Wolfenstein 3D pretty much started the craze, showing that what was possible and Doom took that a step farther, showing a much more detailed world. Quake was the next level, and was quite fun. There are reasons it has been ported to almost every system architecture that can run it, from supercomputers to full-immersion 3D devices. (How do they call this a 1998 game, though? Was this a later release than the initial Shareware version of ~1996?) The graphics are grainy and the puzzles often require learning through experience. The controls require tweaking to get just so before the game is comfortable to play. Nevertheless, it's a fun game. I particularly enjoyed playing it with organ fugues or cheerful fiddle music as the BGM.
The game was excellent in every point, save one: combat. (The music wasn't especially memorable, but it fit the game.) AI control was mediocre, which was frustrating because the controls for controlling different ships was garbage. Since combat was important and difficult *because* of the controls, I found this game far more frustrating than fun. This was such a great game everywhere else, though, which made it worse. It was close to the best game of the 4X genre and failed because of crummy controls. If someone hacked the stupid thing and inserted meaningful formation controls and 'sweep mines' and 'approach to range and attack' behavior options, the game could be one of the best.
First and foremost: The music is catchy. I still hum it from time to time. This was one of those games that played at the edges of what computers were capable of doing at the time. The map was huge. Good stuff. The interface is fair. You can often figure out how to do a thing, but executing it is usually cumbersome. Adjusting the speed of the game is required to not get bored but not be overwhelmed when things happen. Couple bits of advice: Halflings and Dwarves have a really nice bonus to avoid getting hit. Halflings' food bonus is really nice, too.
