The Game at Easy level:
Playing the game at the Easy difficulty setting is easy but dull. Yes, almost everything is done for you and you don't pay as much for components, but that's well over half the fun in playing this game. Use this for your first ship, but don't bother making a fleet on this difficulty setting.

The Game at Medium level:
You get only part of the essential sytems for your ship, leaving you to hunt down each part that you need to have to start up your ship. You only get a skeleton crew, and everything costs more. Not a good choice for a beginner or expert. Pick one side of the fence or the other, don't try to be on both.

The Game at Hard level:
You only get the basic frame of the vessel, so you have to select EACH part of the ship to build. You get no crew at all, so I wound up with Barclay as my captain. On the up side, you get LOTS of components you couldn't get at the other two difficulty levels, like cloaking devices. Best difficulty setting for building a fleet, not a ship.

THE SHIP CLASSES (in order of usefulness)

#1-Intrepid Class:
The best ship that you can pick. It has up to 20 phaser banks, up to 8 torpedo launchers, and even 3 computer cores. It has bunches of sensors, great transporter capability, and is pretty cheap, compared to other ships available.

• Cost at Easy-38990
• Cost at Medium-26751
• Cost at Hard-3515

#2B-Defiant Class:
Not very good for anything but the FUN stuff. First, you have Cloaking ability. Then you get Quantum Torpedoes. Add it being one of the fastest ships around, and you get the Defiant class-the grooviest class around. Now the only downside is that it has very few science abilities, and that's why it gets second place. A solid choice for a second ship.

• Cost at Easy-33199
• Cost at Medium-23243
• Cost at Hard-1289

#3-Galaxy Class:
Huge. Doesn't cost as much as any of the previous three selections. It has great sensor, transporter, and cargo capabilities. However, defense is only mediocre, and it hasn't much for modern technologies. A good choice, but not the best.

• Cost at Easy-32554
• Cost at Medium-26914
• Cost at Hard-4706

#4-Excelsior Class:
A mediocre vessel. It has the most science labs, and a goodly amount of sensors, but just doesn't have enough in the defense department. On the up side, you can get Kirk and Spock as Captain and First Officer. Oh, and it's kind of cheap.

• Cost at Easy-28969
• Cost at Medium-19285
• Cost at Hard-3916

#5-Constitution Class:
We're really scraping the barrel here. This one beat the Miranda Class on looks alone. This has not much for sensors, isn't even equipped with phasers at default. It isn't even all that much less than the Excelsior. Pick this for fun after you've maxed out every other ship available.

• Cost at Easy-24529
• Cost at Medium-16488
• Cost at Hard-2170

#6-Miranda Class:
Ouch. Remember the Star Trek:The Next Generation "Peak Performance"? Every mission is like that episode with this ship. Do yourself a favor-don't buy it. There is only one good thing about it: You can mix crews from Classic Trek and DS9 or Voyager if you have the first edition.

• Cost at Easy-26557
• Cost at Medium-14823
• Cost at Hard-1540

The Missions

Easy Level Missions

• Mission 1:Visit Deneba IV. Requirements: Long Range Scanners, Planetary Scanners.
• Mission 2:Shakedown Cruise. Requirements: Some of the key systems. You don't need all of them.
• Mission 3:Ride to the Frontiers. Requirements: Nothing Special.
• Mission 4:Test Launch a Probe to Collect Data. Requirements: Probes of various shapes and sizes, Photon Torpedo Launcher.

Medium Level Missions

• Mission 5:Deep Space Subspace Analysis. Requirements: Labs, Sensors, Shields.
• Mission 6:Catch Raider Guys. Requirements: Shuttles, Probes, Scanners, Tractor Beams, Phasers, Shields.
• Mission 7:Prevent Collapse of Decton Ecosystem. Requirements: Transporters, Science Labs.
• Mission 8:Dismantle Minefield near Cardassian Border. Requirements: Scanners, Phasers, Shields.
• Mission 9:Defend Area Against Unknown Invader. Requirements:Shields, Phasers, Diplomacy.
• Mission 10:Repair Tecronic Monitors on Drema IV Requirements: Sensors, Transporters, Engineering Team.

Hard Level Missions

• Mission 11:Rescue Crew of USS Wellington from Romulan Neutral Zone. Requirements: Shields, Phasers, Medical Bay, Diplomacy.
• Mission 12:Medical Emergency on Hoptus Major. Requirements: Transporters, Medical Crew, Shields.
• Mission 13:Facilitate Terraforming on Gratemos VIII. Requirements: Probes, Transporters, Scanners.
• Mission 14:Retrieve Artifacts from Planet Kurl. Requirements: Transporters, Planetary Science, Diplomacy.
• Mission 15:Diplomatic Escort. Requirements: Transporters, Communications, Phasers, Shields.
• Mission 16:Deflect Stellar Fragment. Requirements: Skilled Crew, Photon Torpedos, Shields.