surprisingly, the only PC game ever produced for Star Trek which provides a starship simulator incorporating a first-person view, a continuous-play structure, a fully navigable in-game universe, and also direct control over multiple ship systems, as opposed to Star Trek: Bridge Commander, in which only non-player characters handle the bridge duty stations, or Star Trek: Starfleet Command, in which play is not continuous, and also the player can only view their ship from the exterior, and cannot travel beyond the immediate area. The innovative ship damage system remains one of the most interactive of its kind. Starfleet Academy didn't model ship damage visually, except when a warp nacelle was blown off. The later Star Trek: Bridge Commander uses a somewhat similar system, but it is not as reactive as the "ginsu" system present in Klingon Academy. Few other space titles model ship damage other than total destruction. Klingon Academy is also one of the first space games to depict and use interactive stellar phenomena, in order to create a more complicated environment than simply empty space. This "space terrain" not only creates unique tactical and strategic opportunities, but is also as hazardous to the player as it is to his enemy. Development Klingon Academy was intended to be a sequel to Interplay's Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Starfleet Academy was released in 1996 after a lengthy and difficult development process. Both games featured 3D space battles where the player controlled their ship by use of a keyboard and mouse or keyboard and joystick, and were set in the Star Trek universe. Starfleet Academy was set during the period of the Star Trek TOS feature films and was a moderate success, although it was criticized for an overly complex interface and poor vessel movement dynamics. Interplay started laying plans for a sequel around 1997, and a development team was assembled under 14 Degrees East, Interplay development house responsible at the time for games under the Star Trek license. To save costs, the sequel was to use the same game engine with which Starfleet Academy was created. The setting of the game was moved to the time just before the events depicted in the motion picture Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which was released by Paramount Studios in 1991. Therefore, Klingon Academy is a prequel to Star Trek VI. Like Starfleet Academy, Klingon Academy features space battles interspersed with full-motion video, with