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For those of you who aren't familiar with the original "Trek" game, Aragom Space War isn't a "text" type game like the original TRS-80 version seen here. Instead, it's a game that uses the basic premise of the original Star Trek game but enhances it with real time battle via the iPhones touch display.

In Aragom you are the commander of the USS Constellation. The object of the game is to destroy all of the enemy Aragom ships before they can destroy all of your base stations and before time runs out. During battle you will have to use your long and short range scanner to find the Aragom and wage war with them. If one of your bases are under attack, an alert will be sent out to you. From that point it's your job to get to that base stations quadrant and destroy the Aragom before they destroy the base.

Anyone who has played the original will immediately see the resemblance in the way the games main console is displayed. To the right of the screen we see the short range view of the galaxy map. Next we see the overall shield and laser strength and the rest of the ships onboard systems. Touching that area will reveal a more detailed view of the relative strength of each system. Lastly we see what quadrant you are in and how much time you have left to destroy all of the enemy Aragom.

Getting around the various quadrants was just as I hoped it would be. Clicking on the short range sensor map allowed me to see what was in the area. Moving to the edge of any quadrant allows your long-range sensors to see what's in the next quadrant. Tapping your finger on any sector will zoom you there. This is how you use your Warp Engines in the game. Once in your sector, you can see stars, base stations and Aragoms in the area.

Here's where things are a LOT different than the TRS-80 original. The game play to destroy the Aragoms are done in real time, not by typing in commands but by using your finger to tap on the Aragoms. Your laser will automatically fire at the Aragoms until they are destroyed or you are. You can maneuver your ship during the battle to distance yourself or use stars to hide behind for protection. During the battle, just like the original version, your sheilds, laser, long and short range sensors and torpedos are affected with each hit. When your ship is hit too many times, it's game over. If you are successful at destroying the Aragom in the sector before they destroy you, your ships systems will slowly recover. To speed recovery, you can dock your ship at any base station.

Game play on the Easy level setting were a bit too easy for me but placing the game at the higher difficulty stages made it much more challenging and exciting. For TRS-80 Trek purists, you may have a love/hate relationship with this game. First off there are no Torpedos and I think this is because the actual space battle game play is done in real time and there is no easy way to switch between lasers and torpedos for this type of game play. While I enjoy using the touch interface to interact with my ship, I miss the calculated strategy of using lasers and torpedos against my opponent. My other quibble is that the Aragom and USS Constellation have very similar looking graphics and sometimes it's hard to tell which is you and which is the Aragom.

Overall it's a great game and I've had hours of fun trying to save the galaxy. Aragom Space War is available at the iTunes App Store for $2.99.