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Covert Action (IBM-PC)

designed by Sid Meier with Bruce Shelley (credits)

released 1990

genre espionage game
game size 1.12 mb
archive size 755 kb

supports

VGA, MCGA, EGA, Tandy 1000, CGA Graphics, PC Speaker, Tandy Sounds, Adlib, Roland MT-32, Joystick.

One of the most neglected subgenres in all of gaming is that of espionage. Now that technology has progressed to allow similar "special effects" to those found in movies, we can enjoy action thrillers like GoldenEye and fulfill our James Bond fantasies - at least on console platforms (and eventually on PCs, if we're lucky). In the early '90s, however, there was little available, other than insipid arcade rehashes of car chases and the occasional badly drawn polygonal spy lamely looking for clues in tired old adventure game style. Sid Meier thought he could change all that and bring the fun and mystery of techno-spies to the PC, much as he did in Pirates! Unlike most of Sid's games, however, the initial great idea didn't pan out into classic, addictive gameplay. Sid Meier's Covert Action couldn't decide whether it wanted to be Mata Hari or James Bond: The sleuthing was interesting, and at times the action was good, but the dichotomy between the two styles meant that you often forgot where you were in the game. This was a problem Sid would later have with his Civil War game, which he solved by limiting the focus to a single battle. There were other problems, most notably the use of rubber bullets by your spies. Whatever happened to "license to kill?" The villains weren't particularly memorable, either. Still, there are enough good ideas in Covert Action that it would be nice to see Sid take another crack at it - especially since the game's most intriguing question has yet to be answered: Was supersleuth Max Remington the dapper male or the sexy female on the box's cover? -- © 1999 GameSpot

Screenshots

download (755 kb -- rename ca-rar.pdf to ca.rar)

. additional files

Covert Action Manual

. related links

Sid Meier's thoughts on his game

. other games designed by Sid Meier

Civilization
F-15 Strike Eagle
F-15 Strike Eagle II
F-19 Stealth Fighter
Gunship
Pirates!
Railroad Tycoon
Red Storm Rising
Silent Service