Source: Electronic Games – September 1993
From the back of the box:
Captain’s log, stardate 6238.4. There is no doubt that you’re being watched. By whom and by what type of life form is not determined. Even Spock has not been able to accurately assess this data. The occurrences are just too strange.
Is that truly an ancient WW1 triplane heading straight for you at Warp 9? Could it be Trelane? how can your sensors suddenly report life forms on a dead planet? Where did that primitive race get such advanced technology? No, it couldn’t be Dr. Bredell and the Vardaine … he was thought dead from your last encounter.
The tension increases as you beam down to mysterious worlds and encounter strange adversaries in situations that simply defy logic. You’re a long way from Starfleet Command and only you can discover what-or who-is challenging you beyond your wildest nightmares. Or can you?
Star Trek: Judgment Rites, a sequel to Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, brings you back as Captain James T. Kirk along with your entire crew, as the 5 year Mission continues with 8 new, thought-provoking episodes. The tension increases as you beam down to mysterious worlds and encounter strange adversaries in situations that simply defy logic. Is that truly an ancient WWI triplane heading straight for you at Warp 9? How can your sensors suddenly report life forms on a dead planet? You’re a long way from Starfleet Command and only you can discover what – or who – is challenging you beyond your wildest nightmares. Or can you?
- True episodic format beams eight original missions into your computer
- As Captain Kirk, you and your entire crew – Spock, Dr. McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and Scotty – bring the original, unique TV series humor on board.
- Digitized, original painted backgrounds and detailed, computer-rendered starships pull you into the missions
- Original series’ sound effects and music take you back to the action.
- Test your strategy as you play straight through the adventures, or lock phasers on target and clash with your enemy in head-on action.
Star Trek: Judgement Rights was released in 1993 and is the sequel to Star Trek: 25th Anniversary which was released a year or so earlier. Both are adventure games for DOS that are based on the same game engine. You play the role of Captain Kirk and can interact with the various other characters including Spock, McCoy and others. Together, the two games essentially complete years four and five of the original five year mission. The game is episodic in that you go on various missions similar to the TV show. Judgement Right has some changes though, including making battles optional and combining a significant number of “episodes” into one continuous story.
Game play is split into two primary modes. One is a main bridge view from which the Enterprise can be controlled and directed in battle (optional). The other is a third person view which you get whenever you are transported on an away mission. This is a point-and-click adventure style game and it is a pretty well done one with lots of mysteries to solve. Certainly if you are a fan of Star Trek or this genre of game then both of these are worth checking out.
Star Trek: Judgement Rights is historic for a couple of reasons. First, it is the last time that DeForest Kelley played the role of McCoy. It’s also the last time the main cast appeared together in a Star Trek production. Some would appear in later iterations of Star Trek but they would never all be together again. Of course, I kind of doubt they were actually together when the voices were recorded but who knows…
There are several ways to play this game if you want to give it a try. First, it is available via GOG here for under $10. Second, you can download it via the Internet Archive here for free (not sure what the legal implications are). It can also be found via Steem and no doubt at various torrent sites throughout the net. Or for collectors, I’m sure you can find a boxed copy on eBay if you are willing to spend the money. I don’t have a physical copy of Judgement Rights but I think I have a sealed copy of 25th Anniversary around here somewhere. You can either boot up an old DOS based PC to play it or use DOSBox. Point-and-Click adventure fans and Star Trek fans should definitely give this one a try.
