiral’s Log…I finally made it to Captain.
 
Now I know what you’re thinking; ‘Uh, dude, you’ve already been commanding a starship, so why are you getting all über-nerd about another promotion?’ and yes, you’re right, I’ve been sitting in the Captain’s chair of three separate vessels, but let’s be honest, it’s not the same thing as actually BEING the captain of a starship. Because lots of people of various ranks sit in that chair. I’m sure the night watch officer is a Lieutenant or a Lieutenant Commander and on away team missions, someone of similar rank is in charge of the space boat while I’m gone. So, while it’s been cool to be the boss, I’ve only considered myself the commander of the vessel, so having that rank is a big deal in my eyes.
 
Because there’s a certain mantra and air that comes with having the all-important four pips on the collar, and if you don’t believe me, just think about the famous Captains we’ve come to know when it comes to the various series this franchise has put forth, and ponder upon your thoughts when it comes to them and how their crews regarded them and you’ll understand what I mean. So, becoming a Starfleet Captain is simply a big deal, because these are the men and women that are in charge of some incredible decisions, and lead their crews into epic combat and experience stunning moments as their ships discover new life and new civilizations and at long last, that moment had arrived for me.
 
Which meant saying farewell to the U.S.S. Biffle a touch easier because I finally got to put on the shiny and fancy Captain’s uniform that skippers wear in 2409, and proudly display the four pips on my uniform that signaled my true arrival in the big chair and as an added bonus, I was able to select a new vessel, one that harkened back to my childhood once again. Because, the Star Trek franchise that I truly grew up with was The Next Generation, and the Galaxy Glass U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D was one of the most gorgeous starships I had ever laid eyes upon, which meant, now was the time to fly that class of ship and without a second thought, I chose it and mere moments later, I was stepping aboard that spacious Galaxy Glass bridge to take the newly commissioned U.S.S. Challenger out of Earth Space Dock.
 
If anything, this was quite the proud and glorious moment. I was finally a Starfleet Captain, and I was commanding a vessel that shared the beauty of the 1701-D and well, it seems as though the game also understood the importance of this moment for a nerd like me because much of the fan service I enjoyed prior to this simply disappeared and the missions for this leg of my journey seemed to focus on discovery over combat and trouble and I appreciated that. It really allowed for one to settle into the role and in a way prepare me mentally for things to come, because looking ahead at the mission roster, there were some ominous clues present in the upcoming episode titles, and while it was a blast to finally enjoy this boyhood dream, it too had to come to an end.
 
Which actually, made me a touch nervous, because the next rank that would await me was Rear Admiral, and I didn’t have a clue if that meant that somehow the game would take me out of the Captain’s Chair, something that is a bad thing, a point reinforced by James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Generations. But, the promotion was coming one way or another, as were some incredible stories and while my time as a Captain was far shorter than I would have liked for it to be at the time, at least I finally got to enjoy that all important rank and well, I would come to learn that Admiralty isn’t all that bad, since some pretty cool privileges come with it and that’s where we will pick up, next time. Until then. 

​In this sequel hungry world, wherein many of us ponder as to whether or not a particular saga deserves another chapter when it’s already received so many, sometimes the sequel truly is a necessity. Because if the story is that rich and that good, there needs to be more, and quite frankly, if the tale in question is so close to properly wrapping everything up, then a sequel simply has to happen in order to give the story the justice it deserves and in the winter of 1993, a sequel that met all of that criteria just so happened to be waiting for me under the Christmas tree that year.
 
Because in November of that year, Interplay decided it was high time to release the next chapter in their computerized Star Trek saga and they delivered unto us a direct sequel to the stellar 25th Anniversary and my goodness, did Interplay provide us with one incredibly geeky and awesome ride. For Star Trek: Judgment Rites is hands down one of my absolute favorite computer games of all time for several reasons, and the biggest of one all, relates to the story, since the script for this particular game was about as good as it gets.
 
For in this particular game, the writers went above and beyond to bring to life something that was never found when it comes to The Original Series, arc-based storytelling, and they pulled it off in impressive fashion. Because, aside from a sequel episode to the finale of 25th Anniversary to kick things off, initially it truly seems as though you’re just enjoying an upgraded sequel to the aforementioned first game, and that this iteration is going to consist of more self-contained missions for the crew of the Enterprise. But as the story begins to progress, you come to realize there’s something bigger at work when it comes to the story and that allows for one compelling ‘season finale’ to come to fruition and the build-up to it is equally as amazing.
 
But, all storytelling aside, there are other elements that make this game a joy to play, like the fact that Interplay worked hard to upgrade the graphics system to provide the player with a far more cinematic experience, and the expansion pack that arrived later on only helped to further that experience and Interplay really did do a fine job with this. Because the graphics here are downright breathtaking at times and truly capture the magic of the series and that enhancement alongside the return of the original cast for voiceover work made this an extremely special game for one unexpected reason.
 
Because Judgment Rites serves as the final adventure of the original cast of the show because DeForest Kelley would never again play the role of Leonard McCoy and the rise of The Next Generation in film and the power of Deep Space Nine would signal a shift in the Star Trek universe and games featuring those crews were to follow. But this final ride with Kirk and company is one that I revisit as often as I can, since this game is also available to buy online these days, due to the fact that it is a proper and respectful send off to the original crew of the NCC-1701 and the quality storytelling found here, set a high bar for future Star Trek games to come. 

I’ve always found it fascinating how a television show, movie or game or book can suddenly elicit waves of nostalgia in your mind, and how it comes straight out the blue. Because you’ll be watching or mashing buttons and just like that, a memory flashes in your mind and since I’ve been taking the time to recap my experiences in Star Trek: Online, it would seem my brain is sifting through all things Trek at the moment, since reminiscing about one game led to another since I found myself pondering upon a true Star Trek gaming gem in Star Trek: 25th Anniversary.
 
Now for those unfamiliar with that title, this is a game that premiered during the golden era of PC Gaming and well, it was a highly anticipated one to say the least, simply because it was about to go where no game had gone before. This release from Interplay, promised us something incredibly bold, a living and breathing season of The Original Series where you would be able to climb aboard the Enterprise and play as the iconic characters we came to know and love and well, I saved up an entire summer to get my hands on this one, for obvious reasons.
 
But, all nerdy joy aside, what made this game so great is that it delivered on its promise, since this game genuinely feels like season four of the show, since it is comprised of multiple episodes wherein the crew of the NCC-1701 must work together to figure out puzzles and conflicts in order to move the story forward and as an added bonus, you get to enjoy a little space combat along the way and the end result of this formula was downright magnificent. For it truly felt as though I was a part of the golden era of Trek thanks to the sense of adventure this game provided and the quality writing that was featured in every single episode.
 
Yet, what was truly stunning is how this game was further enhanced well after its release, because the popularity of it and the warm reception it received prompted Interplay to revamp the game by releasing a special CD edition of 25th Anniversary that featured brand new voice overs from the cast of the show and well, this was downright magical. Because suddenly, you were alongside William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley and this…was a dream come true and it truly took the game to a whole new level and truthfully, I must have replayed this game hundreds of times to get my Star Trek fix.
 
However, while this brought nothing but joy for me, it wasn’t until many years later that I came to realize what a pioneering game this turned out to be. Because this is one of the first games to feature celebrity and original cast related voiceovers and for the time, it pushed computer graphics to their maximum capabilities as well. In fact, I recall having to save up for another summer to buy a better graphics card to make this game run seamlessly. But what matters most, is that this game captured the spirit of Star Trek and if by chance you want to try this one out for yourself, it’s available online and I strongly encourage you to do so since this game, comes from a time where the story and the experience in a computer game, mattered above all else.