''Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator'' is a

space combat simulation A space flight simulation is a Video game genres, genre of flight simulator video games that lets players experience space flight to varying degrees of Reality, realism. Common mechanics include space exploration, space trade and space combat. ...

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arc ...

based on the original '' Star Trek'' television program and movie series, and released by Sega in 1983.US Copyright Database listed date of publication 1983-01-21 ''Star Trek'' uses color vector graphics for both a 2D display and a 3D first-person perspective. The player controls the

Starship Enterprise ''Enterprise'' or USS ''Enterprise'' (often referred to as the "starship ''Enterprise''") is the name of Spacecraft in Star Trek, several fictional spacecraft, some of which are the main craft and setting for various television series and fi ...

and must defend sectors from invading Klingon ships. The game includes synthesized speech The game was manufactured in two styles of cabinets: an upright standup, and a sit-down/semi-enclosed deluxe cabinet with the player's chair modeled after the '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture''s bridge chairs with controls integrated into the chair's arms. ''Star Trek'' was ported to the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

, TI-99/4A,

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE ...

Atari 5200 The Atari 5200 SuperSystem or simply Atari 5200 is a home video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. as a higher-end complement for the popular Atari Video Computer System. The VCS was renamed to the Atari 2600 at the time of the 52 ...

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

, VIC-20,

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer expe ...

, and

Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mol ...

Gameplay

The player is presented with multiple views of the play field. Survival depends on the player's ability to effectively use and manage shield energy, photon torpedoes, and warp energy. These are replenished by docking with starbases, which sometimes must be saved from destruction at the hands of the Klingons. The controls use a weighted spinner for ship heading control and buttons to activate the impulse engines, warp engines, phasers, and photon torpedoes. The phaser button is simply marked "fire."

Reception

Electronic Games An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...

'' stated in August 1983 that "''Star Trek'' is sure to be a top-grosser in the arcades this year. If you can squeeze through the crowd around the machine, you may never want to leave." ''

ANALOG Computing ''ANALOG Computing'' (an acronym for Atari Newsletter And Lots Of Games) was an American computer magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit family of home computers. It was published from 1981 until 1989. In addition to reviews and tutorials, ''ANALO ...

'' wrote in January 1984 that the Atari 8-bit version "sounds a lot like Star Raiders (a classic worth aspiring to). Purists will shake their heads and say 'The first is always the best,' and in this case I must agree with them", adding that the arcade version was superior. The magazine concluded that "This incarnation of Star Trek probably won't impress a hard-core Atari computer gamer". About 500 arcade machines were given away as part of a promotion for Halfsies cereal between 1982 and 1983. In 2016,

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Ga ...

ranked ''Strategic Operations Simulator'' as one of the top four ''Star Trek'' games.

References

External links

*
''Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator''
at GameFAQs
''Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator''
at the Internet Archive {{Star Trek video games 1983 video games Apple II games Atari 2600 games Atari 5200 games Atari 8-bit family games ColecoVision games Commodore 64 games VIC-20 games North America-exclusive video games Gremlin Industries games Sega arcade games Starship simulators based on Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator TI-99/4A games Vector arcade video games Video games developed in the United States Single-player video games