Microprose makes great simulators that frequently break the mold. Covert Action is an espionage simulator, and it is one of the most unique games I've ever played. There just aren't any other games like it.
The premise seems simple enough: One of the many terrorist organizations is hatching a plot to do something bad. Your job is to prevent their ultimate goal by gathering evidence and arresting the suspects. There are up to 8 suspects in a single case, with their own faction, job, and face, (yes, there's a random face maker). Each fills a specific role, such as courier or kidnapper. They all work together, passing information and mission items back and forth. The blueprint inspector tells the burglar how to break in, while the electronics whiz sends him/her a door bypassing gizmo. And so on. Arrest the known suspects, or allow them continue on to reveal even more suspects. Be careful of red herrings. There are limitless enemy agents, and only some are relevant to the current case.
Besides the main game, there are 4 mini-games that are all connected: Breaking and entering, driving, electronics, and cryptography, (though honestly you will mostly be breaking and entering). You don't strictly have to play any one mini-game, as I often don't even bother with electronics.
The complexity of the game comes from the various ways you can gather information, and how you formulate your plans based on it. But the clock is ticking. It takes hours to fly to the different locations, and to perform the mini-games. The plot is always moving forward, so let's hope you figure out what's going on before it's too late.
It would be impossible to describe the number of unique features in a short review. There is so much going on that is atypical for any video game, but it's familiar and intuitive enough that it only takes some practice to really get it down. Highly recommended!
