"In all ways wonderful."

The first Starflight was quite an interesting game--the extreme non-linearity and Star Trek-like interaction with various alien races made it a worthwhile game. Unfortunately, it also had a few problems: it was far too easy, and far too short. Then Starflight 2 came along. Was it an improvement? Not by half.

While the sequel follows fairly closely on the heals of the original, it betters it in several important manners. By far the biggest improvement is the inclusion of a most groovy trading system. In SFI you could only buy and sell fuel and items and whatnot at the base at which you start. Landing on planets--except for the ones you had to visit to win--was of little or no use. Here, however, there are a smattering of planets inhabited by sentient lifeforms--and not just the ones capable of starflight, either. Upon landing on an inhabited planet, you'll occasionally come upon a trading center, at which you can, um, trade. Goods include minerals, captured non-sentient lifeforms, and various items meant specifically for barter. But it's not just a matter of choosing something to buy or sell and buying or selling it--most races will, to a greater or lesser degree, engaging a sort of haggling with you: you make an offer, they stand firm or make a counter-offer, and so on, and naturally it's to your advantage to make a good deal. If you want to make a species like you and be more inclined to give you good deals in the future, sell something cheaply or buy something for more than it's worth. Be too obstinate in your dealings, and you could piss off your potential trading partners and lose out on whatever deals they're offering. Occasionally, a race will sell a nifty gadget that'll add one function or another to your ship or your terrain vehicle, but often as not they'll want you to bring them some good to which they are especially partial before they'll part with it, which you'll likely have to trade with another species to obtain. Hmm...I've gone on about the trading at some length, haven't I? Well, that's because it's incredibly absorbing--it may sound simple, but the haggling is very intense and strategic, and it's a blast to wander around finding new races with which to do business--I wouldn't recommend playing without the map, though; it would be very maddening indeed, I fancy.

Speaking of alien races: they're just too cool for words. In the original Starflight there weren't that many aliens, and what ones there were weren't especially exciting--Thrynn and Elowan, who you could (and still can) have in your crew anyway, and just a few others, who were fairly garden variety. The only returning species is the Spemin, or so it seems...to my disappointment, the enigmatic Minstrels fail to make a second appearance. What races you do meet, however, are ultra-creative. I don't want to spoil anything, but...wow. Wait'll you meet the Ng Kher Arla. You can even get members of a few of these races to join your crew, if you play your cards right.

In addition to featuring a more lively set of folks to chat and exchange plasma fire with, the story is also much improved. It's not easy, and it features quite a few quite amazing twists and turns...great stuff all around.

I realize I'm using quite a few superlatives here while providing very little in the way of examples to back them up, but that's because I don't want to spoil it, ya know? Trust me: Starflight 2 is a wonderful game, and I implore you to give it a shot. I would say ''now if only Electronic Arts would give us an SF3...'', but I realize full well that if they did it would almost certainly be some sort of hideous, unplayable, 3-D monstrocity, so I think I'll just be happy with 2. And believe me, there's plenty to be happy about.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/00, Updated 03/27/00