Science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle named "Starflight" his game of the month for January 1987, stating that it was "as much a career as a game" and "fascinating". Fellow writer Orson Scott Card wrote, "Starflight is the first science fiction computer game that actually gives you something of the experience of roaming through the galaxy. ... I have found this game obsessively fascinating—and the graphics and player interface are superb". He called it the ""Star Wars" of science fiction games. Brilliantly designed and programmed ... the standard against which all other space-exploration games must be measured".