Star Trek: Elite Force II is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. This time your mission takes place on the Enterprise, though oddly the only person that appears from the show is Captain Picard.

Game Play (14 out of 20):

The gameplay in Elite Force II is pretty generic for a first-person shooter, but it is fast paced. Sometimes it feels like you are only moving from point A to point B, shooting everything in your path. I gave it a higher score than I would’ve though, because there are several sequences throughout the game where you get to use your tricorder to solve puzzles and figure out solutions to problems. Several of these sequences are timed, and they help break the monotony of the game. There are some pretty good boss levels, too. Something that Elite Force II boasts that the first one didn’t have is more open environments, such as the planet Idryll, or an Attrexian outpost. But these environments could have been a lot better; they are somewhat interesting but seem dreary and don’t really add anything new. All of the weapons you will use aren’t really anything new and they add to the gray nature of the game. The only environments that were really enjoyable, yet short, were the holodeck training missions, and a short mission on the hull of the Enterprise.

Graphics (9 out of 10):

The previous game ran on the Quake III engine, and this one is no different. Surprised the game looks quite good. Some of the character face models are clunky, but that’s to be expected because there are so many. On my computer it ran pretty smoothly except for one mission where the framerate dropped a bit; but not too much as to make it unplayable.

Sound (7 out of 10):

When you walk up to groups of people on the Enterprise, you can catch them talking, but when you walk away it fades out. This is a pretty cool concept and it adds to the realism. Unfortunately, some of the main characters voice acting is pretty cheesy, that’s of course excluding Patrick Stewart as Picard. The music in the game is okay but you don’t really notice it because you’re too busy shooting. The only place where it really stood out was a sequence on an abandoned ship that really freaked me out. Of course, I’m a little sensitive, so it probably won’t bother you.

Appropriateness (25/50)

: Since it\'s a first-person shooter, you know it\'s going to be violent. You encounter many bug-like creatures that when you shoot they splatter, even though their blood is green. You also shoot human-like characters but there is no blood and they disappear after a short time. An exception to that is the afore-mentioned "ghost ship" where you see dead crew members lying around with weird looks on their faces. Several times throughout the game you hear mild cussing; mostly d***. One of the female characters, Kleeya, wears a bikini outfit that looks like it got taken straight out of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. She appears in many different cut scenes and a lot of them you can’t skip. Another level puts you in a bar where dancers on stage aren’t wearing much. You don\'t have to look at them, but they are there. They could have done a lot better in this category and it takes away from the “fun factor” of the game. Star Trek: Elite Force II can be fun at times, but right now it’s still costs $48.99 retail price. My advice: don’t waste your money unless you are a die-hard Star Trek fan.