Star Trek Fleet Command review: It’s not difficult to get into the game

Star Trek fan? Then Star Trek Fleet Command is the perfect way to invest several hours of your weekend. It is set in the Kelvin timeline, which means you'll see Chris Pine's James Kirk and Simon Pegg's version of Scotty popping up in the game. But for the most part, you are a unique character with your own starship, building your own station and slowly but surely gaining a name for yourself in the galaxy.

That doesn’t mean you have to be a loner. You’ll crew up your ship with a mix of unknowns and Star Trek favourites, and you can sign up to an alliance, which is handy for getting things done a little quicker. Buildings can be constructed in less time and you can upgrade your facilities on board your station much faster than alone.

It’s not difficult to get into the game. Although it’s a complex world, it has three things going for it: Star Trek is a well known brand, the user interface has been designed with mobile users in mind, and the initial tutorial gives you the basics quickly and cleanly.

But this game is also an investment of your time. It takes time to do everything – repair your ship, strengthen your defences, travel across space to engage hostiles in battle. Sure, you can buy your way into better ships and materials, but since the emphasis is on engaging with the game rather than flashing your cash, you still have to wait a while before you can get to the good stuff.

You can’t, for example, buy the Enterprise and start using it, you’ll need to earn the right to do it. That means putting in some playing time instead of going for the quick and easy option.

There is thousands of hours of play with STFC, but it is addictive. Once you start building, you need more - more resources, more expertise, more crew. But although it’s addictive, you can easily leave it down for 10 minutes to at least pretend to interact with your family and friends, because things will be as they are – or close enough – when you return.

The best things about the whole game? It’s supporting an Irish games studio. Published by Scopely, it was designed and built by Digit Games, which is located in Dublin. So not only are you entertaining yourself, but you are also doing your bit for the economy. It’s a win-win situation.