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THE SHIPS

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Fig. 5. The Klingon Vor Cha Class Cruiser

Every type of ship ever on Star Trek is modeled here! Each has vices and virtues according to their individual power, weapons, and bulk. You command Klingon Birds of Prey, Romulan Shadow Cruisers, Enterprise class starships, plus the Borg cube. Each race has about two or three assorted, smaller vessels and three or four heavier ones.

You can build the big ones only after you have a weapons research station and a regular shipyard. Building ships, like all else, cost dilithium. You must decide if you'd rather have more of the cheaper interceptor-size vessels or fewer expensive battle-wagons. This also works into your gaming strategy as construction time is proportionate to vessel size. If you are constantly engaged with an opponent, you do not want to spend time making larger vessels to defend or take a quick offensive role - you want smaller, quickly built ships that meets your immediate needs.

If you are hard pressed for numbers you can turn out, say, smaller Klingon Birds of Prey quickly. It means you must order about a larger number of ships and direct their firepower at a specified target to get the same results as fewer large ships. I've found that nothing can withstand the combined fire of two or three capital ships and five or six medium cruisers.

Fig. 6. Under Attack

Just as in the Star Trek series, vessels that had cloaking devices can utilize them in Armada. Use them to your advantage in hit and run strategies or to spy on what your opponents are up to. The idea behind having numerous vessels for each nation is to balance one another. This also extends the game play life as each nation has distinct feel and look, not to mention different strategies needed to take advantage of their strengths. Here is a listing of all the ships for each nation:

THE FEDERATION	KLINGON EMPIRE
Venture-Class Scout	NuQ Guj Class Scout
Defiant Class	Bird Of Prey
Streamrunner Class	SuQ Jagh Class Assault
Akira Class	Vor Cha Class Cruiser
Nebula Class	Fek Lhr Class
Sovereign Class (Enterprise)	Negh Var Class
	Jagh Eng Class

ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE	BORG COLLECTIVE
Talon Class Scout	Detector Scout
Shrike Class	Interceptor
Griffin Class	Assimilator
Shadow Class Cruiser	Sphere
Warbird Class	Diamond
	Cube

MULTI-PLAY

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The manual describes multi-play activities but does not state number of players allowed via TCP/IP. Seemingly some features will be added that are not available for single strategist play. If the multi-player option is used budget plenty of time to get through a scenario since the single player game is lengthy. Not only do you now have to worry about the strengths of the Borg Collective, but your friend with their evil plots to overthrow your Federation Empire online. Armada has an extensive range of story-driven multiplayer options over LAN and the Internet.

MAKE IT SO

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Star Trek is a worthy strategy-entertainment tile to have. It is reviewed here for the sake that it is a historical combat theme. The Creator, Gene Roddenberry, put a post-hypnotic suggestion in us long ago that makes Star Trek seem like real-future history. If television is received in a distant alien galaxy someday, and is taken for real, that race may just forget about taking us on, thanks to Mr. Roddenberry!

Fig. 7. The Busy Romulan Empire

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