A video game takes over the crew, and Wesley returns to save them.
Riker returns from a trip to Risa with a strange electronic game given to him by a woman, and it quickly becomes an obsession on the Enterprise. The game seems to give pleasure, but as more crew members play, they become less interested in their duties. Wesley Crusher, home from the Academy, notices that something is wrong.
With the help of a new friend, Ensign Robin Lefler, Wesley tries to work out what is going on and how to break the hold of the game on the crew. The story is an allegory about addiction, in a vein similar to earlier episodes, with some suspense. It is a comic and thoughtful story that also marks the return of Wesley to the series.