Star Trek: Bridge Commander puts you in the seat of a faceless captain of a Galaxy Class Starship after her captain is killed in an away mission. The USS Dauntless -- think a re-branded USS Enterprise D -- is a majestic ship that you will command for a better part of half of the game. The latter part you are given command of the prototype USS Sovereign, again think a re-branded Enterprise E, where the game unfolds.

Bridge Commander plays out like a series of episodes from the television series. Taking place right after the Dominion war which concluded concurrently with the conclusion of the Deep Space Nine series, you are sent to investigate a number of hostile Cardassian attacks. These attacks are significant because as part of the peace treaty with the allied coalition, the Cardassians are forbidden from building up military forces. Totally Games beautifully brings the life of the capital ship fights of the TV series and movies to life on your computer, which shows the range of the developer and their ingenuity in space combat. While some see the starship battles of Star Trek to play a rather low key compared to the hundreds upon hundreds of fighters taking on each other in Star Wars, I am a true ST junkie, and love my massive ships with lots of weapons and damage.

The game’s interface would be familiar to anyone who has ever watched the show. Using your mouse you are able to control your captain’s head (which spins 360 degrees) and give orders to a number of different stations on the bridge. During battles and peace, you must regulate your ships power reserves to keep your warp core stabilized. You can also command the helm to take you where you want to go, sensors to see what is out there, and weapons to blow what ever it is up.

The game is split into two main sections, as previously mentioned. The beginning, while commanding the Dauntless, is exploration and saving defenseless outposts, protecting mercenaries and blowing up space debris. Once you gain command of the Sovereign, things really pick up in the battle end of the spectrum. You no sooner get done defeating a fleet of Galor Cruisers when you are hit with a new round. You can, between battles, return to Starbase to get repairs and reload your supply of torpedoes.

The game really does have a Star Trek feel to it. The LCARS menu system, seen post-Original Series, is recreated to the finest detail. The bridge of your ship, although slightly altered to accommodate the different aspects that you will be commanded is a spot on recreated taken from the show.

Graphics are generally very well done. The textures are crisp and the space battle sequences are amazing to watch. Although the character models seem like more of an afterthought and look as though they are made out of only 20 to 30 polygons at most. Particle and lighting effects, again especially in the space battles with the outside view, are amazing. Your ship shows different degrees of damage depending on the severity of the hit. From a blackened hull to a full rupture with multiple decks exposed, the game stays true to the series.

Along with staying true to the series is the addition of the voice talent from Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner, Captain Picard and Lt. Commander Data respectively. Although their characters’ mouths don’t move with the words being spoken, it does add to the familiarity of the characters with the correct voices added.

Sound is also very much above average. From every torpedo hit, to every phaser burn on the hull, the game’s sound does ample to work of your sound card and speakers. Even featured are familiar Star Trek audio cuts from the series.

While the game does offer a fair amount of gameplay, unless you put it on a higher difficulty, you will be done in a matter of hours. The game is very easy to beat, almost too easy on the lower levels, but for those looking to have their chance at an interactive episode of the series, this is for them. Your first officer, whose name escapes me at the moment, is the most annoying bitch the universe has ever seen. Fire a simple torpedo at the wrong target and she goes squawking about how she is taking command, and calling Starfleet. Blah, blah, blah, you thought Captain Janeway was bad, this is worse. I had hoped for a phaser, or to order my security officers to place her under arrest, but alas, my hopes have not been answered.

Fortunately enough, the game doesn’t suffer from any glaring problems that remove the gamer from the experience. Bridge Commander is an excellent game that Totally Games has done an excellent job on bring to life. While notably short, it does offer enough variety in the missions to give it a second or third play through on a higher difficulty. Now we can only hope for an expansion or a sequel, either one would be happily accepted by this reviewer.