While not as ambitious as MegaTraveller 2, it had its own charms. You could be a mercenary, trader, or bounty hunter, or a combination thereof. Unfortunately, this type of action adventure game never really took off. Another Privateer came out, but it was an FMV adventure, and not particularly good. Then came X: Beyond the Frontier and its sequels, and the long-awaited Freelancer. I was starting to think that nostalgia had made Privateer seem better than it was. Then DarkStar One arrived in my mailbox. I had no particular expectations -- it was a preview build, in German with English subtitles, of a game that looked like Freelancer. Well, I've been there before, right? But, after several straight days of plowing through DS1, I'm here to tell you that it's turning out to be the best game of its type that I've played. That's right. Ascaron Entertainment, the guys mostly known for Port Royale and Sacred, have crafted an action adventure space game that puts previous watermarks to the test.​