Despite this, Protostar more than deserve to be called Starflight III. All the ingredients that made the originals masterpieces are here: vast solar systems, many interesting aliens to meet and trade with, a cool underlying sci-fi plot, and strong underlying economic and flight models. There are many more minerals and exotic alien goods to trade than in the previous Starflight games, and the VGA graphics are generally well done (although the aliens look much less creative than the Star Control games). Unfortunately, Protostar plays like a game that has been rushed out the door too soon – the interface is not very user-friendly, and the plot (even with a mixture of political intrigue thrown in) doesn't develop all too well. Although there are literally thousands of star systems you can visit, they all resemble each other after a while. The addition of different missions is a nice touch, but then again, the missions aren't nearly diverse enough. In the end, die-hard Starflight fans will probably feel a bit disappointed by this spiritual sequel that could have been a true winner with a bit more time in the beta to give it more polish. As it stands, though, it's still a fun diamond in a rough worthy of its Starflight pedigree.