ColecoVision version of Star Trek
Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator is a space combat action game by
Sega Electronics, Inc. first released in arcades in 1983 and shortly after ported to
several home computers and consoles. Inspired by the original Star Trek T.V. series and movies, in the game players control the
Starship Enterprise with the goal of defending the Federation from a powerful enemy known as NOMAD.
The game features a split screen; at the top is a radar scanner showing the location of the Enterprise along with other ships and objects along with gauges
indicating the Enterprise's status. The bottom of the screen shows a first-person view from the bridge allowing players to target and fire at obstacles.
Each round features one or more dangers that need to be destroyed or avoided before moving on to the next round.
Dangers include Klingon Cruisers,
Anti-Matter Saucers, meteors, mines, and the final boss, NOMAD. The Enterprise has a limited energy shield; collision with any obstacles or being hit by enemy
fire will drain the shield. If the shield is completely drained of energy, the game is over. To destroy opponents, the Enterprise has phasers which can
be fired an unlimited number of times along with a limited number of more powerful photon torpedoes. The last defense is the Enterprise's warp drive; this
can be utilized to quickly get out of a dangerous situation by safely transporting the ship to another location.
Each round in the game features one or more Starbases; by docking at a Starbase, players can replenish the Enterprise's energy shield and stock up on
photon torpedoes. The Klingons will often attempt to destroy the Starbases; while defending Starbases is not required to continue the game, preventing them from
being destroyed is desirable if possible as docking with them to restore the Entrprise makes survival easiers plus bonus points are awarded at the end
of each round for remaining Starbases.
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