There wasn't a game in 1984 that can truly match the quality and pace of Spy Vs Spy.
Graphics: 8
Sounds: 8
Value: 9
Tilt: 10
Actual score: 9.1
Note: This review is based on the Atari XL series and not the C64. Naturally in GS, the Atari version has no cover art and everyone loves cover art.
When I was a wee young lad, I religiously collected MAD magazines. You know; Alfred E. Neuman for president and that famous 'What me Worry?' chant. In this magazine had some ever so popular articles and one particular was the (in)famous Spy Vs Spy. That crow features black and white spy and their never-ending battles to out-wit each other in 'cold war' fashion.
Hearing the news back in 1984 when First-Star Software released the game 'Spy Vs Spy', I reckon I wet my pants too many times to count. It was like all my Christmas' comes at once. Considering I was a black spy fan (and to my knowledge the white spy generally was the winner) it was time to grab that game and pay revenge to those who apposed the black spy.
The objective of the game is to escape the embassy by collecting the passport, keys, secret plans and travellers cheques all within an allocated timeframe. However it's not that simple as your spy cannot carry more than one item hence once located the ever-so-valuable briefcase, you can stash all the items in one neat package. The game will end when either spy collects all the items and escape the embassy.
However once two spies meet in the same room, you instantly drop your item/s and now starts the all-in brawl until 1) one of the spies leaves the room or 2) dies. Once you die, a time penalty applies and you have to wait for five seconds before re-entering the game. When your time strikes zero, game over; however the game will continue for the surviving spy unless he runs out of time as well (and this will be regarded as a draw).
Considering this is an adaptation from the comic, you do have the opportunity to plant bombs, springs, trip wire and electrocute your opponent. The bombs and spring traps can be placed in any items except for doors. The doors are reserved for water electrocution and the trip-wire gun trap. Take note that all collectable items such as keys can also be planted with say a bomb trap as well and all traps can be disarmed by a corresponding item (e.g. umbrella disarms electrified water trap). If you happen to disarm the trap, time penalty applies to the spy who set up the trap so as you can see, there are plenty of opportunities and requires quick thinking.
The game play was unique in a sense that two players can actually play at the same time (and not this nonsense player 1/player 2 syndrome). First-Star Software called this 'Simulvision' – which means 'split screen'. Normally it would look cluttered however due to the simplicity of the graphics (and very detailed might I add) it works quite well for what it does. Considering you can see what the other spy is doing (planting traps for example) it's not that easy to thwart your enemy. Every action you do will cost time (including viewing the map) and considering this game is extremely fast-paced, I hope you do have an impressive memory.
The graphics in this game is nothing short but brilliant. The spies themselves look just like the comic from where they arrived from and even though the tables, shelves etc look simplistic, they serve the purpose extremely well. And if the spy triggers the trap, each trap has its own animation (electrocution results seeing his bones flashing; spring traps results him flying from one end of the room to another) as the other spy will chuckle to himself! Simply brilliant!
The sounds in Spy Vs Spy is another landmark to hail. The musical score, even though it repeats itself, has a very catchy tune and serves well for the pace of the game. Also all the traps, like the graphics, have its own individual identifiable sounds as well so you can actually play the game and listen for those sounds to identify what's going on with your opponent.
Due to the nature of this game, the replay value is unbelievably high. Yes, your goal is always the same however considering there are five bot levels (yes, the AI is superb for its time), five difficulty stages (each stage has more rooms and will become multi-leveled as you get higher) and even have the opportunity to either display the exit at all times or hide it until when all items are collected, you can see that there's going to be many, many hours of gaming time. Therefore taking into account the amount of options available you can home in your skills to perfection hence challenge the ultimate foe – another human being (in my case, my sister and it worked out really well as she is the fan of the white spy and quite a good player).
All in all, Spy Vs Spy is a fast-paced action, strategy game. Even though the layout and controls are a little hard initially however once mastered it, it's all about tactics. This game reminds me a lot like any of the Unreal Tournament series of being high-speed and tactful. Anyone can pull the trigger however if you really want an edge to your opponent, think three steps ahead. I really love Spy Vs Spy due to its clever multiplayer and in-your-face action. There wasn't a game in 1984 that can truly match the quality and pace of Spy Vs Spy. You can say this is the original Unreal Tournament!