Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula was a late eighties release that was a direct sequel to the initial Starflight game. It was developed by Binary Systems and published by Electronic Arts Incorporated and was released initially for play on the personal computer bearing the MS-DOS operating system. MicroMagic Incorporated later ported it to the Amiga and the Apple Macintosh. It is basically a game of commerce, trading and business skills that takes place in a very fun science fiction theme and is immersed in an epic storyline.
There have been several unofficial sequels to this game, due to its wide fan base. Protostar is an unofficial sequel, released in the early nineties, and the Starflight III Project is a fan made sequel that is currently under development.
Starflight 2 is played in real time and has some great role playing game elements in it, since the user’s character will get better and gain skills as he progresses through the Nebula. Following the events of the previous Starflight game, the universe is enjoying a peaceful period of time. However, a relatively unimportant race of beings…the Spemin, have suddenly acquired some new technology and are using it to make a bid for superiority. Some minor investigations
will reveal that the technology was not created by the Spemin, and a hunt occurs to find the source of this advanced power and either utilize it for good, or snuff it out all together. Interstel will commission your team to travel through the worm hole to the Cloud Nebula in order to investigate this new technology.
The gamer is going to have a lot to manage in this simulation. Not only will he be flying the ship and landing on various planets, but he will have to learn to manage his crew; keep his ship in repair, stocked and fueled; collect resources, conduct diplomatic sessions with foreign races in order to build trade routes and procure allies; and, of course, explore a very large galaxy filled with little planets, heavenly bodies…and enemies.
Starflight 2 uses about the same interface as the first game, so people who played the initial game will have a small leg up on others. The newest, and possibly the most fun thing about this sequel, is the chance to trade now. In the past, users had to return to Interstel for all resupplies and upgrades. Now it is possible to trade and purchase unique items with other races, which greatly broadens the possibilities for acquiring neat things and also making money. There are many new technologies, new places to explore and new quests and dilemmas to solve. This is one of the few occasions where the sequel to a good game actually gets BETTER instead of turning into a let down. It is highly recommended.
