Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity

Spectrum Holobyte, who is more famous for their flight sims than anything else, has made a decisive step towards the adventure gaming world with their first interactive adventure game, Star Trek: The Next Generation "A Final Unity". After many months of delays, the game is finally available and the wait was well worth it.

This original interactive episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" really offers the Mac-gamer a chance to not only use his/her reflexes, but also his/her minds as well. Just like in the TV series, you must figure out what, when, why, and how...and of course, time is crucial! Interact with various alien races seen in the real show, as well as meet new alien civilizations. After all, that is what the crew of the starship Enterprise's mission is all about. Although animated with mouths that are not in sync at times, the original cast does provide a realistic performance much like the series. If you are a STNG fan or even a fan of mystery, this CD-ROM should be in your possession.

Wer wunderschöne Computeranimationen geniessen und den Originalstimmen seiner Helden lauschen möchte, der sollte sich "A Final Unity" unbedingt ansehen. Rätseltechnisch bleibt man dagegen auf dem Teppich und bietet durchweg gediegenes Mittelmass, wobei uns in der einfachen Stufen sogar vom Bordcomputer unter die Arme gegriffen wird.

A Final Unity hinterließ bei mir einen guten, aber keineswegs überwältigenden Eindruck - das mag aber auch daran liegen, daß ich persönlich eher der "alten" Star Trek-Generation zugetan bin. Besonders erfreulich ist die Tatsache, daß es sich um ein echtes Adventure und nicht - wie viele im Vorfeld befürchteten - um einen "Interaktiven Film" handelt.

Star Trek: A Final Unity on kaikesta itkusta, valituksesta ja särkyneistä odotuksista huolimatta hyvä peli, tai sanotaanko Trek-kokemus. Silti Interplayn Trek-pelit vetävät vielä pitemmän korren: ne ovat sentään aitoja seikkailupelejä, ja alkuperäinen Star Trek on vangittu niihin paremmin kuin hyvin.

Wenn mich am ansonsten grundsoliden Programm eines stört, dann ist es die Grafik. Die Verquickung vieler unterschiedlicher Stile macht die Illusion, "im Spiel" zu sein, oft kaputt. Ertappt man sich beim Angucken eines neuen Bildes dabei, als erstes nicht das Alien sondern die andere Zeichentechnik zu bemerken, haben die Grafiker was falsch gemacht. Auch die Animationen der Crewmitglieder könnten um einiges schöner sein. Spätestens in der zweiten Spielhälfte sollte Sie die intelligente Story jedoch derart mitreißen, daß sie über solche Grafik-Schwächen wohlwollend hinwegsehen.

All in all, "A Final Unity" is an enjoyable way to spend your free time. If you are even a little bit of a Trekker, you have to play this game just to see all of your favorite crew members in action. And even if you are not a diehard Star Trek fan, this game has a lot to offer as multimedia entertainment, as long as you can handle the minimum requirements.

Snygg grafik och smarta inställningar gör att du kan välja mellan att sköta allt själv, eller att låta det mesta skötas med automatik.

Overall, this game offers an excellent extension of the feel of the show, and a solid game design as well.

A Final Unity is a game which, ultimately, may appeal most to the real Star Trek fans but will provide an interesting diversion for general Science Fiction fans as well. So, trip into the far reaches of the Universe, creep behind enemy sectors and navigate your way through some of the most dangerous space known to man. (Er, don't you mean sentient life-forms? - Ed.) Meet with diverse peoples and solve quests wherever you go. Make it so!

While Interplay Productions has been the company to beat in adventure games based on the Star Trek license, Spectrum Holobyte has done a remarkable job of making a distinctive, enjoyable, and even deep adventure from the exploits of Picard and company. With top notch voice acting, multiple narrative paths, various difficulty settings, challenging puzzles, and gorgeous graphics, Star Trek: The Next Generation “A Final Unity” is definitely a game that Star Trek fans can come back to again and again.

Spectrum HoloByte did a lot of things right in developing this game, the company's first use of the coveted Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST:TNG) license.