Simon & Schuster Interactive, the company currently in possession of the 'Trek info' and DS9 computer game licenses, has just announced that 'Starship Creator Warp 2' has begun appearing at retailers throughout the country. The game is of course also available at Amazon.

Below you'll find the full press release made available by Simon & Schuster. Hopefully the sequel will be somewhat more interesting than the original version, which was quite possibly the most boring computer product I ever bought.

Star Trek Starship Creator Warp 2 Ships

NEW YORK, June 12, 2000 -- Simon & Schuster Interactive announced today their Star Trek entertainment title "STARSHIP CREATOR: WARP 2 (PC/Mac CD-ROM)" is now available at retailers nationwide. The follow-up to the best-selling "Starship Creator Deluxe," "WARP 2" gives Trekkers™ what they've been waiting for - the ability to create their own Starships, fly them simultaneously in one of 34 scenarios, the ability to create their own scenes for "mini-episodes" with a drag-and-drop scenario creator and photo editing features that puts Trekkers in actual Starfleet Officer's uniforms.

"STARSHIP CREATOR: WARP 2" will also allow Trekkers to import their newly created Starships into Simon & Schuster Interactive's tactical combat / role playing game, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars."

Firsts in Star Trek Entertainment CD-ROMs

WARP 2 has two unique features never before offered in any other Star Trek title. First, Trekkers can add digital photos of themselves and "put on" a Starfleet uniform and write their own bios which appear in scenarios. Trekkers can then export themselves into the forthcoming DOMINION WARS game and see themselves in combat.

Secondly, Trekkers can now create their own "mini-episodes" of Star Trek with an easy-to-use drag and drop interface. Get creative and set out on your own Star Trek journeys - and send them to other Trekkers to see how they fare in your universe.

About WARP 2

The adventure begins when the player chooses elements to create the external structure of the starship. Mix and match different parts within each of 6 classes of ships, including Klingon B'rel class fighter, Enterprise-D Constitution, Defiant, Galaxy, Sovereign, Akria, Intrepid and Constitution. Trekkers then name their original 3-d ships, give them a registry number, and can print them out or trade them with other Admirals over the Internet.

Internal Systems

Once the structure has been assembled, the user can delve into all sorts of Star Trek "tech" to make the ultimate Starship! He or she can choose everything from the strength of the phasers, the make of the warp drive, the power of the deflector shields, the number of transporters and the type and capacity of sensors. The player can also take into account the luxuriousness of the crew's quarters or the number of holodecks -- choices that will have a strong impact on the efficiency and happiness of the crew. When you're done, print out a fabulous cutaway view of your unique ship, complete with callouts.

Staffing

Now it's time to choose the crew of this new Starship. The bridges can be manned with the user's choice of appropriate Starfleet personnel -- Think "Sulu" was a better captain than "Kirk?" Give him his own ship! Make "Scotty" his right hand man! But be careful how you choose -- some officers, like "Worf," will follow the simulation exactly and ask you for guidance when the unexpected pops up.

Warp Speed Ahead

Take your newly created Starship and put it to the test on any of the scenarios, from the exploratory to the scientific -- to the Neutral Zone. Pop-up menus give you, the Admiral back at Starbase, status updates and incoming transmissions so you make some critical decisions. Fly a scenario with one, or two of your Starships - simultaneously.

Palms and Visors

Your crew is under attack, but you have to catch the shuttle to Mars. What to do? Take your mission and download it to your Palm Pilot or Visor PDA and keep a watchful eye on your Starship. This feature will be available via a free download this summer.

An Export You'll Love

STAR TREK STARSHIP CREATOR: WARP 2 will allow Trekkers to import their ships and crew into the forthcoming STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE: DOMINION WARS computer game. Players who import their photos will also see themselves in DOMINION WARS in pop-up windows.

STAR TREK: STARSHIP CREATOR: WARP 2 is now available for the PC and Mac in at an estimated street price of $29.95. The title was developed by veteran Star Trek reference and entertainment company IMERGY who is based in New York.

Simon & Schuster Interactive is the consumer software publishing unit of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Based in New York, S&SI publishes entertainment, education and reference titles across numerous platforms. The Company is the Codie Award winning publisher of the best-selling "Douglas Adams Starship Titanic" adventure, the best-selling parody "Deer Avenger" series, and numerous critically-acclaimed children's software titles.

Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc., is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed and multimedia formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Trade Publishing, Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster New Media, Simon & Schuster Online, Simon & Schuster U.K., and Simon & Schuster Australia. For more information about Simon & Schuster, visit our website.

Viacom Inc., which completed its merger with CBS Corporation on May 4, is one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies, and a leader in the production, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music.

For the latest Star Trek news and information, visit the official Internet home of Star Trek at www.startrek.com.

Viacom Consumer Products merchandises properties on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, Viacom Productions, and Spelling Entertainment, as well as third party properties. Viacom Consumer Products, a unit of Viacom Entertainment Group, is a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. To learn more about Viacom Consumer Products and our properties, please visit us at www.viacomcp.com.

Star Trek and related marks TM, ® and © 2000 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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