Sid Meier's Covert Action

About

Sid Meier's Covert Action is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Grinning Colossus and was released on October 9, 2014. It received very positive reviews from players.

Sid Meier's Covert Action - A Techno-Thriller From the Case Files of Max Remington. In the 1990's our national nightmares are haunted by wild-eyed political extremists, greedy and ruthless drug lords, and lunatic military dictators. For too long we have felt powerless to stop them. But now, award-winning game designer Sid Meier takes us around the globe with super-spy Max Remington to challenge t…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews

story5 positive mentions

Unique and immersive espionage gameplay combining investigation, puzzles, cryptography, and tactical mini-games that create a cohesive spy experience.
Highly replayable due to procedurally generated cases and multiple approaches to solving missions.
Classic and nostalgic game design with engaging mechanics that still appeal to fans of complex and strategic spy games.

Clunky and unintuitive control scheme, including reliance on numpad and scattered keyboard keys, making the game difficult to play especially for modern gamers.
Lack of tutorial and in-game guidance, requiring players to consult a lengthy and sometimes inaccessible manual, leading to high entry barrier.
Dated graphics and sound that may deter players not inclined to appreciate retro aesthetics and old DOS-style interface.

story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The story in Covert Action offers a procedurally generated, investigative spy thriller experience where each mission presents a unique villain, plot, and clues to unravel, emphasizing player-driven deduction and strategic action. While the narrative beats follow classic spy tropes—gathering evidence, identifying masterminds, and thwarting criminal plots—the integration of multiple mini-games and time-sensitive decision-making adds depth but can occasionally overwhelm focus on the overarching story. Despite dated controls and some combat drawbacks, the dynamic, puzzle-like storytelling and mission variety keep the narrative engaging and satisfying over repeated playthroughs.
- “The brilliance is every time you start a new game, you get a new villain agency and plot to untangle, complete with agents to foil through tailing, tracking, intel gathering, sneaking through buildings and around guards to plant bugs or photograph evidence, or code breaking, all with the goal of stopping the enemy from doing what they want, with failure representing a better opportunity to get them next time.”
- “What is also cool is that as the game progresses from mission to mission you start to get a feel for who the mastermind of your particular playthrough is. You'll gain clues as to their identity and depending on your difficulty this can be more or less obvious.”
- “Stopping the plot is the most basic of wins; the more participants you can arrest or turn, the more points you get. Capture the elusive masterminds (who don't actually actively participate in the plot so you don't get the luxury of intercepted communications) and get even more points; and there's even a 'Mr Big' apparently behind the scenes that's even more difficult to find.”
- “The only real complaint I have, outside of dated controls and the tutorial not being as focused in directly assisting the player as it could be (perhaps a product of its time), is how the story of keeping tabs on what is going on in your specific scenario is surprisingly hard to focus on. Although this is partially an investigation game, it is also part-action where combat takes up a good portion of what you do, which results in not knowing what to do next or generally where to go to achieve the next objective.”
- “All the same story beats are there; you find out the crooks are up to no good, go to a city and ask around, hunt for evidence, make sure your case is solid, and take down as much of the crime ring as you can.”
- “Arrest them at the wrong time and other plotters will get spooked and hide because they can't complete their mission, and you lose the chance to get them.”
graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
16%
The graphics are widely acknowledged as dated and basic by modern standards, often described as clunky or primitive, but they were considered top-notch at the time of release around 1990. Despite their vintage style and limitations, many users appreciate the nostalgic charm and microdetails, emphasizing that the gameplay depth overshadows visual shortcomings. Several reviewers suggest a remake with updated graphics and sound could revive the game's appeal without altering its classic design.
- “10/10 (for when it was made, graphics were top of the line, today, people will complain about it).”
- “It has great graphics, depth, and functionality for the time period.”
- “The controls are slow, and the music and graphics are top notch for a game that is over 20 years old.”
- “A remake might be cool, but this old game features mostly EGA graphics and the clunkiest control scheme ever invented.”
- “Crap graphics, crap sound, no mouse support, very slow reactions to the controls, and despite all that - completely playable.”
- “All-encompassing espionage puzzle/stealth-action game with terrible graphics.”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
64%
12%
The gameplay offers a unique blend of espionage, strategy, stealth, and puzzle-solving set in varied, randomized scenarios that emphasize detective work and tactical action. While deeply engaging and highly replayable for fans of old-school, thoughtful spy games, its controls feel clunky and outdated by modern standards, with some mechanical disconnects between minigames. Overall, it delivers a challenging, immersive experience that could benefit from updated graphics, smoother controls, and refined gameplay loops.
- “To touch upon the gameplay side of things here, Covert Action tasks you as 'Max Remington' (either Maximillian or Maxine depending on which gender you'd prefer to play as, a surprising choice for this early on in the video games industry!) as your goal is to put a stop to one of a dozen or so terrorist organizations' objectives that can vary from one scenario to the next, using various means of tactical action, espionage, and other government-approved methods to ensure that as many of the operatives involved are captured and arrested, with the ultimate goal being to apprehend each of the fifteen 'masterminds' behind each criminal organization.”
- “Except here you also engage in a bunch of genuinely enjoyable minigames to do so, from wiretapping or placing tracing devices on cars using familiar flow-path gameplay, breaking codes using cryptography (yes it is a simple substitution cipher, but how many games with substitution ciphers do you think there were in 1990?), busting into an enemy hideout with guns or grenades or a more stealth-oriented loadout if you prefer; trailing villains around the city in a car (ok, I literally never got any good at that part), and all the while collecting clues and cross-referencing them in your excellently automated case file and trying to figure out where to go and when to go there to wrap things up before the bad guys make their getaway.”
- “Ultimately, at the end of the day, Sid Meier's Covert Action offers a very specific experience with unique gameplay that aims to give its players a challenge coupled with realism thrown into the mix that, although by today's gaming standards it will easily be too outdated for a good portion of casual gamers, will no doubt appeal to those looking for something more 'involved' and keeping them on their toes as it were, something I recommend overall despite me playing rather poorly at it!”
- “Even the 'tutorial' sections basically hit a wall, and the game causes confusion about its mechanics.”
- “While it has exciting scenarios like taking cover under grenade fire, the moment-to-moment action is clunky with controls spread all over the keyboard, lacking animation and feeling unresponsive.”
- “The controls are archaic and the gameplay loop lacks depth.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The game offers exceptional replayability, driven by randomized elements, varied gameplay, and semi-random detective plots that keep each playthrough fresh. Many players appreciate the nostalgic depth and innovative design reminiscent of 90s games, contributing to its lasting appeal.
- “It's heavily replayable due to randomized elements and the surprising amount of gameplay variety fit into such an old PC game.”
- “Add semi-randomly generated detective plots and you get a game which is very much replayable.”
- “Lots of replayability and lots of 'aha!' and 'oh my god, you're the villain' moments.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music is generally catchy and fits the game's tone well, with crisp and authentic sound design for its era. While some find it primitive by modern standards, it remains a strong point considering the game's age. Overall, the audio complements the gameplay despite its dated style.
- “Fairly catchy music that fits the tone of the game rather well, with the sound design being quite crisp and authentic for the time.”
- “The controls are slow, and the music and graphics are top notch for a game that is over 20 years old.”
- “I like the music and sounds.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a highly immersive and addictive espionage atmosphere that feels more authentic than many modern spy titles. Despite being a collection of mini-games, its setting and mood effectively capture the international spy theme.
- “While it's basically a loose collection of mini-games centered around international espionage, it has tremendous atmosphere and is insanely addictive.”
- “Finally, the atmosphere for espionage is more believable than more modern spy games such as Alpha Protocol.”