This is a game that with just a little more polish and options could have been one of the best games ever.
The control scheme takes a little getting used to. It also doesn't help that the game manual is incorrect about some of the controls. For instance, it labels "G" as being the control in the command panel, however in the game that seemed to be pathed to "F." Also, the overall control setup can be unwieldy at first, and took me quite a while to get used to. Once I figured it out, it wasn't actually that bad.
The friendly AI is pretty stupid. You'll probably find yourself switching between your ships often because the AI can't seem to figure out how to kill opponents. Also, they have an annoying tendency to sit around and do nothing at times.
Another thing I've found issue with is that individual ships don't seem to be able to feed data to each other. In another ship is engaged with enemy vessels beyond your own sensor range, you won't be able to target those ships. You must first move your own ship to that location, which can make plotting intercept courses somewhat annoying at times.
The biggest gameplay failure, however, is the lack of ability to upgrade your ships, which was a fairly highly touted feature while the game was still in development. While the game is still fun in spite of its lack, its inclusion would have given the game a lot more long term value and made it far more interesting, as now the only thing you can do with command points is buy new ships, and after a certain point, that becomes useless, if you're good about keeping your ships alive.
The sound is very good. It gives the game a genuine Star Trek feel. The phaser and torpedo sounds are great, and the inclusion of the captains from the shows makes the game really feel authentic. The other voice acting is only OK, however, and the enemy radio taunts get somewhat repetitive.
The graphics look very impressive. As long as your ship doesn't have holes blown in it. The damage effects, other than the scarring details that leave your hull blackened, aren't that impressive looking (about the same level as Bridge Commander), and the ship explosions when they're destroyed could look more impressive. It is possible to have parts of your ships blown off (as I discoevered in a skirmish when my Akira lost its right nacelle), but that's about the most interesting damage effects in the game. The warp speed acceleration looks authentically Star Trek, and the ship models are quite attractive. There have been a couple times when I've noticed background space textures looking a little wonky. Once I distinctively saw a large square that looked like it was hovering in space and looked nothing like what was around it.
The campaign is decently fun, though the missions can be annoying at times. If you're not interested in protecting other ships and having a few other boring objectives, skirmish play is for you. I actually find myself playing in skirmish mode much more than the campaign. You'll get a lot of hours just flying around blasting other ships.
As I stated before, this game could have been so much more. All it would have taken was for the developers to deliver on their promises. While what they gave us is still an enjoyable enough game, it's not the instant classic it could have been.