Solid Trek Game!!
This game is totally familiar and has almost no learning curve IF you are familiar with the PC Star Fleet Command series. If you're at least familiar with the Star Trek universe or an experienced gamer, you only have to learn which button sequences activate which commands. If you're a noob to the ST universe, you've got some things to learn - moderate learning curve but not hard. Weapons, Shields, Phasers, Photon Torpedoes are all pretty standard game stuff. Learning the nuances and the tactical situations that call for Emergency Deceleration and some of the other maneuvers requires experience.
I would strongly advise anyone playing this game to learn the button commands rather than using the stylus. Maneuvers, activating Shield Regeneration, Hails, etc. are much faster in the heat of battle with the button combos rather than switching back and forth between Navigation, Weapons, and Shields on the lower screen. The Upper Screen is where the action is taking place while the touch screen provides instant access to all ship's systems and status. You play through a series of set mission assignments. Gameplay is intense once the shooting starts. While the game is definitely fun, Bethesda had an opportunity to add some non-linear game sequences depending on decision-making and performance during the missions but didn't. Mission performance only affects the number of "upgrades" to your ship - this is actually advanced classes for key members of your crew who then become more proficient at certain tasks or learn advanced techniques. This covers everything from improved phaser power to faster phaser recharges, improved emergency battery management, and improved maneuvering. A few of the missions actually require or have an opportunity to interact with people in the game and a very few even affect when the fighting will start - later if you're smart or sooner if you're not.
One of the good, but sometimes frustrating requirements, is that you have to protect your fellow starships even when they do something stupid. Because if they die, the mission fails and you have to play again. It wouldn't be quite so bad if you were the taskforce commander and could order them to withdraw, but it doesn't work that way. Again, Bethesda missed an opportunity to enrich gameplay.
Overall, this is a good but not great game and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a Star Trek fan or who loves space games. Winning missions requires a modicum of strategy and solid battle tactics.