Enter the world of Star Trek Voyager, the legacy of shows that have explored everything from alien conflicts to heartfelt romances. The back-story is simple, yet perplexing in its own way. Voyager was transported 70 million light years to the Delta Quadrant by an entity known as the Caretaker. The Caretaker believed that Voyager could in some way help him to protect a race of creatures called the Occompa from their battling race named the Kazon. The only way to send Voyager back to the Alpha Quadrant would be the Caretaker, and Captain Janeway destroyed him.

Fast forward six years, and we have Elite Force. In order to deal with the increasingly hostile situations that Voyager gets into, Captain Janeway and Tuvok have created the Hazard Team (that you will eventually command) to deal with these less than pleasant situations.

Raven has done a number to make this game exactly like the TV show that we all know and love. From the computer voice (Editor’s note: The computer voice is that from Deep Space Nine, and not Voyager) to the LCARS menu system that can be seen in all of the modern series and movies to the authentic sound effects from all of the series. Raven must pride themselves on the realism this game imposes upon the fan; everything is how it should be, and this game alone gives any Star Trek fan their ultimate dream come true — an opportunity to roam around the halls of Voyager and be one of the team.

Truly, there is only one company that can create dynamic games using id technology and that is Raven Software. Since the days of Hexen, Raven has used id engines to create games that were worthy of the high ratings they received. Recently, they released Soldier of Fortune using the somewhat dated Quake II Engine. Elite Force is Raven’s first foray into using the Quake III: Arena engine, and their past experiences with the technology helped them greatly. Dynamic lighting effects, awesome particle weapon streams, amazing high-quality textures and vast environments all are featured throughout.

The Quake engine is known for its use of curves, and the Star Trek universe isn’t shy to them. Some of the more complex, and organic, levels have lots of curves to them to add to the experience that you have really entered this universe.

Taking a queue from Half-Life, the game features about a half-dozen "choose-points" where you must choose the outcome of the situation. One such incident: Do you raise a force field that will trap a member of your crew behind to be killed, or do you wait until he is out of danger to erect it, but risk destroying the entire ship? Sadly, after about half of the game, these decision instances fade off and more hardcore action fills the gap.

Raven uses both FMV cinematics and in-game cutscenes to relay bits and pieces of the story. The FMV is used on external views of the ship and other vessels inside of the Forge’s influence. The in-game cutscenes are used when characters interact, and when you are giving the mission briefing. Both are very well done, especially the beginning logo reel.

One thing that Star Trek has always been known for is the dynamic music that seems to some of the most memorable music ever composed. Anyone born in the ‘60s may know the original series’ theme, and anyone who has watched a Star Trek movie will know the modern theme from The Next Generation. The music is excellent. A personal favorite would be the theme playing during the credits after the final mission, very soothing to calm you down from the adrenalin rush of the final battle.

With many licensed games, the voices of the cast have been lent to Raven and they use the talents of these actors to forward the story by you, the gamer, actually being able to recognize the characters voice. All of the cast, minus Jeri Ryan, have given their voice talents to the game, and I couldn’t be happier.

The Quake III Lite multiplayer mode shows the engine’s true roots. A modified interface from that of Quake III, and some added options, the multiplayer mode is every bit as fun if you don’t mind there being no bloodshed. Being a licensed property, there are strict rules set down by Paramount, and bloodshed is a no-no. This comes after Raven developed the controversial Soldier of Fortune. To avoid any legal snafu with Paramount, Raven renamed the deathmatch "Holomatch." The idea is the characters are battling on a Holodeck and therefore, they aren’t killed, only replaced when they are "killed." I do find it strange that bloodshed isn’t allowed, yet the tag for this game is "Set Phasers to Frag."

No game is without its faults, but Elite Force’s flaws are seriously outweighed by the pros. Each level takes a ridiculous amount of time to load. It’s nice that Raven gives you a cool-looking percent indicator of how much of the level has loaded, but some levels can take almost a minute to load, and if you are coming into a level ready to kick some xenomorph ass and you have to wait to begin, you may be disappointed.

If you are looking for a solid, fun first-person shooter or are a fan of Star Trek, you will love Voyager: Elite Force. It may be no Half-Life in the minds of some gamers, but there is room for more games atop the greatness pile, and Elite Force clearly sits atop Daikatana and the other "games" at the bottom the pile drifting out of the minds of gamers.