Torpedoes destroy enemy ships (provided they strike the target), while the other weapons may disable (or ultimately destroy) enemy ships. When disabled, a ship may only be captured by ordering space marines to board the vessel. Automatic combat between the enemy's crew and the marines will then ensue. If victorious, the player receives some power and a number of prisoners. The captured ship may then be towed to a starbase. During capture attempts, however, enemy spies or prisoners may escape on the player's ship undetected and disable vital systems. Such situations result in an "Intruder Alert", forcing the player to search for the culprit. As a last resort, the player may to choose to self-destruct his ship, adversely affecting the final score. After completing a mission, the player is rated on several factors, including number of enemies eliminated or captured and starbases rescued. Successful missions may result in promotions or commendations. Jerry Pournelle wrote in "BYTE" that "Star Fleet I" "is likely to drive me crazy but I keep coming back for more", describing it as "frankly better than the Star Trek game I wrote". "inCider" gave the Apple II version four stars out of four, describing it as "ideal for anyone who enjoys an addicting space game". "Info" gave the Amiga version two-plus stars out of five, stating that "If you've played public domain versions of Star Trek you've played Star Fleet I". The magazine criticized the graphics: "It looks like it was ported lock, stock, and lack of imagination directly from the IBM-PC version". Game reviewers Hartley and Pattie Lesser complimented the game in their "The Role of Computers" column in "Dragon" #118 (1987), noting that they were "very impressed with this offering," and stated that "There is a sense of realism to the game that is unmatched by other offerings." In a 1992 survey of science fiction games, "Computer Gaming World" gave the title five stars of five, calling it a "superb rendition of the 'main-frame' "Star Trek" ... this reviewer still plays it today, even though the graphics are primitive". A 1994 survey in the magazine of strategic space games set in the year 2000 and later gave the game three-plus stars out of five, stating "A real shame that this product hasn't been updated like "Empire Deluxe"". In 1996, "Computer Gaming World" declared "Starfleet I" the 150th-best computer game ever released.