STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT

The Enterprise is Starfleet's most impressive limousine, Jim. She'll guarantee a royal reception for our bigwigs at that local coronation." You smile knowingly as you recall the instructions from Starfleet Command. The Enterprise will carry diplomats to Gothica to ensure that the Federation makes a good impression. But this part of her voyage is merely a first step.

Evidence of a new and unknown civilization has been found. The ultimate goal for your starship and crew is to avoid Klingon suspicion and make First Contact. The Federation has chosen you, Captain James T. Kirk, to be the first to encounter and befriend the aliens.

The dual mission of the Enterprise has begun. "Sulu set course for Gothica. Uhura notify Starfleet of our departure. Spock warp factor one." Apparently, all is well. But appearances can be deceiving.

Enhancing your mission are these features:

• Graphics display of important locations, objects, and aliens
• Detailed Captain's Log generated by the ship's computer and expandable by you, Kirk
• Access to comprehensive files in the Enterprise data banks, including a trove of STAR TREK lore
• Dramatic sound effects

~ from the back of the box

In the 1980s, a number of Star Trek text adventures hit store shelves thanks to Simon & Schuster. Not to be confused with the 1996 movie, Star Trek: First Contact, released in 1988, is the third and last in their series and while they do have their merits, each one of them is ultimately standard fare for the genre.

As Captain James T. Kirk, you command the crew of the Enterprise on a diplomatic mission to Gothica, where some ambassadors in your charge will preside over a coronation. This is supposed to bring stability to the region and confirm their people alliance to the Federation and away from the Klingons. Naturally, all is not what it seems and you are soon embroiled in a conspiracy where the very balance of peace and unity is at stake.

While most actions are performed via a text parser, you can move by using the arrow keys, which makes exploring locations much easier than other adventures. The problem comes with everything else. You'll have to be exact with your speech patterns, aping the Captain as he barks orders. This means that you'll spend most of the time thinking about sentence structure than solving the puzzle at hand - a flaw all but the most revered interactive novels possess.

While the game can be completed within half an hour if you're a speed reader and know what you're doing, it is overall an entertaining and often gripping story. There is also some pixellated graphics that pop up occasionally, which the previous two (also included as a bonus) don't have.

I've included the previous two games as well, The Kobayashi Alternative (1985) is perhaps the most basic, tasking you with finding an alternative exam to the infamous Kobayashi Maru. The Promethean Prophecy (1986) is a little more exciting, taking place on the planet known as Prometheus Four after a damaging encounter with a Romulan Bird of Prey. Out of all three, the murder mystery aspect of First Contact, along with the better writing and graphical techniques, is the best of the three.

Interactive Fiction is something of a niche genre nowadays, and one many may have trouble getting into. If you are a fan of Star Trek, the original stories held within will be more than worth it. For everyone else, there are better examples of the genre to boldly go where you may not have gone before.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Three Manuals, two Reference Guides, a Precedures Manual and three Walktrhoughs included. Press Ctrl-F4 to swap discs when prompted. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 46.2 Mb.  Install Size: 55 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative is © Simon & Schuster Software
Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy is © Simon & Schuster Software
Star Trek: First Contact is © Simon & Schuster Software
Star Trek is © Paramount Pictures
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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