Sid Meier's Covert Action

After making this game, Sid Meier coined the 'Covert Action rule', which was essentially that each game should be one game, not a bunch of little conflicting ones. And all the criticisms he has of his own game were just as obvious to me. The main problem is a huge chunk of the time is spent 'infiltrating' a building. Of course that sounds fun, but it's a case of awkwardly moving from room to room interacting with drawers then going back the way you came. If this was just one game, it would be an action game, because so much time is spent shooting guards and taking photos of cabinets. Sid noted that this was an action game with fleeting moments of careful spy shenanigans, and he's right, because the other game is a bit of 'Carmen Sandiego' and you'll be collecting clues and going to locations. Though in this game you have the choice of following or tracking cars or bugging their phones. It's nothing special after you've done those same puzzles a few times though. And once you've played one case you've played them all. It's the same thing every time and gets old fast. I found myself thinking "why am I not playing something like Alpha Protocol instead?" Because in 1990 this was alright, but nowadays you really should be playing something else that does the spying shtick way better.

This game is old, its classic, and it's got that old DOS charm that just sucks you right with this era of early 90s game. The mechanics are not complicated, but they are ROCK SOLID. The random missions and locations, clues and enemies always make this an exciting romp. You really feel like an agent on a case, desperately hunting that next clue, desperate to make that last arrest before the evil plot of the games villians goes off. Youre always one step behind evil, and when virtual lives are on the line, the pressure is on. There hasn't been one time I played where I wasnt fully engaged and sucked into the story. Once the case is over, you get a breakdown of what happened between you and the villians, and it's always really satisfying. Break down doors, hack computers, and arrest the terrorists! What more do you want?

This is a very unique, classic game that is different each time you play. I used to play this for hours and hours years ago. You're a spy trying to solve a case. You can break into buildings, follow cars, decrypt encrypted messages and other things in an attempt to prevent the bad guys from committing a crime. This game was truly ahead of it's time and is simply brilliant. For a few bucks you really can't go wrong.

One of the greatest game I played as a child. Controls are a bit wonky, but it's worth trying it out. You create your character simply from Male or Female, then from 4 skill sets; Combat, Crypto, Driving, and Electronics which all have a rating to them. Then you in a free roam world to a degree, you hang out at the office, review the case files, place a wire tap, break into a suspect's building (stealth or loud), tail a suspects car to a new location, travel to exotic locations. It's a great game that shouldn't be missed! Matter of fact I still own the original and couldn't figure out out how to get 3.5 floppies to run. Here it is ready to go! Thanks!